Sedative and Anticonvulsant Activities of the Ethanol Root Extract of Flemingia chappar Benth

Purpose: To investigate the sedative, hypnotic and anticonvulsant activities of the ethanol extract of the roots of the Flemingia chappar (ERFC) on the central nervous system (CNS) of mice. Methods: The ethanol extract of the roots of F. chappar in doses of 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg, p.o., was studied in mice for its sedative effect by evaluating its locomotor activity; its hypnotic effect was assessed by measuring pentobarbital–induced sleeping time, while anticonvulsant effect was determined by evaluating its activity on maximal electroshock–induced and pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures. The latency of tonic convulsions and number of animals protected from tonic convulsions were noted. Results: ERFC (200 - 600 mg/kg) significantly (p 0.05) decreased locomotor activity. ERFC also produced dose-dependent prolongation of pentobarbitone sleeping time. In addition, ERFC (400 and 600 mg/kg) significantly (p 0.05) reduced the duration of seizure induced by maximal electroshock (MES), The same dose also protected from pentylenetetrazol-induced tonic seizures and significantly (p 0.05) delayed the onset of tonic seizures. Conclusion: The results indicate that the ethanol root extract of F. chappar has sedative and anticonvulsant activities, thus justifying its use in traditional medicine for epilepsy