Antispasmodic effect of Bersama abyssinica aqueous extract on guinea-pig ileum

The present study deals with the effect of one of the traditionally used Ethiopian medicinal plants, Bersama abyssinica, on gut motility. The experiment was carried out on isolated guinea-pig ileum with a standard spasmogen, histamine, in the absence and presence of the water extract of the medicinal plant. The spasmogenic effect of histamine was found to be antagonized by the extract in a nonreversible manner, indicating that B. abyssinica has a spasmolytic activity.