Anthelmintic Activity of the Essential Oil of Artemisia Pallens Wall*

Ancient Science of Life, Vol No. X No. 3 January 1991, Pages 185 - 186 ANTHELMINTIC ACTIVITY OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF ARTEMISIA PALLENS WALL* SEEMA NAKHARE and S.C. GARG Department of Chemistry, Doctor Hari Singh gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar – 470 003 (M.P.) India. Received: 27 March, 1990 Accepted: 20 July, 1990 ABSTRACT: Helminthic infections are now being recognized as the cause of much chronic ill health and sluggishness among the tropical people. More than half of the world populations suffers from worm infections of one type or the other. Traditional system of medicine reports the efficacy of chenopodiul oil, Embelia ribes (Via-Varang), Trachyspermum ammi Ajwain and Biper betle (Pan) oils etc. for eliminating helminthes. The present study reports the strong anthelmintic activity of the essential oil of Artemisia pallens Wall. Against Pheritima posthuma (earth worm), Taenia solium (tape worm) and Ascaris lumbricoides (round worm). The helminthes have been found to be more susceptible to the oil than to piperazine phosphate of similar concentration. Artemisia pallens has been ascribed to possess anthelmintic and stomachic properties in indigenous system of medicine. The present screening not only confirms the correct usage of the plant by the rurals but also enhances the creditability of ethnobotanical explorations. INTRODUCTION Helminthiasis, or worm infestation is one of pallens has been ascribed to possess the most prevalent diseases in the world. anthelmintic and stomachic properties in The parasities which infest the intestine are indigenous system of medicine1. The hookworms, round worms, whip worms, present communication reports the thread worms, pin worms and tape worms. evaluation of the in vitro anthelmintic Indian system of medicine reports the activity of the essential oil of A. pallens. efficacy of medicinal plants like Chenopodium ambrosioides, Embelia ribes, MATERIALS AND METHODS Trachysperum ammi, Punica granatum. Artemisia martima etc. in eliminating The herb Artemisia pallens was procured helminthes. from Mysore and identified by the Botany department of the University. The whole Artemisia pallens Wall. (Davana) is an herb was hydrodistilled in a Clevenger’s aromatic annual small herb belonging to apparatus, when a yellow coloured essential family Compositae. It is distributed in oil was obtained in an yield of 0.337% certain parts of South India, especially in (v/w). Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Artemisia --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Paper presented at the III International Congress of Traditional Asian Medicine held at Bombya Jan. 4 – 7, 1990. Pages 185 - 186 The earth worms were collected from the The emulsions of the essential oil of the moist soil. The helminthes were collected whole herb of A. pallens were prepared in from the local slaughter house from the 1% Tween – 80 solvent, to give 0.5%, 1.0% intestine of pigs and washed with normal and 2.0% concentrations. Solutions of saline, to remove all the faecal matter. The similar concentrations of the reference drug size of tape worms was 10 – 20 cm and that pipertazine phosphate were also prepared in of round worms 7 to 25 cm in length. distilled water. TABLE 1 Anthelmintic Activity of the Essential Oil of Artemisia pallens Wall. S. No. Final concentrations Time in Minutes for Paralysis / Death after dilution with Earth worms Round worms Tape worms normal saline Paralysis Death Paralysis Death Paralysis Death 1 Essential oil 0.1 % 20 35 25 60 22 50 0.2 % 16 30 20 35 12 40 0.3 % 09 20 15 28 07 16 2 Piperazine phosphate 60 120 70 118 65 130 0.1% 40 80 30 83 45 95 0.2% 20 38 23 40 33 50 0.4% Activity against Earth Worms complete paralysis and death was recorded. The motionless worms were transferred to Two ml of each concentration of essential warm water at 400C to confirm that they oil emulsion and standard drug piperazine were dead. The results are recorded in phosphate were diluted to 10 ml separately Table 1. with normal saline (9gm of NaCl in distilled water and diluted in 1,000 ml) and poured Activity against Type worms and Round into Petri-dishes. Six earth worms (10 cm) worms were placed in each Petri-dish. The anthelmintic activity was determined by the The same procedure was adopted against method followed by Gaind and Budhiraja2. tape worm and round worms. The results The living or viable worms were kept under are recorded in Table 1. close observation and the time taken for Pages 185 - 186 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION phosphate, under same concentrations. Against the earth worms the activity of the A perusal of Table 1 reveals that the essential oil is 85% more than that of essential oil of Artemisia pallens exhibited piperazine phosphate at the concentration of excellent anthelmintic activity against the 0.1%. The control Tween 80 and normal earth worms, round worms and tape worms saline did not show any activity against the at all the three concentrations. The activity worms. The observed definite anthelmintic of the essential oil has been found to be activity of the essential oil against these better than that of piperazine phosphate worms not only confirms the reported use of against these worms. The time required for A. pallens as an anthelmintic in the Indian paralysis and death of round worms and tape system of medicine but also enhances the worms in the case of essential oil was two to credibility of ethnobotanical explorations. three times less than the standard piperazine REFERENCES 1. Anonymous, “Wealth of India – Raw Materials”, C.S.I.R.; New Delhi, Vol. I, 122 (1956). 2. Gaind, K.N. and Budhiraja, R.D., Antibacterial and Anthelmintic Activity of Withania coagulans, Dunal., Indian J. Pharm., 29, 185 (1967). Pages 185 - 186 .

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