Analgesic and antiinflammatory activities of an extract from Parkia biglobosa used in traditional medicine in the Ivory Coast

In the Ivory coast, Parkia biglobosa (Mimosaceae) is used in traditional me dicine as an analgesic drug, especially against dental pain, Of the three e xtracts obtained from the plant bark, the hexane fraction was studied to de termine its analgesic and/or antiinflammatory activities. The results show that this extract possesses a marked analgesic activity when evaluated with the abdominal writhing test in mice, but, like paracetamol, was ineffectiv e with the hot-plate method, a feature suggesting a peripheral mechanism of action. This activity was accompanied by an antiinflammatory effect, somew hat weaker than the analgesic one. Copyright (C) 2000 John Whey & Sons, Ltd .