Posted by admin on Jul 31, 2018 in |
The emergence of anti-malarial resistant parasites has posed a serious threat to the control and elimination of malaria. Therefore, there is a need for an alternative drug that is highly efficacious, affordable and safer for the treatment of malaria; hence, interest is now on the use of herbal medicine to treat malaria. Ogidi community in the Anambra State of Nigeria depends mainly on plants for the treatment of malaria. Bixa orellana plant, belonging to the family Bixaceae, is a very popular medicinal plant in Nigeria where it is used to treat malaria, jaundice, diarrhoea, dysentery, hypertension, as well as diabetes. The ethnomedicinal use against malaria prompted this investigation on the anti-plasmodial activity of the leaf of Bixa orellana. Bixa orellana leaves were obtained from Ogidi, Anambra, Nigeria, it was dried and pulverized to smaller particle size and extraction was by cold maceration with methanol which was fractionated into n-hexane and ethyl acetate fractions. The phytochemical analysis was carried out using standard procedures. The evaluation of anti-malarial activity was done...
Read More
Posted by admin on Jul 31, 2018 in |
The therapeutic potential of essential oil-bearing plants have been realized. Like herbal remedies, essential oils and their constituents cover a wide field of performance. These include antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. The field of aroma and smell is so attracting that Nobel Prize (2004) in physiology and Medicine was awarded for unlocking the secrets of smell. Thanks to Prof. Richard Alex of Columbia University, and Linda B. Buck, who unlocked the secrets of the olfactory system at the molecular level. These odor bearing substances pass through nasal passage are detected by particular neurons called olfactory cells present in the upper part of nasal epithelium which contains five (5) million neurons. Essential oils are chemically a mixture of organic compounds belonging to different chemical entities such as terpenes, phenols, aliphatic compounds, benzoyl compounds, and heterocyclic compounds. Terpenes are classified as mono, sesquiterpenes, and diterpenes based on isoprene units. Oxygenated terpenes are the chief odor transporters of the essential oils. They include the alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids,...
Read More
Posted by admin on Jul 31, 2018 in |
Hypertension is a common clinical problem encountered in day-to-day practice. Although several synthetic pharmaceutical drugs already exist for the treatment of hypertension, these drugs can develop many complicated side effects. On the other hand in our Arabian countries, patient compliance forces the population to frequently recourse to traditional medicine which mainly uses plants. Because of most of the medicinal agents including herbs were reported to have potentially unexpected effects including toxicity and interactions, this study focused on the investigation of antihypertensive activity of four plants mixture along with studying their interaction. In this study ethanolic extract of a mixture composed of four plants Hyphaene thebaica, Olea europaea, Origanum majorana, and Hibiscus sabdariffa was investigated for its antihypertensive activity and interaction between it’s including herbs. 50 g of each plant powder was mixed homogeneously and macerated in 70% ethanol for about 7 days. The effect of this extract was investigated at a dose level of 25 mg/kg. Blood pressure was measured by a non-invasive blood pressure recorder apparatus before and...
Read More
Posted by admin on Jun 30, 2018 in |
The aim of the present work was to investigate the anti-diarrheal and diuretic potentials of Tabernaemontana divaricata Linn. leaves of the family Apocynaceae. In almost all tropical developing countries of the world, diarrhoea is one of the most common and serious diseases, the principal cause of morbidity and mortality among children under five years. The methanolic extract of the leaves of T. divaricata L. was evaluated for anti-diarrheal properties in castor-oil induced diarrhoea. In the castor oil induced diarrhoea, MELTD significantly inhibited the number of defecations. The diuretic activity of the methanolic extract of leaves of T. divaricata (MELTD) was assessed based on Lipschitz value and diuretic index. The standard diuretic drug furosemide exhibited a significant increase in the urinary excretion of water and electrolytes (Na+ and K+), which is comparable with the extract. The diuretic index at the dose of 200 mg/kg (MELTD) was calculated as 1.55, significant as compare to the standard drug having a diuretic index of...
Read More
Posted by admin on Jun 30, 2018 in |
Ficus polita leaves have been used in traditional medicines to increase physical strength, work productivity and longevity, resistance to high altitude sickness, fatigue, depression, anemia, gastrointestinal ailments, infections, and nervous system disorders. The objective of this study was to evaluate the analgesic activity of hydromethanolic extract of F. polita leaves in rats using acetic acid-induced writhing and tail flick immersion methods. The phytochemical screening of the extract revealed the presence of flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids, glycosides, resins, steroids, balsams and pholobatannins. Acute oral toxicity study resulted in no mortality after oral administration of 3000 mg/kg of the extract. Based on the tail flick immersion test, Ficus polita hydromethanolic leaves extract and the standard drug, diclofenac showed significant (P<0.05) analgesic activity by prolonging the mean latency time when compared to the control. However, a significantly (P<0.001) prolonged mean reaction latency to pain in morphine-treated groups was not comparable to the extract and diclofenac treated groups. The extract and the standard drugs significantly (P<0.001) inhibited the acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing at all...
Read More