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Artemisia abyssinica leaves, a traditional medicine for the treatment of various disorders, were fed to male Wistar rats at 2% and 10% of the standard diet for 6 weeks. A 2% A. abyssinica leaf diet was not toxic to rats. Depression in growth, hepatopathy and nephropathy were observed in rats fed a diet containing 10% of A. abyssinica leaves. These findings were accompanied by leukopenia, anaemia and alterations of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) activities with changes in concentrations of total protein, albumin, cholesterol and urea.

Methanolic extracts of aerial parts of the medicinal plant Argel (Solenostemma argel (Del.) Hayne), incorporated into rearing media of Culex pipiens L. showed effect on oviposition, egg hatchability and larval viability. Acute toxicity of S. argel extract was found to possess LC(50) of 0.037, 0.031, 0.009 and 0.007 ppm and the LC(95) was found 0.394, 0.293, 0.065 and 0.030 ppm, after 1, 2, 4 and 7 days against the larva of C. pipiens under laboratory conditions. The ovicidal effect of S. argel was relatively less pronounced, however, the 0.1% concentration reduced egg hatch by 33.7%. The mortality of the newly hatched larvae, reared from eggs in this media, reached 100% at concentrations as low as 0.025%, 2 days post hatching. Complete suppression of oviposition within the first 2 days was observed, however its action was gradually lost thereafter. Bioactive effects were mainly attributed to the presence of a variety of bioactive organic substances mainly terpenes, pergenine glucosides, alkaloids and sterols.

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