From the Department of Pharmacology, faculty of Medicine, Mashad University of Medical Sciences, Mashad, I.R. Iran.
Abstract: (4884 Views)
Alcoholic and water extracts of many medicinal plants are commonly
used in German folk medicine and other countries as antispasmodics.
However, so far no data on dose relationships or comparisons of the
antispasmodic effects with reference substances have been available for most
of these plant extracts. Using acetylcholine as the stimulating agent, the
antispasmodic effect of preparations of Mentha piperita (leaves), Citrus
aurantium (peels), Foeniculum vulgare (fruits) and Carum carvi (fruits),
consisting of one part of the plant and three and one half parts ethanol (31 %
w/w) was investigated on isolated guinea pig ileum and the results were
compared with that of atropine. All the extracts shifted the dose-response
curves of acetylcholine to the right in a dose-dependent manner and also
showed a significant increase of the ED ", and the dose ratios of acetylcholineinduced
contractions, and a significant decrease of the maximal possible
contractilty. When the antispasmodic activities of M. piperita and C.
aurantium were compared with the activity of atropine, it was evident that
their effects were less than that of the usual therapeutic dose of atropine in
man. But when the antispasmodic activities of F. vulgare and C. carvi were
compared with the activity of atropine, it was found that their effects were
slightly greater than that of the usual dose of atropine.