Abstract
Background: Diarrhea is one of the major health problems in developing countries leading to mortality and morbidity among children under 5 years of age. This study evaluated the antidiarrheal activities of Cucurbita moschata on castor oil-induced diarrheal wistar rats.
 Methods: Thirty (30) wistar rats were divided into six groups of five rats each. All rats except group 1 received 1mL castor oil to induce diarrhea. Groups I and II served as the normal and negative control. Group III received the standard drug (loperamide), groups IV-VI were treated with 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg b.wt of aqueous leaf extract of Cucurbita moschata respectively. Stool inhibition, castor oil-induced enteropooling, and gastrointestinal motility test were determined to evaluate the antidiarrheal effect of the extract.
 Results: Percentage stool inhibition significantly (p < 0.05) increased with increase in the dose of the extract. The percentage distance travelled by the charcoal of the groups treated with the plant extract significantly decreased when compared to the negative control. This decrease was comparable with the group administered loperamide. Administration of aqueous extract of Cucurbita moschata leaf significantly decreased the volume of the intestinal fluid when compared with the volume of intestinal fluid of the negative control and the group administered loperamide. 
 Conclusion: Aqueous leaf extract of Cucurbita moschata possess antidiarrheal activity against castor oil-induced diarrhea.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medical Research
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
