Anti-anxiety activity studies of various extracts of Turnera aphrodisiaca Ward.

Turnera aphrodisiaca Ward (Turneraceae) has been used traditionally for treatment of anxiety neurosis and as an aphrodisiac. Yet, the plant has never been subjected to systematic biological investigation. In the present investigation, petroleum ether (60-80 degrees C), chloroform, methanol, and water extracts of T. aphrodisiaca aerial parts were evaluated for anti-anxiety activity in mice using elevated plus-maze apparatus. Among all the extracts, only methanol exhibited significant anti-anxiety activity at a dose of 25 mg/kg with respect to control as well as standard (diazepam, 2 mg/kg). The bioactive methanol extract was shaken with petroleum ether, chloroform, and n-butyl alcohol, and all the shakings as well as the remaining methanol extract (RME) were further evaluated for anxiolytic activity. Butanol fraction and RME were found to exhibit anxiolytic activity in mice at the dose of 10 mg/kg and 75 mg/kg, respectively.