Possible toxicity of a medicinal plant, "Asteracantha longifolia"

Abstract

Asteracantha longifolia is a medicinal plant that is extensively used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in Sri Lanka. Experiments were carried out to evaluate any possible toxicological effects mediated by the long-term administration of an aqueous extract of this plant. Investigations with Asteracantha longifolia showed that the aqueous extracts of this plant had no adverse effects on the histology of liver, heart, lung, kidney, intestine and pancreas, on liver function, haematological parameters (haemoglobin concentration, red blood cell count, white blood cell count and packed cell volume) or on the reproductive ability of rats.