Ethnobotanical Leaflets 13:504-07, 2009.

Laxative Property of Safoof-E-Sana, a Unani Formulation

Ashok Kumar, B.S.^*, Bharathi, T., Anupama, K., Swapna, Pallavi, K., Usha, Gayathri, N., Swetha Reddy and M., Shailaja

Department of Pharmacognosy, Sri Krishna Chaithanya College of Pharmacy, Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh, India

*Corresponding author

Issued 01 April 2009

Abstract

An investigation was carried out to study the laxative property of aqueous extract Safoof-E-Sana in the unani formulation. Aqueous extract of Safoof-E-Sana was evaluated for laxative property and was measured by weighing the fecal out at 8^th and 16^th hour of drug administration. Safoof-E-Sana at 50, and 100 mg/kg showed dose dependent laxative effect. The results are compared with standard Senna. Safoof-E-Sana was showed significant laxative activity.

Keywords: Safoof-E-Sana, Unani formulation, ash values, moisture content, foaming index, laxative activity.

Introduction

Safoof-E-Sana is a fine powder form (Unani Formulation), which is widely used as laxative at dose of 3-6 gm daily. It is composed of Senna leaves (Cassia angustifolia), dry ginger (Zingiber officinale), haritakee (Terminalia chebula), and balck salt (Vit lavana or vidam). Safoof-E-Sana was subjected for evaluation laxative activity screening.

Materials and Methods

Preparation of safoof

Ingredients; Senna leaves, dry ginger, haritakee, and balck salt. are made fine powder by passing through sieve no. 100. Fine powders are mixed geometrically in plastic tray and packed in polythene cover.

Animals

Wister rats weighing about 150-200 g of either sex were acclimatized to the experimental room temperature 23 ± 2 °C, controlled humidity conditions (50-55%) and 12 h light and 12 h dark cycle. They were caged with a maximum of two animals in each polypropylene cage and were fed with standard food pellets (Kamadenu Enterprises, Bangalore) and water ad libitum.

Laxative activity

The laxative activity was performed according to Ganapaty et al. (2002), on rats of either sex, fasted for 12 h before the experiment, but with water provided ad libitum. The animals were divided into 4 groups of six animals each. The first group of animals, serving as control, received normal saline (25 ml/kg); the second group serving as reference, received aqueous extract of Senna (30 mg/kg) while third, fourth and fifth groups received aqueous extract of Safoof-E-Sana at doses of 50, and 100 mg/kg respectively. Immediately after administration of dose, the animals were isolated and housed separately in polypropylene cages suitable for collection of feces.

Results and Discussion

Cassia aungstifolia used in constipation, fever, skin diseases, and gout abdominal disorders. Zingiber officinale used in asthma, diarrhea, cardiac diseases, wounds; Terminalia chebula used in cardiac diseases, jaundice, cough, carcinoma (Nadkarni, 1999; Yoganarasimhan, 2000) and Vitlavana claims to posses laxative and carminative (Nadkarni, 1999). Safoof-E-Sana showed significant laxative activity at both 50 and 100 mg/kg, may be due to the presence of Cassia aungstifolia, Terminalia chebula and Vitlavana. Senna known as laxative, contain anthraquinone glycosides, sennosides (A, B, C and D), which are gastric irritants (Goodman and Gialmann, 2001).

Table 1: Laxative activity of aqueous extract of Safoof-E-Sana in rats.

Treatment	Dose (mg/kg)	Fecal out put (mg)
Control	-	0.0866± 0.054	1.168± 0.0019
Senna	30	0.934 ± 0.10**	1.86 ±0.060*
Safoof-E-Sana	50	0.430 ± 0.024**	1.02 ± 0.03*
	100	0.83 ± 0.032**	1.2± 0.054

Mean ± S.E.M. (n=6), *P<0.05, **P<0.01 Vs control (normal saline)

Acknowledgment

Authors are thankful to Sri Naveen Kiran, Chairman, Sri K.V.College of Pharmacy, Chickballapur, for providing facilities to carryout the work and for presentation.

References

Ganapaty S, Subburaju T, Dash GK, and Suresh B. 2002. Diuretic, Laxative and Toxicity studies of Cocculus hirsutus aerial parts. Fitoterapia. 73 : 28-31.

Goodman & Gilmann. 2001. The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 10th edn. McGraw-Hill, Medical Publishing Division, New York, pp. 1045-46.

Khandelwal, K.R. 2006. Practical Pharmacognosy, Techniques and Experiments, Nirali Prakashan, Pune, p.159-160.

Kokate, C.K. 1986. In: Practical Pharmacognosy, I^st ed., Vallabh Prakashan, New Delhi, p. 111.

Nadkarni, K.M., Nadkarni, A.K. 1999. Indian Materia Medica, vol. I, 3^rd edn. M/s Popular Prakashan Pvt, Ltd., Bombay, p. 481-484, 1028-1030,1205-1210,1308-1315.

Yoganarasimhan, S.N. 2000. Medicinal Plants of India, Tamilnadu vol.1 p. 211,113, 601-602, 541.