Background: There are quite large number of traditionally used plants that are used to treat ailments associated with fever in the ethnomedical system of Ethiopia. Most of them, however, have not been subjected to scientific investigation for their efficacy and safety.
Objectives: To evaluate the antipyretic effects of the aqueous and ethanol extracts of the leaves of Ajuga remota and Lippia adoenesis.
Design: An experimental design in which five group of in-house bred albino mice weighing 30-35 g representing positive and negative control, and three dose levels extract treated groups, respectively was employed. The extracts, standard drugs and distilled water were administered into GIT by gavage to evaluate the antipyretic effect after inducing pyrexia in mice.
Results: All extracts of both plants that were administered orally at doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg per kg showed antipyretic property. The antipyretic effects were observed to be dose dependent. In both plants, the aqueous extract was found to have more potent antipyretic effect than the ethanol extract. No mouse manifested toxic effects at any dose levels of all the extracts for the observed period of two weeks.
Conclusion: The present study show that both extracts of the investigated plants have got antipyretic effects and the extracts are effective and safe at the doses tested. This supports the traditional claim or use of these plants.