Acute Toxicity of Senna Didymobotrya Fresen Irwin Roots Used as a Traditional Medicinal Plant in Kenya

Abstract

Medicinal plants play an important role in the treatment of various illnesses in Kenya and the whole world. Senna didymobotya is one of such plants used traditionally in Kenya to treat illnesses such as diarrhea, m alaria, ringw orm, jaundice and intestinal worm. The main aim was to determine the acute toxicity of Senna didymob otya roots. The methanol total and dichloromethane crude root extracts of S. didymobotrya were the most t oxic and they killed 80% of mice at a dose of 5000m g/kg body weight with an LD 50 of 1927mg/kg after a period of 14days .