In vitro and in vivo acaricidal activity of a herbal extract

The anti-tick efficacy of combined aqueous herbal extracts of Azadirachta indica leaves, Nicotiana tabacum leaves, Calotropis procera flowers and Trachyspermum ammi seeds was evaluated using adult immersion test, larval packet test and ear bag method. The extract exhibited lethal effects on egg laying (index of egg laying=0.371404±0.00435), hatching (22.35%) and total larval mortality at 50 mg ml(-1) and reduced tick intensity on the infested calves (18 detached out of 35 at 45% (w/w) suspension, topically applied). The herbal extract exerted dose- and time-dependent response against all the developmental stages of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus considered in this study, thus justified their use in the traditional system of Pakistan.