Anti-pyretic Activity of Garcinia kola Seed Extract

Abstract

Garcinia kola (Heckel) has been used in folk medicine for the treatment of several ailments. One of these is its use for the treatment of conditions involving pain and inflammation with accompanying pyrexia. Our objective is to evaluate the anti-pyretic property of Garcinia kola (Heckel) seed extract in albino Wistar rats. Twenty-five albino Wistar rats of both sexes, randomized into five groups were used. Group one served as the control and received only the vehicle, propylene glycol. Group two received paracetamol 150 mg/kg body weight orally while groups three to five received 500, 1000 and 1500 mg/kg body weight of the extract orally respectively. Pyrexia was induced using brewer’s yeast. We found LD50, determined by Lorke’s method to be greater than 5000 mg/kg indicating the wide margin of safety of Garcinia kola (Heckel) seeds. The extract at doses of 500, 1000 and 1500 mg/kg respectively showed statistically significant (P<0.01) dose dependent reduction of brewer’s yeast induced pyrexia in albino Wistar rats. The study shows that Garcinia kola (Heckel) seeds possess significant anti-pyretic activity, thus justifying its ethnomedicinal use.