Abstract

Phyllanthus emblica, Sida rhombifolia and Leucas indica are widely employed in traditional Indian medicine, yet their safety profiles have not been comprehensively characterised. In this study, the acute oral toxicity of leaf powders from these three ethnobotanicals were evaluated in Wistar rats as per Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guideline 420. After acute oral administration of the test substances at 2000 mg/kg in both sighting and main study, no mortality or treatmentrelated adverse signs were observed and the key physiological parameters including respiratory rate, rectal temperature, locomotor activity and body weight gain remained normal throughout 14 days of experiment. Gross necropsy did not reveal any pathological changes and the organtobody weight ratios were maintained within normal ranges, enabling these tested plant species to be classified as GHS Category 5 (No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) ≥ 2,000 mg/kg). Therefore, the present findings were indicative of the preliminary safety profile of these botanicals and provide a solid foundation for subsequent subacute and chronic toxicity evaluations and pharmacodynamic investigations.

Keywords : Phyllanthus emblica, Sida rhombifolia, Leucas indica, Oral Toxicity, OECD guideline 420