In vitro and in vivo antisnake venom activity of the ethanol and aqueous extracts of the plant Santolian chamaecyparissus Linn. (Asteraceae) were studied through inhibition of in vitro HRBC lysis and in vivo by using albino mice in modifying the lethal effect of the test dose of Viper Russell’s venom. The effectiveness of these two extracts was evaluated by oral administration of extract at two dose levels followed by intraperitoneal administration of the snake venom. The LD50 of viper Russell’s venom was found to be 61µg/20g body weight of mice. The ethanol extract of the plant markedly decreased the percentage mortality of venom induced toxicity in mice at a dose level of 500 mg/kg. This reveals that the ethanol extract of S.chamaecyparissus possesses significant antisnake venom activity thereby justifying its use in the indigenous system of the medicine.
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