A STUDY ON ANALGESICS AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITIES OF WITHANIA COAGULANS FRUITS COLLECTED FROM DISTRICT LORALAI, BALOCHISTAN

The herb Withania coagulans which belongs to the family Solanaceae is mostly found in the wild desert areas of Pakistan and India and is commonly called as a cheese maker due to its ability to convert the milk into cheese. Traditionally, it is most commonly used as medicinal plant by local herbal practitioners for hyperglycemia. It is also used for curing a number of other medicinal purposes including wound healing, inflammation, hepatic and cardiovascular diseases. The present study aims to assess the analgesic and anti-microbial effects (against Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens) of Crude Methanoic Extract (CME) of Withania coagulans. The analgesic activity was performed on albino mice by two tests, i.e. (i) Acetic Acid induced writhing test and (ii) Formalin induced licking and biting test and the antimicrobial activity was also assessed by performing Well Diffusion and Disc Diffusion methods. However, CME exhibited significant antimicrobial effects in higher concentrations, whereas it did not show any remarkable analgesic effect as compared to control group.

Key words: Withania coagulans, Antibacterial and Analgesic activity.