Namita Arora, M S Ranawat, Pankaj Arora

Abstract

The plant Glycosmis pentaphylla corr. belongs to the family Rutaceae. This plant has great medicinal value and is widely distributed in India. The antihelmintic effect of methanolic extract of leaves of G. pentaphylla was evaluated on adult Indian earthworm (Pheritima posthuma) at doses of 10-80 mg/ml. The extract produced a significant (P<0.05) dose dependant action and inhibition of spontaneous motility (paralysis) and death of earthworms. The results of pharmacological tests performed in the present study suggest that the methanolic extract of Glycosmis pentaphylla possess antihelmintic effect and these findings seem to justify the use of plant in traditional Indian medicine in the treatment of helminthic infestations.