Phytochemical Screening and contractile activity of Foeniculum vulgare seeds on rat intestinal and uterine muscles

Abstract

Foeniculum vulgare, commonly known as fennel is one of the commonest herbs used in traditional medicine. It is used to treat various ailments such as intestinal and uterine pain. There is no study had been done on the contractile activity of F. vulgare. This study was carried out to attempt the contractile activity of F. vulgare seeds extract on the intestinal and uterine muscles. The ethanolic extract of F. vulgare seeds were tested in vitro using the isolated tissue technique. The results showed that, the small doses of the of F. vulgare seeds extract caused an increase in the uterus muscle contractility of the wister rat, while the higher doses caused a relaxant effect. No significant effect had been seen on the ileal muscle contractility.