HYPOGLYCEMIC EFFECT OF THE AQUEOUS STEM BARK EXTRACT OF Boswellia dalzielii hutch

Boswellia dalzielii Hutch is frankincense producing tree plant, belonging to the family Burseraceae and found in West Africa. The stem bark is used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of fever, rheumatism and gastrointestinal troubles and has also been reported to possess anti-ulcer, antidiarrhoeal, antibacterial and antifungal activities, but there is no record of its hypoglycemic activity in the literature. The hypoglycemic effect of the aqueous stem bark extract of Boswellia dalzielii was therefore studied in this work using male albino mice weighing between 15-40g and was compared to that of chlorpropamide, a standard hypoglycemic agent. The extract lowered blood glucose concentration significantly in both normal and alloxan induced hyperglycemic animals at doses of 153mg/kg and 297mg/kg corresponding to 17% and 33% of the LD₅₀ (median lethal dose). Phytochemical screening of the extract showed the presence of saponins, tannins and flavonoids.The result gave evidence that the aqueous stem bark extract of Boswellia dalzielii possess hypoglycemic effect, similar to that of chorpropamide and can therefore be used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.