ABSTRACT:
In view of ethnobotanical and traditional use of Neolamarckia cadamba in pain and inflammatory conditions, the present study evaluated the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of methanolic extract of its bark in rodents. Analgesic effect was studied in acetic acid induced writhing and hot plate analgesic model of pain while anti-inflammatory activity was investigated using carrageenan induced paw edema (acute) and cotton pellet granuloma and grass pith granuloma (sub-acute) models of inflammation. The methanolic extract of bark of Neolamarckia cadamba was administered orally in the doses of 100, 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg/day of body weight. The extract showed significant peripheral and central analgesic effect and anti-inflammatory activity which were comparable to standard drugs. The observed effects were attributed to the various phytochemicals present in bark of N. cadamba. These investigations provide the scientific rationale for the traditional claim of Neolamarckia cadamba as analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent.