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Richard Mariita is one of number of post-graduate students from Kenyatta University assisting Earthwatch with field work and analysis back in the lab, seen here with a new plant sample as yet untested. Diseases and illnesses being treated by the medicinal plants range from diarrhoea, cough, skin diseases and rashes, to more complex conditions such as yellow fever, polio, malaria, and fertility issues. Some healers claim they can also treat anthrax and tuberculosis. The specific names of the plants are not being disclosed in public, in order to protect community resources. Future tests, it is hoped, will show positive results against the organism that causes tuberculosis. The most effective medicinal plant species require urgent attention to avoid extinction from either destructive harvesting or climate change. Some of the plant species identified are rare and only grow in the arid or semi-arid regions. However with the arid and semi-arid habitats becoming less habitable, the species could be lost to mankind.