The oxytocic properties of Luffa cylindrica (L.) M. Roem. and Bidens pilosa L., traditionally used medicinal plants from western Uganda

Abstract

The usage of medicinal plants in childbirth in Uganda is a long standing tradition. Over 80% of Ugandan women have childbirth at home and herbal remedies are administered to complete the process of childbirth. The herbs are administered to hasten the labour process (oxytocics), expulsion of retained placenta and control postpartum bleeding. This indigenous knowledge in herbal medicines used during childbirth is not well documented and scientifically validated. The ethnobotanical study was conducted between 2000 and 2003 in Bushenyi and Kasese districts in western Uganda. The aim of this study was to validate the claimed uses of Bidens pilosa L. and Luffa cylindrica (L). M.J. Roem. in inducing labour during childbirths in western Uganda. The in vitro experiments using the rat uterus showed that the aqueous leafy extracts of B. pilosa and L. cylindrica increased rat uterine motility suggesting that they are oxytocics. The aqueous leafy extract of B. pilosa in vitro experiment using the rabbit jejunum further indicated that the extract can cause contraction. The bioactivity of B. pilosa and L. cylindrica is a pointer to the therapeutic uses of herbal remedies in childbirth.

Uterine contraction induced by Tanzanian plants used to induce abortion

“…One of the plants in this study, Bidens pilosa, which is used in Uganda to induce labour during childbirth, has previously been investigated for uterine contracting activity, where an aqueous extract was found to cause contractions of rat uterus at 1.43 mg/ml (Kamatenesi-Mugisha et al, 2007).…”

Herbal medicine use and linked suspected adverse drug reactions in a prospective cohort of Ugandan inpatients

“…The highest test concentration of an ethanolic root extract of Bidens pilosa (1.40 mg/ml) decreased rat uterine contractility below the level of spontaneous contractions (i.e. was toxic to the uterine muscle) while a similar concentration (1.43 mg/ml) of an aqueous leaf extract of Bidens pilosa increased uterine contractions [ 3 , 8 ].…”

Genotoxicity and antigenotoxicity study of aqueous and hydro-methanol extracts of Spondias mombin L., Nymphaea lotus L. and Luffa cylindrical L. using animal bioassays

“…Nymphaea lotus has been reported to possess antibacterial (Akinjogunla et al ., 2010 ), antidiabetic (Chaurasia et al ., 2011 ) and antioxidant (Afolayan et al ., 2013 ) effects. L. cylindrica was shown to possess anti-inflammatory (Muthumani et al ., 2010 ; Khan et al ., 2013 ; Kanwal et al ., 2013 ), immunostimulatory (Mao et al ., 2004 ), oxytocic (Kamatenesi-Mugisha et al ., 2007 ), bronchodilatory (Muthumani et al ., 2010 ), antidiabetic (Hazra et al ., 2011 ), antibacterial (Muthumani et al ., 2010 , Ahmad & Khan, 2013 ), antifungal and phytotoxic (Ahmad & Khan, 2013 ), anti-asthma, anti-tussive and expectorant (Partap et al ., 2012b ), hepatoprotective (Balakrishnan & Huria, 2011 ; Pal & Manoj, 2011 ), antioxidant (Du et al ., 2006 ; Prakash et al ., 2010 ; Balakrishnan & Sharma, 2013 ), analgesic, antipyretic (Balakrishnan and Sharma, 2013 ) and antiemetic (Khan et al ., 2013 ; Kanwal et al ., 2013 ) activities.…”