In Vivo Anti-malarial Activity and Toxicity Studies of Allium ursinum (Wild Garlic) Hydroalcoholic Extract

Malaria is a protozoan disease that is caused by different types of Plasmodium in humans and animals. Resistance to the main drugs in the treatment of malaria infections has led to studying alternative drugs. Therefore, in the present study, the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of wild garlic was studied on Plasmodium berghei malaria-infected mice. This experimental study was conducted on 45 male mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. The treatment with hydroalcoholic extract of wild garlic was performed using Peter’s proposed method. Statistical analysis of data was conducted using SPSS v.18 software. Findings showed that the wild garlic hydroalcoholic extract had the highest effect at the treatment dose of 800 mg/kg with 92.4% prevention of parasite growth compared to the control group (P<0.05). No significant difference was observed in the mean weight of the mice or the morphology of the liver and kidney in the group receiving wild garlic extract compared to the negative control group. The anti-malarial effects of the wild garlic plant observed in the present study, elicit the necessity for further research, evaluation, and comparison of different extraction methods such as aqueous and chloroform as well as higher therapeutic dosages.