Anti-Inflammatory activities of metanolic extract of galls of Pistacia integerrima

Abstract

Majority of world population use medicinal plants as they contain compounds which have potential to be used in modern medicine for the treatment of diseases which are not curable. Extracts of Pistacia integerrima galls have been dispensed by traditional practitioners of Subcontinent for chest diseases as well as for aches and pains in the body. The galls of the plant are aromatic, astringent, expectorant and also have high value in ayurvedic medicine as a remedy for asthma, phthisis, dysentery, bronchitis, skin diseases, psoriasis, fever, snake bite and as appetizer. They also have been found useful in pelvic inflammatory disorders, diarrhoea and fever in children, excessive menstrual bleeding, pelvic inflammatory conditions and many more. The gall extract has also shown antidepressant and analgesic and has also shown anti-inflammatory activities in several animal models. The present study was planned to evaluate the possible anti-inflammatory effects of galls of Pistacia integerrima extracts on carragenen induced paw edema in rats. In the present investigation methanolic gall extract of P. integerrima has shown anti-inflammatory activity in acute and chronic phases of inflammation, strengthening its potential as an anti-inflammatory agent which has enormous potential to be exploited and researched in complicated inflammatory pathology.