DETERMINATION OF IRON CONTENT IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF HERBS USED TRADITIONALLY FOR ANEMIA TREATMENT IN EAST-AFRICA

The iron content in different parts of eight plants traditionally used to treat anaemia in Eastern Africa was determined using atomic absorp tion spectrophotometry. Extracts were made of plant samples using both wet and dry oxidation procedures. Results obtained from both procedur es agree significantly and the average of both methods was taken as th e iron content in each plant part. In most cases, the values obtained for the rootbark had a higher total iron content than the correspondin g leaves and stembark. The prominent iron contents of 35.69 and 35.21 mg/100 g were found in the rootbark of Bridelia cathartica and Lannea stuhlmannii, respectively. The iron content of the decoctions prepared in the traditional way was low. However, the therapeutic potential of the herbs cannot be established on the basis of available iron conten t alone as other factors play a role in the absorption of iron in the body. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.