CYTOGENETIC EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF AQUEOUS EXTRACTS OF THE MEDICINAL-PLANTS ALPINIA-NUTANS ROSC (ZINGIBERACEAE) AND POGOSTEMUN-HEYNEANUS BENTH (LABIATAE) ON WISTAR RATS AND ALLIUM-CEPA LINN (LILIACEAE) ROOT-TIP CELLS

Aqueous extracts of two medicinal plants, Alpinia nutans Rosc (Zingibe raceae) and Pogostemun heyneanus Benth (Labiatae) were tested in vivo on two biological systems for clastogenic and turbagenic activity. Nei ther extract was effective in inducing structural or numerical chromos ome aberrations in rat bone marrow cells at the following concentratio ns (weight of leaves used to make extract): 150 up to 1200 mg/kg body weight for A. nutans, and 160 up to 1280 mg/kg body weight for P. hein eanus. When tested on onion (Allium cepa) root-tip cells, the extracts were highly toxic at the highest concentrations (more than 20 mg/ml f or A. nutans and more than 16 mg/ml for P. heyneanus). At lower concen trations, the two extracts had an inhibitory effect on onion cell deve lopment.