Background: Diarrheal disease remains a public health problem in developing countries, including Ethiopia. In order\nto alleviate this disease, Ethiopian traditional healers use a wide range of medicinal plants from which Lantana camara\nis one of them. The stem of this plant is traditionally used for the treatment of diarrhoea. In addition, this plant\nis scientifically evaluated to have an antispasmodic effect on in vitro study. The aim of this study was to evaluate\nthe antidiarrheal activity of the aqueous stem extract of L. camara Linn in mice.\nMethods: The antidiarrheal activity of the extract was investigated using castor oil induced diarrhoea, enteropooling\nand small intestine transit models. The test groups received various doses (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) of the extract,\nwhereas positive controls received Loperamide (3 mg/kg) and negative controls received distilled water (10 ml/kg).\nResults: In castor oil induced diarrhoea model, the extract, at all test doses, significantly (p < 0.001) prolonged\ndiarrhoea onset, decreased the frequency of defecation, and weight of faeces. Similarly, the extract produced a\nsignificant (p < 0.001) decline in the weight and volume of intestinal contents at all tested doses. In addition,\na significant (P < 0.001) reduction in the gastrointestinal motility in charcoal meal test was also observed in all doses\nof the extract. Phytochemical screening of the extract revealed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, and\nphytosterols that may play a key role in its antidiarrheal activity.\nConclusion: The obtained results of the present study confirm antidiarrheal activity of the stem of L. camara,\nthus provide the scientific basis for the traditional uses of this plant as a treatment for diarrhoea
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