Investigation of in-vitro Anthelmintic Potential of Fruits of some Ethnobotanically Important Trees of Punjab, Pakistan

The current research is the investigation of an ethnopharmacological impact i.e., anthelmintic action of fruits of three traditionally used trees, i.e. Pterospermum acerifolium Linn. Diospyros malabarica Kostel and Putranjiva roxburghii Wall. The crude extracts of fruits were obtained in polar and non-polar solvents i.e., petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol and water and evaluated for their in vitro anthelmintic activity and compared with standard medicine i.e. Levamisole (positive control). The criterion was the apparent mortality of a worm Haemonchus contortus on the visual basis. The aqueous and chloroform fruit extracts of P.acerifolium and petroleum ether extract of D.malabarica demonstrated most noteworthy wormicidal activity (2:00hrs) against H. contortus, while different extract exhibited fluctuated level of potency (3:00 to 4:00 hrs), approximately equal to the standard drug, i.e. Levamisole.