• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.317-323
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• 2002

Mineral medicines are single or mixtures of minerals and rocks which have been used to treat disease. Recently, their application has been increased by emphasizing the physical properies of the medicines, in addition to their chemical properies. In this study, mineralogical, chemical, spectroscopic and magnetic properties were measured using X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, Ff-Infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, mass magnetic susceptibility. Experiments were done using these properties to evaluate application of traditional mineral medicines such as Yanggiseok, Yeonok and Eumgiseok. Mineralogical study proves that Yanggiseok, generally known as tremolite, consists of actinolite. Yeonok for medical usage mostly consists of fine grained tremolite. Eumgiseok is mainly composed of vermiculite and minor kaolinite and halloysite. Yeonok and Yanggiseok, belong to the amphibole group among inosilicates and both have similar emission power properties. The intensity of emission power, calculated from FT-IR measurements, follows in the order of Yeonok, Yanggiseok and Eumgiseok at 40$^{\circ}$C and Yanggiseok, Yeonok and Eumgiseok in such order at 150$^{\circ}$C. As a result of NMR analysis after 20 days in distilled water, the three mineral medicines decreased in the following order; Eumgiseok, Yanggiseok and Yeonok. However, the same minerals decreased in the order of Eumgiseok, Yeonok and Yanggiseok after 80 days. In response temperature, magnetic susceptibility of Yanggiseok and Eumgiseok systematically increased by heating to 25$^{\circ}$C, 100$^{\circ}$C and 700$^{\circ}$C. Magnetic susceptibility of Yeonok shows a decreasing pattern due to heating.