Background: Clitorea ternatea Linn. (Fabaceae) is a plant which is traditionally used for the treatment of wide range of pharmacological activities including antimicrobial, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, diuretic, local anesthetic, antidiabetic, insecticidal, blood platelet aggregation-inhibiting and diarrhea in India. However, scientific evidence does not exist in any literature to corroborate the claim of therapeutic success of the plant species in diarrhea.
Aim of the study: The core aim of the present study is to evaluate the antidiarrheal activity of C. ternatea ethanol extract (CTE).
Materials and methods: The antidiarrheal activity was evaluated using castor oil and magnesium sulfate (MgSO4)-induced diarrhea method. The effects of CTE on gastrointestinal motility, intestinal transit and enteropooling were also examined in rats.
Results: CTE (100-400 mg/kg, p.o.) produced dose-dependent and significant (P < 0.05-0.01) protection of rats against castor oil and MgSO4-induced diarrhea, inhibited intestinal transit and delayed gastric emptying. CTE dose dependently and significantly delayed the onset of castor oil and MgSO4-induced diarrhea, decreased the frequency of defecation and reduced the severity of diarrhea in the rats compared with loperamide (10 mg/kg, p.o.).
Conclusion: These findings confirm the ethno medicinal use of C. ternatea as a valuable natural remedy for the treatment, management and/or control of diarrhea.
Keywords: Castor oil; Clitorea ternatea; diarrhea; loperamide; magnesium sulfate.