Comparative Evaluation of Anthelmintic Potential of Cucurbita maxima Seeds, Moringa oleifera Seeds and Solanum surattense Fruits

The medicinal plants are widely used by the traditional medical practitioners for curing various diseases. Helminthiasis is the most common infection in human affecting a large proportion of world population. Parasitic diseases may cause severe morbidities including lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis. Development of resistance to most of the commercially available anti helminthiasis becomes a severe problem worldwide. The present study was under taken to evaluate antihelmenthic activity of ethanol extract of seeds of Cucurbita maxima, Moringa olifera and fruits of Solanum surattense on Indian earthworm pheritima phosthuma. Various concentrations (10, 25, 50 mg/ml) of extracts were tested and results were expressed in terms of time of paralysis and time of death of the worm. Piperazine citrate (10 mg/ml) is used as reference standard and saline water as control.