Abstract

ANTIDIABETIC ACTIVITY OF KACHNAR (BAUHINIA VARIEGATA) LEAVES ON THE STREPTOZOTOCIN INDUCED WISTAR ALBINO RATS

Madhuri Pandey*

ABSTRACT

The Bauhinia Variegata is also known as Bauhinia Decora under the family of Fabaceae. It is also known as “Kachnar” in English and “Ashmantaka” in Sanskrit. It is a tree, distributed throughout an altitude of 1,300 m in the Himalayas. It is a small to medium sized tree growing 10–12 metres (33–39 ft) tall, deciduous in the dry season. A freshly collected bark of the plant is greyish brown externally and cream colored internally. The leaves are 10–20 centimetres (3.9–7.9 in) obcordate shaped, long and broad, rounded, and bilobed at the base and apex. The leaves of tree shed in month of November and December and new leaves grow in March-April. Literature survey revealed that the leaf of Bauhinia variegata is traditionally used as an astringent in diabetes.. The present study was under taken to evaluate the antidiabetic activity of ethanol extract of leaf of Bauhinia variegata extract was evaluated using wister albino rat i.e. streptozotocin induced diabetes in wister albino rat by glucometer method, with 200 mg/kg, 400mg/kg and 600mg/kg.

Keywords: Bauhinia Variegata, Ethanolic Extract, Antidiabetic, streptozotocin, Albino Wister Rat.