Evaluation of the sub acute toxicity of the antimalarial herbs barbadensis miller (aloe vera) and momordica foetida (bombo) when used in combination in winster albino rats

Abstract

People in developing countries depend on Traditional Medicine, because it is cheaper, more acceptable and more accessible than orthodox medicine (Luoga, 2000; WHO, 2002). In Uganda, malaria is one of the major causes of illness and death. Statistically, it accounts for 46% of children’s sicknesses, almost 40% of outpatient visits to hospitals and clinics, 25% of hospital admissions, 14% of inpatient deaths, and approximately 23% of infant mortalities. The majority of the Ugandan population relies on traditional herbal medicines for various health issue The plasmodium parasites have not developed resistance against a lot of these herbal extracts. Aloe vera and Momordica have been proven to have antimalarial activity and are used in malarial management despite lack of information on their safety. This research was aimed at evaluation of the sub acute toxicity of the antimalarial herbs barbadensis miller (aloe vera) and momordica foetida (bombo) when used in combination in winster albino rats. The rats were fed on different concentration of the herbs for a period of 21 days after which histological analysis along with clinical chemistry were performed on the rats to determine its safety.