antimalarial activities of breynia nivosa

background & aim: antiplasmodial activity of leaf extract of breynia nivosa was evaluated to ascertain the folkloric claim of its antimalarial activity. experimental: the crude leaf extract (75 – 225 mg/kg), of breynia nivosa was investigated for antiplasmodial activity against chloroquine sensitive plasmodium berghei infections in mice. the antiplasmodial activity during early and established infections as well as prophylactic were investigated. artesunate 5 mg/kg and pyrimethamine 1.2 mg/kg were used as positive controls. thin films made from tail blood of each mouse were used to assess the level of parasitaemia of the mice. results & discussion: the extract dose-dependently reduced parasitaemia induced by chloroquine sensitive plasmodium berghei infection in prophylactic, suppressive and curative models in mice. these reductions were statistically significant (p