Cyperus esculentus is used in the treatment of diarrhoea in traditional medicine.This study evaluated the antidiarrheal activity of aqueous ethanol extract of Cyperus esculentus tuber in albino rats using castor oil induced assay with charcoal meal test. The acute toxicity and preliminary phytochemical screening were carried out. Fifty albino rats were divided into 5 groups of 5 animals each for each assay. Oral administration of extract was done at 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg while loperamide (2 mg/kg) and atropine (0.1 mg/kg) were given to positive control groups and 1% tracaganth mucilage was used as negative control. The LD50 was found to be greater than 5000mg/kg. Phytochemical screening indicated the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrate, steroids and saponins. There was a non -statistically significant (P>0.05) reduction in the mean weight of wet faeces (1.71±1.23g, 1.75±0.77g) and mean frequency of watery defecation (1.6±1.03, 1.8±0.97) at extract doses of 500 and 1000 mg/kg .The percentage inhibition of defecation was 46.7 and 40% at 500 and 1000 mg/kg doses of the extract respectively while that of loperamide was 46.7% relative to the negative control group in castor oil induced test. The extract did not significantly reduce the gastrointestinal movement in charcoal meal test. The findings of this study supports the use of this plant in the treatment of diarrhea in traditional medicine.
Key words: Antidiarrheal, Castor oil, Charcoal meal, Cyperus esculentus, Ethanol
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