Anti-Anxiety activity of Kaahu (Lactuca sativa Linn.) and Nilofer (Nympheae Alba Linn.) in animal model

Abstract

Anxiety disorders are among the foremost common mental diseases, with immense attendant quality of life and monetary price. Unani medicine, as is well known, based on the Hippocratic humoral theory. In Unani medicine, psychiatrical disorders ar dealt thoroughly below the heading of “amraz-e-nafsaniya”. The term “izterab” is employed for anxiety in Arabic and Unani texts and therefore the word nafsani (Psychic) is added to izterab to specify its condition. The present study was undertaken in the department of Ilmul Advia, National Institute of Unani Medicine, Bengaluru. Wister albino rats of either sex, weighing between 150 – 200gm were used in the study. Elevated plus-maze (EPM) test is the model used in this study to define the anxiolytic action, as this EPM test used in almost 80% of the scientific publications. Diazepam syrup was used in this study. It was given at a dose of 0.11mg/kg/bw orally. Single unani drugs Kaahu (Lactuca sativa Linn. seeds) and Nilofer (Nympheae alba Linn.) flowers were used as test drugs in the form of hydro alcoholic extracts. The hydro alcoholic extracts of Kaahu (Lactuca sativa Linn) at the dose of 51 mg/ kg body weight and Nilofer (Nymphaea alba Linn) at the dose 266 mg/ kg body weight were tested in the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) for their anti-anxiety effect and observed a significant effect compared to diazepam.