Antipyretic Activity of Medicinal Plants from the Thal Desert

The Thal Desert in Punjab, Pakistan, is known for being home to a number of plants, many of which are utilized by the local natural healers to treat various inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions. However, no scientific studies to date have evaluated these plant-based therapeutics. Here we report on the results of an antipyretic study of two plants from the Thal Desert, namely Fagonia bruguieri and Tamarix dioica, in an animal model. Hydro-alcoholic extracts of the two plants were tested for their ability to reduce pyrexia induced by Escherichia coli in rabbits. Rabbits were divided into five separate groups for each plant extract tested, numbering five animals each. They included a negative control group where animals were subjected to no treatment and a positive control group subjected to the conventional treatment with 150 mg/kg paracetamol. Animals comprising the additional three sample groups were treated with 100, 250, and 500 mg/kg of the experimental medicines in the form of hydro-ethanol concentrates of Fagonia bruguieri and Tamarix dioica. The treatment with the plant concentrates showed a highly positive antipyretic effect relative to both controls in these animal trials. The average body temperatures of the animals 5 h after the treatment with either Tamarix dioica or Fagonia bruguieri were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than those in both control groups. The differences were not as significant at lower time points, suggesting that the plant extracts exhibit slower pharmacokinetics and have a stronger and longer-lasting effect than the conventional treatment. Another insight emerging from this study is that the hydro-ethanol concentrates of the plants assessed in this examination exhibit a dose-dependent antipyretic effect. The antipyretic activity of Fagonia bruguieri and Tamarix dioica is pronounced in an animal model. Further investigations of these plant species emerge as imperative from this study.