Abstract
Author(s): B. Naveen Sai*, Ch. V. Gopi Chand, G. Rama Krishna, A. Ravi Kumar, A. Jaya Rami Reddy, V. Vallabh
Diarrhoea is a condition that involves frequent passing of loose or watery stools. According to the Who, approximately 3.5million deaths each year are attributable to diarrhoea. Medicinal plants have been used as traditional remedy for diarrhoea for years long and there is renewed interest from the discovery of novel compounds from plants to fight against diarrhoea that also encourages studies on diarrhoea which include research on traditional herbs. The present study was designed to investigate antidiarrhoeal potential of combined 70% hydro ethanolic extract of Morinda citrifolia. Castor oil introduced diarrhoea in wister rats. Phytochemical screening of the plant extract for their active constituents was also carried out using standard procedures. Oral administration of combined hydro ethanolic extract of Morinda citrifolia significantly, and dose dependently delayed the onset of diarrhoea induced by castor oil and also significantly reduced the number of diarrhoeal episodes and number of animals exhibiting diarrhoea. The results were comparable with standard synthetic antidiarrhoeal drug, loperamide. Phytochemical screening also revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, carbohydrates as the major constituents. The results point out the presence of active principles in Morinda citrifolia possessing a promising antidiarrhoeal effect substantiate the use of herb non specific treatment of diarrhoea in folk medicine.