A Pharmacological Appraisal of the Folk Medicinal Usage ofPelargonium grossularioidesandErodium cicutarium

Abstract

Pelargonium grossularioides and Erodium cicutarium, Geraniaceae family, have been used as folk medicines in South Africa, mainly to procure abortions. The pharmacological activity of extracts of the leaves of the 2 species was therefore investigated on in vitro preparations of smooth, skeletal, and cardiac muscle. Most extracts contracted or increased the tone of guinea pig ileum, rat uterus and rat diaphragm with organic extracts (hexane and methanol) having a greater activity than water extracts. A negative ionotropic effect was observed on the rabbit heart. The spasmogenic action induced by extracts from the plants in isolated uterus of the rat was consistent with the reported abortifacient use of the 2 plant species. The chemical profiles of the essential oil from leaves of the species were marked by similarities. The principal monoterpenes were methyl eugenol, geraniol, citronellol, isomenthone and linalool, but sesquiterpenes, such as caryophyllene, cadinene and eudesmol, which were present in small amounts in Erodium cicutarium were absent from Pelargonium grossularioides. The chemicals in the extract responsible for the spasmogenic action are unknown.