Abstract

Polyalthia longifolia (Sonn.) Thwaites (Annonaceae), commonly known as Debdaru in Bengali, is an evergreen tall tree indigenous to India and planted as ornamental tree. The present study assessed the three different solvent extracts of P. longifolia leaf for their analgesic potential by acetic acid induced writhing experiment in Swiss albino mice. All the test extracts exhibited significant analgesic activity. The methanol extract was found to be the most potent followed by the ethyl acetate and benzene extracts respectively. The present preliminary study demonstrated marked analgesic activity of P. longifolia leaf in Swiss mice.