DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sajb.2025.v13i11.003

Pages: 1500-1507

Sexual behaviour plays a key role in personal fulfilment and emotional relationships. Erectile dysfunction, by disrupting this sphere, can have significant psychological consequences, hence the importance of understanding and treating it. This study aims to evaluate the effect of aqueous extract from the roots of Hymenocardia acida on sexual behaviour in diabetic rats. H. acida and Viagra were administered orally to 20 diabetic males divided into four groups. Group 1 received distilled water; group 2 received sildenafil citrate (Viagra), the reference substance, at a dose of 5 mg/kg; groups 3 and 4 received H. acida at doses of 500 and 1000 mg/kg BW, respectively. Ovariectomised females were induced into oestrus by administering oral ethinyl oestradiol at a dose of 100 µg/animal and subcutaneous progesterone at a dose of 1 mg/animal, 54 hours before the experiment. The parameters relating to the rats' sexual behaviour were recorded on the 1st and 8th days and, after gavage, the rat was placed in isolation for 1 hour in a cage, then a female rat in oestrus was introduced into the same cage. The test was negative if the latency times for intromission and ejaculation exceeded 20 minutes. The aqueous extract of H. acida roots increased sexual motivation in diabetic animals at doses of 500 and 1000 mg/kg bw, significantly increasing the number of mounts and intromissions. The extract has a sexually stimulating effect, confirming its traditional use as an aphrodisiac.