A comparative study of anti-anxiety properties of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Ocimum sanctum in animal models

Background: Anxiety transcends a natural emotion, evolving into a pathological condition with the potential to trigger cascading cardiovascular and psychiatric disorders. Although conventional allopathic medicine offers treatment options, concerns regarding their side effects and long-term efficacy remain prevalent. Medicinal plants contain natural compounds that may be promising sources of therapeutic drugs. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to compare the anxiolytic potential of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Ocimum sanctum (OS). The growing appeal of plant-based therapies for anxiety stems from perceived advantages in safety and tolerability compared to synthetic drugs. Materials and Methods: The anxiolytic activity of aqueous and ethanolic extract of OS is evaluated with an elevated plus maze test. A total of 36 Wistar albino rats (150–200 g) were used and randomly divided into six groups of six animals each. The effects of the test drug at different doses, 100 and 200 mg/kg, were compared with the standard anxiolytic drug diazepam at 2 mg/kg body weight and the control group using distilled water at 0.5 mL/kg body weight. Results: The behavioral changes suggested reduced anxiety and openarm exploration in plus-maze indicates reduced anxiety in animals treated with OS extracts. The changes are significantly (P < 0.001) comparable with the standard drug diazepam. Conclusion: The ethanolic extracts of OS are more significant than aqueous extracts for evaluating anti-anxiety activity in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, ethanolic extracts are more likely to contain a wider range of bioactive compounds, which are thought to be responsible for the anti-anxiety effects of OS.