Koech SC, Ouko RO, Michael NM, Ireri MM, Ngugi MP and Njagi NM
Pain as a sensory modality, represent a symptom for diagnosing various diseases and its associated conditions. Although it acts as a sensory modality in drawing attention to tissue injury, it is associated with poor quality of life and socioeconomic burden to the victim. Conventional synthetic drugs that are used to manage pain are not readily available and are associated with adverse effects. Thus, the use of herbal medicine from medicinal plants is an age old practice used by many communities to cure diseases. These medicinal plants are known to contain phytochemical compounds capable of relieving pain and healing diseases. C. abyssinica has been used traditionally by the Kallenjin community to alleviate various diseases. However, an extensive search of the literature reveals that no data has been documented about the medicinal use of the plant in suppressing pain. The present study thus, evaluated on analgesic potential of dichloromethanolic root extract of C. abyssinica in animal models. Thirty Swiss albino mice were grouped into six groups of five animal each; normal control, negative control, positive control and three experimental groups. The experimental animals were administered with the extract intraperitoneally at dose level of 50, 100 and 150 mg/ kg body weight. Acetic acid-induced pain was used to determine the analgesic activity of the extract. Diclofenac was used as a reference drug. The dichloromethanolic root extract reduced the number of abdominal writhing’s between 33.95% and 49.77% while the reference drug reduced the number of abdominal writhing’s by 46.51%. A number of phytochemical compounds associated with analgesic activity were observed to be present. The study therefore scientifically confirmed the traditional use of the medicinal plant in management of pain.