Study of Antidiarrhoeal Activity of Two Medicinal Plants of Bangladesh in Castor-oil Induced Diarrhoea

Kaempferia galanga (Family: Zingiberaceae) has immense importance in traditional health care system as a carminative, cholera, antiinflammatory, abdominal pain, dyspepsia and stomachic as well as in the diseases of coughs, pectoral affections and stoppage of the nasal blocks. Grewia paniculata (Family: Malvaceae) has been used in traditional medicine for treatment of indigestion, eczema, itch, small-pox, typhoid fever, dysentery and syphilitic ulceration of the mouth. Leaves of this plant used along with turmeric and shell of snail for the treatment of jaundice. This study was aimed to investigate the antidiarrhoeal activity of the acetonic extract of Kaempferia galanga and ethanolic extract of Grewia paniculata. The acetone extract of rhizome (ACR), as well acetone extract of leaf (ACL), ethanol extract of bark (EEB) and ethanol extract of leaf (EEL) were subjected to antidiarrhoeal activity test. The antidiarrhoeal activity was performed by castor oil-induced diarrhoea in mice. In this study, both plant extracts exhibited significant inhibition (p < 0.05-0.001) and a dose dependent decrease in the total number of faecal dropping in castor oil induced diarrhoea in mice. Maximum 80.00% and 77.36% inhibition of defecation were observed with ACL (200 mg/kg) and EEL (500 mg/kg) where the standard drug Loperamide (3mg/kg) showed 54.64% inhibition of defecation. The results suggest that both the plant extracts possess pronounced antidirrhoeal activity. This study validates the use of these plants in traditional medicine. INTRODUCTION: Diarrhoea is the passage of stools more than three times in an hour period. It occurs due to an imbalance in the absorption and secretory mechanisms in the intestinal mucosa, which results in an increase in fluid and electrolyte loss into the gut lumen, leading to the production of unformed liquid faeces. QUICK RESPONSE CODE DOI: 10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.5(9).3864-68 Article can be accessed online on: www.ijpsr.com DOI link: http://dx.doi.org/10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.5(9).3864-68 However, malnourished individual’s diarrhoea can lead to severe dehydration and can become lifethreatening if not treated. Three major diarrhoea syndromes exist: they are acute watery diarrhoea, which results in varying degrees of dehydration; persistent diarrhoea, which lasts 14 days or longer, manifested by malabsorption, nutrient losses, and wasting; and bloody diarrhoea, which is a sign of the intestinal damage caused by an infectious agent, drugs, poisons (including bacterial toxins) or acute inflammatory reactions 1 . All three are physiologically different and require specific management. Diarrhoea is one of the leading