Bombax ceiba: A Potential Anti-Anxiety Drug

Background: Bombax ceiba is a famous plant used extensively in traditional medicine for various diseases. However, data pertaining to its effects at CNS level is limited. Objective: To analyze the anti-anxiety potential of ethanolic extracts of Bombax ceiba leaves on rats using the elevated plus maze protocol. Materials and Methods: Five groups containing six rats each were treated with respective drugs.Control rats were treated with 0.5ml of 10% ethanol i.p. (negative control). Single treatments of diazepam (2mg/kg i.p) were used as a positive control and varied levels of ethanolic extracts of Bombax ceiba leaves (150 mg/kg, 250 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg, i.p.) were applied to other groups. The index of anxiety was measured by observing the entry and time duration in the open arm of the EPM. Results: Extract at 400 mg/kg significantly increased the time duration and number of entries into the open arm which was statistically significant (p value <0.05) when compared to the control group (ethanol). Diazepam showed the most significant results when compared to other groups (p<0.0005). Extracts at 150 mg/kg and 250 mg/kg demonstrated negligible results that were statistically insignificant. Conclusion: The results indicate the anti-anxiety potential of Bombax ceiba leaves at higher concentration. Further studies are required to analyze the implicated phytochemicals and the mechanism at cellular level.