Safety Evaluation of Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis) Hyraceum: Oral Toxicity Study in Rats

Abstract

Urine from domestic animals has traditionally been used to treat multiple human diseases. Rock hyrax hyraceum (RHH) is a dark brown resin-like substance made up of accumulated feces and urine of rock hyraxes, used in traditional African medicine to treat snake and scorpion bites, as well as colic, hysteria, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease. As there is no scientific backing for the utilization of hyrax hyraceum, there is an urgent need to establish its safety as a medicine. Furthermore, toxicity evaluation facilitates the identification of factors for clinical surveillance of the potential side effects, as well as the estimation of a preliminary hygienic dose level and dosing frequency range for human clinical trials. The safety of RHH was assessed by administering 2.5 and 5 gm/kg doses of hyraceum crystals dissolved in de-ionized water and administered to rats orally. We evaluated the acute toxicity profile, as well as the effect of RHH on liver and kidney function and histopathological investigations. The results of this investigation showed that consuming RHH does not have any hazardous effects on liver and kidney function and histopathological investigations. Drinking RHH did not cause toxicity. These findings are consistent with those of previous studies of drinking cows and camel urine. We encourage more research on hyraceum composition in relation to rock hyrax habitat areas and eating patterns, as we believe it will help us understand why people practice drinking hyraceum as a medicine.