Published Paper Details:

Abstract Though Caralluma dalzielii N.E Br (Asclepiadaceae) is widely used traditionally for treating nervous system disorders, there is an absence of scientific reports about its pharmacological effect against depression. In this work, the potential antidepressant effects of the methanol extract of the aerial parts of Caralluma dalzielii were evaluated in mice using behavioral models (tail suspension and forced swimming tests) sensitive to clinically effective antidepressant agents. The extract at the doses of 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg body weight (intraperitonially) was able to significantly (p< 0.05) decrease the immobility time of mice in a non-dose dependent and dose dependent manner when subjected to both tail suspension and forced swimming tests respectively and the effects were comparable to the effect produced by the standard drug imipramine (10mg/kg). It can be concluded that the present work suggested that methanol extract of the aerial parts of Caralluma dalzielii possessed potential antidepressant activity which can be explored for use clinically in the treatment of patients with depressive disorders