Anticonvulsant Activity of Aqueous Extract of Root and Stem Bark of Newbouldia Laevis Seem

Objective: Newbouldia laevis Seem, is an ubiquitous perennial plant belonging to the family Bignoniaceae with varying applicability in ethnomedicine. Methods: The anticonvulsant effect of the aqueous extracts of root and stem bark preparations was undertaken using standard techniques. Results: Results showed that the LD50 in mice was 489.8mg/kg body weight while 5.6mg/kg body weight protected mice against death due to minimum dose of leptazole which caused 100% mortality. The therapeutic index for N. laevis was 87.2 and its safety factor was 1.5. The extract of N. laevis appears to be more effective against drug-induced convulsion than electroshock seizures because the ED50 in metrazol test (5.6mg/kg body weight was significantly lower than the ED50 in MES test (63.1mg/kg body weight). We conclude that N. laevis is safe and will offer maximal benefit to patients suffering from seizures.