Pain Alleviating Potential of Ethanol Extract of Vernonia amygdalina Del. on Writhing in Male Wistar Rats

Abstract

Pain, as described by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), can be referred to as an experience of sensory and emotional distress that is linked with a potential or real tissue damage. 1,2 Pain can be localized, as in an injury, or it can be diffuse, as in illnesses such as fibromyalgia. According to Craig and MacKenzie, 3 pain is a complex experience with sensory, physiological, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components. By altering the way noxious stimuli are transmitted to the brain, emotions, behavioral responses to pain, beliefs, and attitudes influence the way pain is felt. Pain is classified as nociceptive, which is an acute reaction to a mechanical insult or noxious stimuli; inflammatory, which is related to damage to the tissue and immune cell intrusion; and pathological (neuropathic pain) as a result of nervous system damage. 4 Pain may result in a decreased quality of life and an increased health expenditure. 5 Analgesics is any member of the group of medications that reduce or completely eliminate the pain associated with many pathologic conditions. 6,7 The mechanism of their actions is by interrupting signals caused by pain, from reaching the brain or by impeding the way the brain interprets the signals it receives. 8,9