DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2017.v05i09.006

Pages: 638-641

Cough is a reflex of pulmonary irritant receptor, found in the epithelium of the respiratory tract, which are sensitive to both chemical and mechanical stimuli. Cough is a useful physiological mechanism that serves to clear the respiratory passages of foreign material and excess secretions and should not be suppressed indiscriminately. Anti-tussive drugs are the most reliving class for cough suppressants. Codeine is an effective anti-tussive, but it has some undesirable side effects like constipation, drowsiness, respiratory depression, dependence on chronic use etc., so it’s necessary to seek a safe alternative from herbal source. Cymbopogon citratus belonging to the family Gramineae is an herb worldwide known as lemongrass. Anti-tussive activity of ethanolic leaf extract of Cymbopogon citrates (100 & 200mg/kg) was studied by inducing cough by citric acid in guinea pigs. Number of bouts in 5 minutes and percentage cough inhibition were measured. Codeine Phosphate was used as reference control. Both the doses of Cymbopogon citrates were significantly reduced the bouts in dose dependent manner and the percentage cough inhibition was increased which comparable as that of the reference control codeine phosphate. From the result it was concluded that the ethanolic leaf extract of Cymbopogon citrates exhibited anti-tussive activity against citric acid induced cough in guinea pigs.