Depressant action of an extract of Vernonia cinerea.

In Malaysia, Vernonia cinerea IS a commonly found weed. It is reported to have sedative actions and as such is included in several traditional herbal preparations used for insomnia and related ailments (Majallah Tamat Latehan Sinseh China, 1976). Most preparations of Vernonia cinerea are concoctions where the plant is boiled in water. Any active ingredient is therefore presumably water soluble and heat stable. This paper describes an attempt to determine whether an aqueous extract of Vernonia cinerea contains any pharmacologically active depressant agent.