AN EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF IPOMOEA CARNEA LEAVES EXTRACT AS ANTI-FURUNCLE MODALITY: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Furuncle, also known as boil represents the commonest example of an abscess, and pyogenic microorganism Staphyloccocus aureus, has been implicated as causal agents. The shrub Ipomoea carnea has been used traditionally for thousands of years. However, there are few scientific studies on this medicinal plant, and most of the information are scattered. In Gwalior forest division, the Ipomoea leave poultice is popularly used by the Sahariya tribe and traditional healers to treat furuncles. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of leaves of this plant on the growth of causal organisms of furuncles and the subsequent inflammatory responses. The aqueous leaves extract [obtained by hot water maceration of the leaves powder] was studied for effects on the growth of clinically isolated strain of Staphylococcus aureus. The anti-inflammatory activity was investigated using acute paw edema induced by carrageenan in rats. The extract moderately inhibited the growth of the test organisms and significantly [P < 0.05] suppressed the development of acute edema of the rat paw. Our study provides evidence for potential applicability of Ipomoea carnea leaves aqueous extract as anti-furuncle modality