ANTI-DIARRHEAL ACTIVITY OF THE LEAVES OF FICUS INDICA ON ALBINO MICE

ABSTRACT: The medicinal plants are believed to be useful as an alternative medicine of various human diseases due to its undiscovered biodynamic chemical compound which is now one of the main interest of modern medicine. Ficus indica, a tree commonly found throughout the country at low and medium altitudes especially in parks and large cities said to be useful in dysentery and diarrhea. Young buds of Ficus indica was soaked and boiled into water and the decoction was filtered and used as the test drug. Atropine sulfate due to its anti-secretory effect on the gastrointestinal was used as the standard drug representing the positive control. Distilled water will serve the negative control. Mice were group into three. Castor oil was administere to induce diarrhea. Each group were given specific drug such as group A received the distilled water; group B received the Atropine Sulfate and group C the test drug. The anti-diarrheal effect of the test drug and the positive control were observed and result showed that after the administration of the decoction of the Ficus indica there is decrease in the output of the stool of the mice and as expected distilled water showed no effect. Independent T test was employed to interpret the results. Group A was not significant having a Z value of 0, while group B and group C was significant having a Z value of 31.69 and 36.60 respectively.

Department of Pharmacology