Anti Epileptic Activity of Poly Herbal Extract from Indian Medicinal Plants

Abstract

With the introduction of allopathic drugs, the use of crude drugs from medicinal plants is on the decline and subsequently this traditional knowledge may be lost in the near future. In the present study, a poly herbal extract comprising of Withania somnifera Dunal, a medicinal plant used in many neuro protective Ayurvedic preparations along with five other medicinal plants were evaluated for its protective effect against seizures induced by Maximal Electro shock (MES) method in rats. A daily dose of 250 and 500 mg/kg of the extract was administered to the animals for 15 days, after which seizures were induced by Maximum electro shock method and the duration of various phases of epileptic attacks were recorded and compared with the control animals. A significant (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001) reduction in the time taken for righting reflex (recovery) was noted in the experimental animals. The levels of biogenic amines such as dopamine, serotonin and nor-adrenaline in the forebrain region were also estimated and a significant level of restoration was observed in the extract treated animals. Significant results were observed in the estimated parameters thereby justifying the use of these medicinal plants in the treatment of epilepsy. Keywords: Anti epileptic activity; Biogenic amines; Maximal Electro Shock; Poly herbal extract; Seizures. ©2009 JSR Publications. ISSN: 2070-0237 (Print); 2070-0245 (Online). All rights reserved. DOI: 10.3329/jsr.v1i1.1057