Preliminary Phytochemical Screening and Anthelmintic Activity of Acacia sinuata (Lourr.) Merr against Intestinal Helminthiasis

Extracts from the pods of Acacia sinuata (Lourr.) Merr were investigated for their anthelmintic activity against Perithima posthuma taking into consideration their traditional use and reported chemical constituents. Various concentrations (10–100 mg/ml) of each extract were tested in the bioassay, which involved determination of time of paralysis and time for death of the worms. The activity of methanolic and ethyl acetate extracts were found to be more significant than the standard even at a dose of 10 mg/ml. Piperazine citrate (10 mg/ml) was used as standard reference and distilled water as control. The preliminary phytochemical screening showed the presence of carbohydrates, alkaloids and saponins.