ABSTRACT
The present study was undertaken to investigate the analgesic activity of four plants commonly used in
folkloric medicine in the Philippines namely: Ipomoea batatas, Hyptis suaveolens, Ziziphus jujuba, and
Orthosiphon aristatus with the aim of establishing the pharmacological basis for its folkloric use to treat
pains and headaches. Specifically, the study aimed to (1) assess the analgesic activity of the crude
aqueous extract of the roots, stem or bark, and leaves of Ipomoea batatas, Hyptis suaveolens, Ziziphus
jujuba, and Orthosiphon aristatus; (2) determine which plant extract has the highest analgesic activity;
and (3) compare the analgesic effect of the plant extracts with a standard dose of the analgesic drug
mefenamic acid 250 mg. Crude aqueous extracts of the roots, leaves, and stems of Ipomoea batatas,
Hyptis suaveolens, Ziziphus jujuba, and Orthosiphon aristatus were prepared. The analgesic activity of
the crude aqueous extracts was determined through the Acetic Acid-Induced Writhing Bioassay. A
single, oral administration of the plant extracts caused a reduction in the number of squirms in Swiss
albino mice ranging from 58.53% to 95.30%. The Ziziphus jujuba leaf extract showed the highest
analgesic activity with a 95.30% reduction in the number of squirms in the test animals. Statistical
analysis revealed that the analgesic activity of the Ipomoea batatas root (83.54%) and stems (90.25%)
extracts, Hyptis suaveolens stem (93.91%) and leaf (90.85%) extracts, Ziziphus jujuba root (84.76%),
bark (91.46%), and leaf (95.30%) extracts, and Orthosiphon aristatus stem (79.28) and leaf (89.63%)
extracts did not differ significantly from mefenamic acid 250 mg (100%). Results further showed that the
Ipomoea batatas leaf extract (58.53%), Hyptis suaveolens (root extract (74.39%), and Orthosiphon
aristatus root extract (75.62%) were not as effective as the analgesic drug mefenamic acid 250 mg.
Keywords: Analgesic, Plant, Extract, Aqueous, Philippines.