Acute toxicity of galega officinalis alcoholic extract in wistar rats

Galega officinalis (galega, Goat`s rue, French lilac) is a traditional plant from south east Europe. There are various reports about pharmacological properties of Galega officinalis such as diuretic, platelet aggregation, anti-bacterial, lactogen and anti-diabetic effect. There are a few studies about possible toxicological effect of this plant. In the present study, we evaluated the acute toxicity of Galega officinalis in rats. Wistar rats (20 male, 20 female) were divided at random into five-dose groups and were gavaged with 0, 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5 mg/kg of alcoholic extract (Single dose). The rats were observed for 14 days after treatment for clinical singes of toxicity and dead animal count also animals were weight weekly. After 14 days all them survived and there was no significant difference in body weight in both sexes as compared to their respective control. Present data suggest that LD50 of Galega officinalis is higher than 5 mg/kg. However, more studies are required for evaluation of Galega officinalis safety such as assessment of subchronic and chronic toxicity.