Background: Solanum nigrum is claimed in traditional medical
practice, to be useful in the treatment of epilepsy in some parts of
Nigeria. Objectives: To study the anti-convulsant property of the
aqueous extract of the leaves of S. nigrum in chicks, mice and rats.
Method: Aqueous extracts were administered intraperitoneally, at a
pre-treatment time of 30 minutes, at graded doses and animals were
challenged with different types of proconvulsants. Results: The
aqueous leaf extract produced a significantly (P <0.05) dose
dependent protection against electrically-induced seizure in chicks and
rats, pentylenetetrazole-induced seizure in mice and rats and
picrotoxin-induced seizure in mice and rats. The anti-seizure property
of the extract was potentiated by amphetamine. Conclusion: The result
obtained in this study suggests that the leaves of this plant may
possess anti-convulsant property in chicks, mice and rats
