ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND ANALGESIC ACTIVITY OF METHANOLIC EXTRACTS OF AERIAL PARTS OF STACHYS SCHTSCHEGLEEVII SOSN. AND STACHYS BALANSAE BOISS. AND KOTSCHY EX BOISS IN RATS.

Extracts of the flowering aerial parts of Stachys schtschegleevii Sosn. and S. balansae Boiss. andKotschy ex Boiss have been used in Iranian folk medicine as remedy for rheumatic and otherinflammatory disorders and anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of some species of Stachys e.g.Stachys inflata have been reported. In this study, the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive propertiesof total methanolic extracts of the flowering aerial parts of two Stachys species in rat wereinvestigated by carrageenan-induced paw edema and formalin test. Intraperitoneal injection of theextracts, 60 min before induction of inflammation, resulted in inhibition of carrageenan-induced ratpaw edema in dose dependant manner (doses 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg). In the formalin test, the extract(50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) had low effect in the first phase (0–5 min) of the formalin-induced pain, butall three doses showed analgesic and anti nociception effects significantly. In conclusion themethanolic extracts of Stachys schtschegleevii and Stachys balansae have analgesic and antiinflammatoryeffects in formalin test and carrageenan-induced paw edema.