Effect of Administering ‘’Lif din jini’’ Justicia carnea Extract on the Haematological Parameters of White Wistar Rats".

Abstract

Justicia carnea, ‘lif din jini’ is a plant that is commonly used in traditional medicine for treatment of anemia due to its hematinic and immune modulatory properties. The study was carried out to investigate the effect of the oral administration of Justicia carnea leaf extract on the haematological parameters of albino Wistar rats. Twenty adult male Wistar rats were divided into four groups (n = 5 per group). Group A, B, C and D received Justicia carnea aqueous leaf extract at 25 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg, 75 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg body weight respectively for 28 days while group E served as the control and received distilled water. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for haematological parameters including hemoglobin concentration (Hb), red blood cell count (RBC), white blood cell count (WBC), packed cell volume (PCV), and differential leukocyte count. The results showed group A (25mg/kg) a steady increase in  Hb 13.6g/dL, PCV 37.0%, RBC 6.9 X10⁶/µL and WBC 5.8X10³/ µL to group D (100mg/kg),  Hb 16.0g/dL, PCV 43.5%, RBC 8.0 X10⁶/µL and WBC 6.9X10³/ µL results appears to indicate a dose-dependent improvement in Hb, PCV, RBC and WBC values, suggesting erythropoietic potential of the extract. The values in WBC were not significantly different. Our findings support the traditional use of Justicia carnea as a hematinic agent by traditional medicine.

Keywords: Justicia carnea, haematology, herbal medicine,erythroietic