Antispasmodic Effects of Some Medicinal Plants

Abstract

The antispasmodic activity of 2.5 and 10.0 ml/l of alcoholic extracts of Melissa officinalis, Rosmarinus officinalis, Mentha piperita, Matricaria chamomilla, Foeniculum vulgare, Carum carvi and Citrus aurantium prepared from 1 part of the plant and 3.5 parts of ethanol (31 % w/w) was tested employing the guinea pig ileum and using acetylcholine and histamine as spasmogens. Most of the extracts shifted the dose response curves of acetylcholine and histamine to the right in a dose dependent manner. Extracts from Carum carvi, Mentha piperita, Citrus aurantium and Matricaria chamomilla showed a significant rise of the DE₅₀ of cetylcholine-induced contractions and a significant decrease of the maximal possible contractility. In histamine-induced contractions, all plant extracts except Extractum Melissae exhibited a significant increase of the DE₅₀, and all extracts used here decreased the maximal possible contractility produced by histamine. The alcoholic extract of Mentha piperita was most effective when tested with acetylcholine and the extract of Citrus auran-tium was most active when tested with histamine. Melissa officinalis did not show significant antispasmodic activity. When the antispasmodic activities of the most effective plant extracts were compared with the activity of atropine, it was evident that their effects were less than that of the usual therapeutic dosage of atropine in man. The most pronounced effects with 10 ml/l Extractum Citrus aurantii and 10 ml/l Extractum Menthae piperitae correspond to the effect of 0.07 resp. 0.13 mg atropine.

Key Word Index

Antispasmodic Activity - Melissa officinalis - Mentha piperita - Rosmarinus officinalis - Matricaria chamomilla - Foeniculum vulgare - Carum carvi - Citrus aurantium.