International Journal of Pharma and Bio Sciences V1(1)2010 ANALGESIC ACTIVITY OF TAXUS BACCATA LINN. BARK EXTRACT

In the traditional medicine, Taxus baccata Linn. has been used as analgesic, anticonvulsant, and antiinflammatory remedy. In the present study, bark of plant was extracted with 95% ethanol and ether at room temperature and evaluate for their analgesic activity in mice using the tail-flick and acetic acid-induced writhing method. Ether extract exhibits potent analgesic activity in tail-flick test at 200mg/kg two hours after administration in compare with ethanolic extract, whereas ethanolic extract exhibits significant analgesic activity in acetic acid-induced writhing test at 200mg/kg. The extracted compounds exhibited analgesic activity against chemically and thermal noxious stimuli on both early and late phases of pain by the extracts (100 and 200 mg/kg doses). The observed pharmacological activities provide the scientific basis for the folkloric use of the plant in treating acute pain.