ANTI-FLATULENT STUDIES OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL PLANT VITEX NEGUNDO LINN. IN RATS

Vitex negundo is a shrub from Verbenaceae family and is traditionally used in treatment of various disease and disorders. Oil prepared with the juice of leaves of Vitex-negundo is reported to have very useful medicinal properties like wonderful cures of sloughing wounds and ulcers. In Ayurveda; roots of Vitex negundo is reported to have anti-flatulent properties. Philippines peoples used to make tea from fruits of this plant, which was considered very useful in relieving stomach gas which, we refer to flatulence. Here we studied the anti flatulent activity of different essential oils and extracts of Vitex negundo Linn. The standard drug used was simethicone (10 mg/10 g of flatulent diet, p.o.), which inhibited gas production up to 90 % as compared to control. Addition of test drugs (essential oils/ethanolic extracts) to the chickpea diet (5 %) decreased the amount of gas production significantly up to 69% by root and leaves extracts while dry fruit oil inhibited gas formation to 81%. The anti-flatulent activity in this plant may due to combined effect of flavonoids and triterpenoids constituents. As the safety evaluation study indicates that Vitex negundo is well tolerated at very high doses without any toxic effects. Thus, Vitex negundo has a high potential for the development of modern medicine for the treatment of various diseases.