Preliminary screening of plants used in South Africa as traditional herbal remedies during pregnancy and labour

Agapanthus africanus, Pentanisia prunelloides and Gunnera perpensa are indigenous plants which are used in traditional herbal remedies during pregnancy and childbirth. A crude decoction of each plant was tested on isolated rat uterus and ileum for pharmacological activity. Agapanthus africanus and P...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 55; no. 3; pp. 185 - 191
Main Authors:	Kaido, T.L., Veale, D.J.H., Havlik, I., Rama, D.B.K.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01-02-1997 Elsevier
Subjects:	Acetylcholine - pharmacology Agapanthus africanus Animals Antenatal Biological and medical sciences Dose-Response Relationship, Drug Female General pharmacology Gunnera perpensa Herbal remedies human health and safety Ileum - drug effects Labor, Obstetric - drug effects Labour Medical sciences medicine Medicine, Traditional Muscle, Smooth - drug effects nonfood plant products Oxytocin - pharmacology Pentanisia prunelloides Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food Pharmacology. Drug treatments Phytotherapy Pregnancy Rats Rats, Sprague-Dawley South Africa Uterine Contraction - drug effects Uterotonic activity Uterus - drug effects South Africa Africa Pregnancy Gunnera perpensa Pentanisia prunelloides Antenatal Labour Herbal remedies Agapanthus africanus Uterotonic activity Monocotyledones Rat Pharmacognosy Rodentia Smooth muscle Ileum Biological activity Medicinal plant Liliaceae Vertebrata Mammalia Folk medicine Uterus Animal Angiospermae Plant origin Spermatophyta Delivery
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Summary:	Agapanthus africanus, Pentanisia prunelloides and Gunnera perpensa are indigenous plants which are used in traditional herbal remedies during pregnancy and childbirth. A crude decoction of each plant was tested on isolated rat uterus and ileum for pharmacological activity. Agapanthus africanus and Pentanisia prunelloides exhibited direct smooth muscle activity on the uterus and ileum preparations, while Gunnera perpensa showed direct smooth muscle activity on the uterus only. All the plant extracts potentiated the initial response of the uterus to oxytocin but Pentanisia prunelloides reduced the maximum response of the uterus to oxytocin. The Agapanthus africanus and Pentanisia prunelloides extracts potentiated the initial response of the ileum to acetylcholine but all the plant extracts inhibited the maximum response of the ileum to acetycholine.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0378-8741 1872-7573
DOI:	10.1016/S0378-8741(96)01499-7