DOI: 10.36347/sajp

Pages: 419-423

The aqueous root extract of Ziziphus abyssinica A. Rich. has been used in traditional medicine amongst Sokoto state indigenes in Northwest Nigeria for the treatment of diarrhoea. The study was conducted to evaluate the antidiarrhoeal potential of this plant’s root and to justify its use in traditional medicine for the treatment of diarrhoea. The anti-diarrhoeal studies were evaluated (oral doses of 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg and Loperamide as the standard drug) using the castor oil-induced and the gastrointestinal motility models in Wistar rats. The result showed a significant (p<0.05) and dose dependent inhibitory activity against the castor oil-induced diarrhoea and reduction in gastrointestinal motility in charcoal meal test in rats. Based on the findings, the aqueous root extract of this plant may possess anti-diarrhoeal properties and validates its use in traditional medicine for the treatment of diarrhoea