Weight-lowering effects of Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Cassia fistula and Senna alataleaf extracts

Abstract

Methanol extract of Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Cassia fistula, and Senna alata were evaluated for their hypolipidemic activity in diet-induced lipidemia in mice. Preliminary phytochemical screening was performed following standard procedures. The bioassay was conducted in three-week old female mice. Results demonstrated that C. fistula and S. alata extracts can significantly lower body weight of mice in the treatment groups. In addition, parametrial fat weight of mice was also decreased in a dose-dependent manner, thus confirming the weight lowering potential of these plants.   Key words: Medicinal plants, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Cassia fistula, Senna alata, obesity, phytochemicals.