Study of the Analgesic Activity of the Aqueous and Methanolic Extracts of Fresh Rhizome of Zingiber officinale in Wistar Rats

Introduction The study was done to evaluate the analgesic activity of the aqueous and methanolic extracts of fresh rhizome of <i>Zingiber officinale (Z. officinale)</i>. The study objectives included evaluating and comparing the analgesic activity of both extracts at two different doses with that of the standard drug (aspirin) in Wistar rats using the rat tail-flick method. Method The study was conducted after receiving approval from the animal ethics committee. The animals were divided into six groups of six rats each. The control group received 0.2 ml normal saline IP whereas the test groups received aspirin (150 mg/kg), aqueous extract of fresh rhizome of <i>Z. officinale</i> (100 and 200mg/kg), and methanolic extract of fresh rhizome of <i>Z. officinale</i> (100 and 200 mg/kg). The rat tail-flick method was used to investigate the analgesic activity. Result The present study clearly showed the significant analgesic activity of the aqueous and methanolic extracts of fresh rhizome of <i>Z. officinale </i>(p<0.05) via the rat tail-flick method compared to the control. Moreover, their activities were comparable to aspirin. Conclusion The aqueous and methanolic extracts of <i>Z. officinale</i> have significant analgesic activity properties.