Ethnobotanical Validation: Antioxidant and Analgesic Activities of Some Species of Genus Brachystelma

Introduction:Brachystelma is a small subterranean tuber belonging to the Asclepiadaceae family.The leaves and tubers are nutrientdense and delicious, and are used in traditional medicine to treat pain.Aim: Brachystelma malwanense, Brachystelma naorojii, and Brachystelma edule were the three species chosen; however, no experimental studies have been conducted to support this traditional use.The primary goal of this study was to investigate the analgesic and antioxidant properties of the tubers. Methods:The acetic acid-induced writhing method was used to test the analgesic activity in mice.Antioxidant potential was assessed using a range of methods, such as 1,1-diphenyl-2 pricrylhydrazyl, FRAP, Reducing power assay, polyphenols, carotenoids, and ascorbic acid. Findings:The aqueous extract of tubers of B. naorojii at the 500 mg/kg dose level exhibited significant activity compared with the other tubers.No behavioral abnormality or mortality was observed in rats treated with crude tubers in any of selected plants.In antioxidant evaluation, ascorbic acid (80.92 0.000 mg/100 g), DPPH scavenging activity (88.32 0.56% inhibition), superoxide dismutase (0.004 0.000 OD min.-1 mg-1) and the total antioxidant activity (0.650 0.001 mg AAE/100 g) was higher in the tubers of B. malwanense than in the others.The Polyphenols (52.6 1.039 mg/100 g), FRAP (0.492 0.014 mg AAE/100 g), peroxidase (0.013 0.000 OD min.)activities were higher in the B. naorojii tubers.The notable antioxidant properties exhibited by Brachystelma tubers may be ascribed to their polyphenol concentration and additional phytochemical components. Conclusion:The results of this study validated the traditional use of the plant for pain relief by indicating that the tuber extract has potent analgesic and antioxidant properties, which may be related to its polyphenol concentration.