A study on adaptogenic activity of root extracts of Boerhaavia diffusa (Linn)

The adaptogenic activity of alcoholic and chloroform extracts of roots of B. diffusa (Linn) was evaluated in albino mice and rats. Mice were subjected to anoxia stress tolerance test for 3 weeks and rats to swimming and cold restraint stress for 10 days. In anoxia stress tolerance test, mean duration of stress tolerance time to anoxia was determined where as in swimming and cold restraint stress methods biochemical parameters like glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides and blood urea nitrogen (BUN), blood cell count like RBC, WBC, DLC and weights of organs like liver, spleen and adrenal glands were estimated at the end of the stress period. Both alcoholic and chloroform extracts had significantly increased the anoxia stress tolerance time when compared to stress control. In swimming and cold restraint stress models, both the extracts have significantly(P<0.01) reduced the levels of biochemical parameters and blood cell count elevated due to stress and prevented variations in organ weights when compared to stress control animals. The adaptogenic activity of alcoholic and chloroform extracts of roots of B. diffusa was comparable to standard drug withania somnifera.