Pharmacological Evaluation of a Nigerian Polyherbal Health Tonic Tea in Rat

The present study is a fourteen day study, designed to investigate the hematological and biochemical effects of single, daily oral doses of 100 – 600 mg/kg of a Nigerian Polyherbal Tonic Tea (PHT) in four groups of adult Wistar rats. Acute oral toxicity test of PHT at the limit dose of 5000 mg/kg was also conducted using Up-and-Down Procedure on statistical software program (AOT425StatPgm, Version 1.0.). Results showed PHT to induce significant (p<0.05) dose-related elevation in the packed cell volume (PCV), platelet, total leukocyte counts and lymphocyte differentials, while causing significant (p<0.05) suppression of granulocyte differentials in dose-related fashion. PHT, also, induced a significant (p<0.05) dose-dependent rise in the fasting blood sugar which was at variance with its folkloric use as an oral hypoglycemic agent. PHT did not induce mortality at the tested limit oral dose, indicating its relative oral safety up to 5000 mg/kg on acute exposure.

Keywords
Nigerian Polyherbal Tonic Tea; Hematological indices; Fasting blood sugar; Acute Oral Toxicity; rats