Effects of indigenous plant kaempferia galanga extract on blood parameters in rats / Noor Shahrul Musa

Medicinal plants are available abundantly in the tropics. These plants are important in Asian societies because of widespread use in traditional medicine. One of the plants is Kaempferia galanga L. (Zingiberaceae ). Because of its widespread use in various Asian countries, therefore, there is a need to study the safety of this plant. In the present study the ethyl acetate extract of Kaempferia galanga was used to test acute and subacute toxicity effects. In the acute toxicity study, three rats out of five rats in the treatment group died. The lungs showed hemorrhagic condition. In the subacute toxicity study, only one death was recorded in treatment group. No pathologic organ changes were recorded. Hematology analysis showed significant changes in mean corpuscular volume, neutrophils and lymphocytes count in acute toxicity studies. There was no significant difference in the blood parameters in the subacute toxicity study. Blood chemistry analysis showed a significant difference in urea levels in both acute and subacute toxicity studies. It is concluded that Kaempferia galanga extract is relatively toxic and it is recommended that further studies should be done to determine its safety level.