August 2015 Vol. 3 No. 8

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Original Research Article

The Antidiarrheal Activity and Phytoconstituents of Some Methanol Extracts from Asteraceae family

Khaled B. Al Harbi and ^*Ibrahim M. El-Ashmawy

Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, 51452 P.O.6622, Al-Qassim, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

*Corresponding Author’s Email: i_elashmawy@yahoo.com
Tel.: +966509601369
Fax +966063801360

Accepted August 10, 2015

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the antidiarrheal activity and the phytochemical constituents of methanol extracts of some Asteraceae used traditionally in kingdom of Saudi Arabia using castor oil – induced diarrhea and gastrointestinal motility test using charcoal meal method were examined. The methanolic extracts were initially assayed for their effects in castor oil – induced diarrhea at different doses (250 and 500 mg/kg b.wt. followed by their evaluation on the peristaltic movements in charcoal meal test. The results of the present study indicates that, administration of the following methanol plant extracts; Achillea fragrantissima and Artemisia herba alba induced a higher percentages of inhibition of diarrhea. While the administration of Rhanterium epapposum, Echinops spinosus and Echinops hussoni, were the least efficacy. The antidiarrheal activity of these plants might be due to their high contents of flavonoids and tannins. It could be concluded that, the remarkable antidiarrheal activity of these plants attest to their utility in a wide range of stats of diarrhea.

Keywords: Antidiarrheal, Asteraceae, Castor oil, Flavonoids, Phytoconstituents, tannins, rats