In Vitro Antihelmintic Activity and Preliminary Phytochemical Screening of whole Plant of Vernonia Cinerea

Vernonia cinerea (Asteraceae) is a potential medicinal plant and as it is a non cultivated plant it is widely distributed in waste lands and open forests in India. The alcoholic, etheral and chloroform extracts were obtained from the ischolar_mains of plant Vernonia cinerea by soxhlet extraction or continuous hot percolation methods and the extracts were evaluated for their respective antihelmintic activity, against locally available earth worms (Pheretima posthuma). Three concentrations (10, 30, 60 mg/ml) were prepared from each extract and were used for the study over earth worms. The study involves the determination of time of paralysis and time for death of the earth worms tested. The results obtained from the study revealed the fact that chloroform and alcoholic extracts from the ischolar_mains of Vernonia cinerea possess significant antihelmintic effect. A solution of Albendazole was prepared in same concentration as that of the extract and was used as standard. A 2% tween-80 suspension prepared using normal saline solution was used as control or blank.