Phytochemical Screening and Antidiarrhoeal Activity of Hyptis suaveolens

Summary. Hyptis suaveolens leaf has been used in conventional therapies for various disease conditions, including diarrhea. However, some of the therapeutic potentials of the plant have not been scientifically evaluated. Hence, the present study was aimed to evaluate the antidiarrhoeal activity of ethanol extract of Hyptis suaveolens leaf against an experimental model of castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice. Phytochemical screening of the plant extracts for their active constituents was also performed following standard procedures. Oral administration of the said ethanol extract (250 and 500 mg/kg) showed significant (P<0.01) and dose-dependent inhibitory activity against castor oil induced diarrhoea. The onset of diarrhoea induced by castor oil was significantly delayed by administration of the plant extract. The results were comparable to those of standard antimotility drug, loperamide (50 mg/kg). Preliminary phytochemical screening shows the presence of alkaloid, glycoside, saponin, tannin and flavonoid as major constituents. The results indicate the presence of some active principles in the plant extract possessing anti-diarrhoeal effect and justify its traditional use in the treatment for diarrhoea. Industrial relevance. Diarrheal diseases pose a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Moreover, in developing countries, the cost of modern synthetic medicines is out of reach of the common man, especially those in rural areas. A large population of the Indian subcontinent depend on traditional system of medicine for their physical and psychological health needs. Hence there is an intensive search for natural products which are biologically active against diarrhea. In this study, the antidiarrhoeal activity of H S. was studied and the results revealed that the ethanol leaf extract of Hyptis suaveolens extracts significantly reduced induction time of diarrhoea and number of diarrhoeal episodes in the orally treated mice. The results scientifically establish the efficacy of the plant extracts as antidiarrhoeal agents. Isolation and characterization of active principle(s) from this extract could lead to the development of herbal drug more effective in the treatment of diarrhea with less side effect, less costly affordable compared to synthetic drugs. Keywords. Hyptis suaveolens; Castor oil-induced diarrhea; Anti-diarrhoeal activity; Phytochemical screening; Traditional medicine.