Evaluation of anticonvulsant activity of the ethanolic extracts from leaves of Excoecaria agallocha

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Excoecaria agallocha is popularly known as ‘Thillai’ plant in the tamil language of the South India. Its uses are mentioned on the temple inscription of the Chidambaram Temple, Chidambaram, India which dates back to 2nd Century CE. Aim To investigate the anticonvulsant activity of ethanolic extract of leaves mangrove plant Excoecaria agallocha. Material and methods The ethanolic leaf extract of Excoecaria agallocha (100, 200 and 40 mg/kg) was evaluated in Swiss albino mice and male wistar rats were used for the study. Two different study models were employed; Maximal electroshock and Lithium-Pilocarpine convulsion method. The ethanolic extract was also subjected to acute toxicity study and phytochemical evaluation. Results The ethanolic extract of leaves of Excoecaria agallocha was found to be safe in toxicity studies when compared to the standard drugs. It has LD 50 of 2.12 g/kg of oral dose and 3.12 mg/kg of intraperitoneal dose. This extract (100–400 mg/kg) produced a significant (P  i. p ). This extract (100–400 mg/kg) produced a significant (P  Conclusion The results obtained from this study and finding suggests for the use of Excoecaria agallocha for the management of convulsions and justifies its use in traditional medicine.