Anti-diarrhea Potential and Acute Toxicity Studies of Methanolic Extract of Vernonia amygdalina and Cymbopogon citratus against Castor Oil Induced Diarrhea Model in Rats

Diarrhea is a common cause of death in developing countries and second most common cause of infant mortality worldwide. The effect of a methanolic leaf extract of Bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) and Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) on Castor oil-induced diarrhea was investigated. Fifty (50) rats between 120-227g were induced with castor oil for development of diarrhea. They were divided into two sub-groups of twenty-five (25) subsequently divided into five groups treated with 2 mg/kg loperamide, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg respectively. The cumulative frequencies of wet and formed stools were noted on the 3rd - 6th hour. It was observed that 400 mg/kg body weight of the extracts reduced the fecal spots compared to 200 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg body weight. Plant extracts were found to be non-toxic. The phytochemical screening of the methanolic extract revealed the presence of some bioactive components which may be responsible for the anti-diarrhea properties observed in this study. The above findings suggested that the methanolic extracts contain active constituents that have anti-diarrhea activities that may lead to its use in treating diarrhea.