The aim of the study was to investigate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of the methanol stem bark extract of Brachystegia eurycoma Harms.

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Benin.

Analgesic activity was examined using the hot plate and acetic acid-induced writhing test while acute anti-inflammatory effect was studied using carrageenan and dextran-induced paw edema.

Oral administration of the extract produced significant (P<0.01) antiedematogenic effect with a dose of 100 mg/kg within the 2nd and 4th h of the experiment in the dextran-induced paw edema and within the 1st and 3rd h in the carrageenan model. The extract exhibited a significant (P<0.001) inhibition of acetic acid-induced writhing. In the hot plate test, the extract (100 mg/kg) significantly (P<0.05) prolonged the reaction latency to pain at the 60 min. Oral acute toxicity studies did not show any mortality at 5 g/kg of the plant extract.

This study showed that Brachystegia eurycoma possesses significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.