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Chemical elements of Algerian Mentha spicata L. used in the treatment of digestive system disorders by employing instrumental neutron activation analysis technique

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Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study the elemental concentrations of Mentha spicata L., using a sensitive nuclear analytical technique based on instrumental neutron activation analysis. M. spicata L., have been largely used in Algerian traditional medicine, especially in the treatment of ailments digestive. Twenty elements were assessed (As, Ba, Br, Ca, Ce, Cr, Cs, Co, Eu, Fe, Hf, K, La, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sm, Sr and Zn). The accuracy of the method was evaluated by analyzing the certified reference materials NIST-SRM 1573a and GBW 07605. The daily intake of essential and toxic elements were determined and compared with the recommended values and were found to be well below the tolerance limits. The results were compared to those reported form others studies Indian, Pakistanis and Turkey.

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Acknowledgements

This work has been carried out at Es-Salam Research reactor. The authors would like to thank Mr. Kerris Abdelmoumen, Director General of CRNB, many thanks to the Editor and Reviewers for their valuable comments.

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Correspondence to Samir Begaa.

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Begaa, S., Messaoudi, M., Ouanezar, A. et al. Chemical elements of Algerian Mentha spicata L. used in the treatment of digestive system disorders by employing instrumental neutron activation analysis technique. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 317, 1107–1112 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-018-5976-0

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