K. Saravanan

ABSTRACT Among the most common infections of digestive system in human beings are helminth infections. In developing countries they pose a large threat to the society. Such parasitic diseases cause severe morbidity, including lymphatic Filariasis, onchoserciasis and schistosomiasis. The present paper deals with anthelmintic activity of leaves of Streblus asper belonging to family Moraceae, a potential medicinal plant. The plant is used in traditional medicine for folk medicine for the treatment of different ailments such as Filariasis, Leprosy, Tooth ache, Diarrhea, Dysentery, and Cancer. The ethanolic and aqueous extracts were evaluated for its anthelmintic activity against adult Indian earth Worms (Pheretima posthuma). Three concentrations (25, 50 and 100 mg/ml) of each extract were studied, which involved for the determination of time of paralysis and time of death of the test worms. It was found that ethanolic extracts exhibited significant anthelmintic activity while aqueous extract show least activity. The bioassay involved determination of the time of paralysis and time of death control. Piperazine citrate (10 mg/mL) was used as standard reference drug Keywords: Anthelmintic activity, Pheretima posthuma, Piperazine citrate, Streblus asper,