Evaluation of the antidiarrhoeal effect of Vitellaria paradoxa Gaertn F (Sapotaceae) stem bark extract

The antidiarrhoeal property of the methanolic stem bark extract of Vitellaria paradoxa was studied in mice. The assessment parameters included, castor oil induced diarrhoea, intestinal transit time, enteropooling. The antidiarrhoeal evaluation of the extract showed that it significantly reduced castor oil induced diarrhoea in mice dose dependently (100-400 mg/kg). The methanolic extract of Vitellaria paradoxa significantly (p<0.05) increased intestinal transit time of charcoal in mice dose dependently. The extract was also observed to reduce the castor oil induced enteropooling in mice. Vitellaria paradoxa methanol stem bark extract may possess antidiarrhoeal property. Key words: Antidiarrhoeal, Castor-oil, Enteropooling, Transit time, Vitellaria paradoxa