Abstract

Background: In developing countries, helminthic infections pose a great threat to public health. Traditional medical remedies using plant products as antiparasitic agents have been in trail throughout the world accounting to limited availability and affordability of modern medicine. More recently, the medicinal plant Costus pictus D. Don has been extensively studied by researchers because of its diverse biochemical properties.
Objective: This study was designed to analyze the plant for its primary constituents and to evaluate the anthelmintic property of methanolic and aqueous extract of leaves and rhizomes of C. pictus D. Don in different concentrations and compare it against the standard drug albendazole using earthworm Pheretima posthuma as an animal model.
Materials and Methods: Anthelmintic property was tested by exposing the worms (18 groups with 3 worms each) one after another to different concentrations (25 mg/ml, 50 mg/ml, 75 mg/ml, and 100 mg/ml) of methanolic and aqueous extracts of leaves and rhizomes of C. pictus D. Don. The absence of movement even after dipping the worm in warm water was noted as time of paralysis, and death was noted when its body color became pale.
Results: The results of our study showed both the methanolic and aqueous extract of leaves and rhizomes in all concentrations were toxic to the worms. However, methanolic extract of rhizomes at a concentration of 100 mg/ml showed more potency when compared to albendazole (20 mg/ml).
Conclusions: Methanolic extracts of leaves and rhizomes of C. pictus D. Don have potent dose-dependent anthelmintic effect when compared to their aqueous extract.