In Vitro Anthelmintic Activity of Leaf Extracts of Four Different Types of Calamus Species

Abstract

Development of anthelmintic resistance and high cost of conventional anthelmintic drugs led to the evaluation of medicinal plants as an alternative source of anthelmintics. In the present study, methanol, ethanol and chloroform leaf extract of Calamus guruba, Calamus viminalis, Calamus erectus and Calamus tenuis were explored for anthelmintic activity at two concentrations (50 and 100mg/ml), using adult earth worm Pheretima posthuma. All the leaf extracts of Calamus species tested for the anthelmintic activity possess significant activity in a dose dependent manner as compared to the albendazole. The overall findings of the present study have shown that Calamus guruba, Calamus viminalis, Calamus erectus and Calamus tenuis contain possible anthelmintic compounds.