inspite of considerable development in contraceptive technology, search for female antifertility agent in plants continues to be a potential area of investigation. the ethanol extract of crotalaria juncea seeds which showed promising antiovulatory activity in female albino rats was examined for the isolation of its active fractions. two fractions were obtained using thin layer chromatography (t...

Young rats fed on a diet which contains Crotalaria spectabilis seeds or the pyrrolizidine alkaloid monocrotaline die from congestive heart failure within 36 to 60 days. At necropsy they are found to have ascites, pleural effusions, and cardiac enlargement due to right ventricular hypertrophy (Turner and Lalich, 1965; Kay and Heath, 1966). Microscopic examination reveals an increase in the media...

Plants have served as a natural source of antifertility substances. Henshaw (1953) listed many plants used by primitive people in different countries to control fertility. Though many indigenous plants have been shown to prevent births, only a few plants have so far been investigated for antispermatogenic activity (Kholkute, 1977; Segal, 1985; Rao, 1988; Murugavel and Akbarshah, 1991; Chatterje...