The Toxicological Study On Root Extract Of Rumex Gmelini Turcz.

Rumex gmelini Turcz. belongs to the family of Polygonaceae. Its root and rhizome have a good effect on antifungal, antitumor, antitussive and expectrant, antiadthma, antivirus, antioxidation and anti-myocardial ischemia, which is very attractive to develop.Safety, efficacy and quality control are three essential elements of drugs. The safety of any new medicine of TCM must be studied before it is recommended clinical trials, including general toxicological tests, especially long-term and acute toxicity tests. It is necessary to enter clinical trials and judge the value of new medicine of TCM through long-term toxicity tests. We undertake the toxicological study on root extract of R.gmelin. To evaluate the safety of R.gmelini, we adopt acute toxicity tests; we adopt long-term tolerant test on rats, mainly contains the normal behaviour of rats, the changes of weight and food intake, blood routine, blood-biochemics, the major organ index and pathology, two weeks after the drug withdrawal, the recovery of the seven aspects which are mentioned above. We hope to find the target organ of toxicity, cumulative toxicity and the safety dose.The results of the maximum tolerant dose test on mice show that the maximum dose that mice can tolerate is 48.0g/kg, which is equivalent to dried medicinal herb 112.98g/kg. The results of long-term tolerant test on rats show that R.gmelini will not affect the normal behaviour, weight, food intake, blood routine and the major organ index obviously. Long-term and high dose administration of R.gmelini may raise the value of ALP and LDH of female rats, but they all can recover after stopping treatment. And there is no effect on the other items. Long-term and high dose administration of R.gmelini may damage livers of rats slightly, but it is reversible. Long-term and high dose administration of R.gmelin will not apparently affect heart, spleen, lung, kidney, stomach, adrenal gland, ovary and testis of rats. So it can be proved that R.gmelini has no apparent toxicity and it is safe.