Anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of Hedychium coronarium Koen

Successive hexane, chloroform and methanol extracts of the rhizome of Hedychium coronarium Koen. (HC) were subjected to evaluate analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities in animal model. In acetic acid-induced writhing test, the chloroform and methanol extract at doses of 400 mg/kg body weight elicited 27.23 and 40.59% inhibition of writhing reflex respectively. Both the chloroform and methanol extracts showed significant elongation of tail flick time (41.15 and 61.32% elongation respectively) at 400 mg/kg body weight. In carrageenan induced rat paw edema test, the chloroform and methanol extracts at a dose of 400 mg/kg body weight showed statistically significant (P<0.01) inhibition of paw edema by 27.46 and 32.48%, respectively at the third hour after carrageenan injection.