Antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and antidiarrheal activities of ethanolic calyx extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. (Malvaceae) in mice

To evaluate the antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and antidiarrheal activities of the ethanolic calyx extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. in mice. In the present study, the dried calyxes of H. sabdariffa were subjected to extraction with 95% ethanol and the extract was used to investigate the possible activities. Antinociceptive activity of the extract was evaluated by using the acetic acid-induced writhing test. The anti-inflammatory effect of the extract was tested by using the xylene-induced ear edema model mice. Castor oil-induced diarrheal model mice were used to evaluate the antidiarrheal activity of the extract. In acetic acid-induced writhing test, the extract produced inhibited writhing in mice significantly compared with the blank control (P