Anti-Diarrhoeal Activity of the Aqueous Extract of the Bark of Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Linn in Mice

Purpose: The plant, Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Laureceae), is a small, ever green plant which is native to southern India and it has been reported to possess a number of medicinal properties. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the anti-diarrhoeal activity of the aqueous extract of the bark of Cinnamomum zeylanicum which is used traditionally as folk medicine, by using a castor oil and MgSO4 (Magnesium Sulphate) induced diarrhoea model. Methods: The aqueous extract of the bark of this plant at graded doses (100mg/kg, 200mg/kg body weight) was investigated for its anti-diarrhoeal activity in terms of the reduction in the rate of defaecation and the consistency of faeces in castor oil, Mgso4 induced diarrhoea. To understand the mechanism of its antidiarrhoeal activity, its effect was further evaluated on the gastrointestinal transit time with charcoal meal. Results: The bark extract showed significant (p