Preliminary Studies on the Analgesic Properties of the Ethanol Extract of Combretum leprosum

Combretum leprosum Mart, commonly refered to as is a Combretaceae “mofumbo”, with a large distribution in the Northeastern region of Brazil, and is popularly used for the treatment haemorrhages and as a sedative. As there are no data in the literature about the pharmacological effects of the plant, we have determined the acute toxicity and studied the analgesics properties of this plant, using the tail immersion test and the formalin test. The results of the tail immersion test show an antinociceptive effect in the early period of observation (30 min), while in the formalin test this effect was observed in phase 1 (0–10 min) and phase 2 (20–40 min), suggesting that the plant possesses antinociceptive activity.