EVALUATION OF ANTHELMINTIC ACTIVITY OF INDIAN HERBS

Kulkarni Chitrarekha Girish, Lohar Bhagwan Namdev, Jadhav Shital Tanaji*, Salunkhe Satyajeet Sunil

Helminthic infections are major cause of chronic ill health among tropical people. Traditional medicines contain several plant products for eliminating helminthic worms. However, standardization of individual ingredients is lacking in many cases. Present investigations are undertaken to ascertain anthelmintic activity of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Terminalia belerica fruit, Boerrhavia diffusa leaf and Saxifraga granulata root against Pheretima posthuma and Eisenia foetida. Albendazole 20mg/ml is used as a reference standard drug and normal saline as control. The result is expressed in terms of time for paralysis and time for death. The study indicated significant anthelmintic activity of aqueous as well as ethanolic extracts of Terminalia belerica and Boerrhavia diffusa. Ethanolic extract of Saxifraga granulata at concentration of 50mg/ml showed comparable anthelmintic activity with reference standard against Pheretima posthuma.