Hypotensive, hypoglycaemic and toxicological studies on the flavonol C-glycoside shamimin from Bombax ceiba

Shamimin, a C-flavonol glucoside from Bomber ceiba leaves showed significan t potency as a hypotensive agent at the doses of 15 mg/kg, 3 mg/kg, 1 mg/kg and significant hypoglycaemic activity at 500 mg/kg in Sprague-Dawley rats . Further studies revealed that it did not cause any mortality in mice at t he dose of 1 g/kg but in rats 500 mg/kg is a lethal dose. Aqueous and metha nolic extracts of Bomber ceiba leaves and one of its fractions were also su bjected to pharmacological and toxicological screening.