الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) has been applied to multi element determination of six medicinal plants which are used to cure various diseases in West Pokot County, Kenya.Salvadora persica wall (asiekonion) used in the treatment of general stomach-ache and fever,relievestoothache and gum disease, and cures gonorrhoea. Zanthoxylum chslybeum (song’ouo) for cureof coughs, colds, chest pain and respiratory diseases such as asthma, sore throat, fever. Erytbrina abyssiniea de (korkoruo) aids in treating and curing malaria, snakebites, sexually transmitted diseases,amoebiasis, dysentery, cough, and diarrhea. Cyperus rotundus (moikui) for an antimalarial,stomach disorder, diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, cure wounds, ulcers. Csrisse iedulis (forssk) vebl(lakatetwo) treats malaria, chest pain, digestion, lower abdominal pain, headache, and fever in children;relieve toothache, gastric ulcers and venereal diseases like gonorrhoea. Terminilia brownii Irese(koloswo) taken for malaria, tuberculosis, epilepsy, urino-genital problems, syphilis and gonorrhoea,yellowfever treatment. Concentrations of nineteen (19) elements AI, Ba, Br, Ca, Cl, Co, K, La,Mn, Mg, Na, Rb, Cr, Cu, Fe, Se, Sr V and Zn have been determined by short and long irradiation times with a thermal neutron flux in the order of 1014n. cm -2S-l. Of these Co, Cl’, La, Se and V were present at trace level (0.014 ± 0.0040 - 2.741 ± 0.243 mg/kg), Br, Mn, Rb, Cu, and Zn at the minor level (3.362 ± 0.836 - 39.812 ± 2 mg/kg) and AI, Ca, Cl, K, Mg, Fe and Na were atthe major level (32.951 ± 3.370 - 34388.8 ± 1009 mg/kg). Varied amounts of most of these elements (Ca, Cl, Co, K, Mn, Mg, Na, Cr, Cu, Fe, V and Zn) are required because of being beneficial to human health and cure several diseases. Excessive amount of iron, chromium,cobalt, copper, manganese and zinc can be damaging to humans. Aluminium, strontium, and vanadium are normally toxic and care has to be taken with these elements as to their accumulation in the body causes severe consequences like memory lose or even kidney stone.Since all the plant samples selected are rich in the elements but excess of elements were observed in Carissa edulis (Mn, Fe) Etytbrine abyssinica (Mn), Tcrminilie brownii (Fe),Cypeius rotundus (Mn, Cu) and Zsuthoxylutn clislybeum (Mn, Fe). Certified reference samples CRMs) IAEA-155 (Whey powder) and IAEA-V-lO (Hay powder) were analyse simultaneously with the samples to evaluate the precision and accuracy of the method in which it was found out that the elemental concentrations measured were within ±15 % of the reported values making the NAA technique valid to be used as a multielement analyzer.Keywords: essential elements, medicinal plants, kO-NAA, Toxicity