Evaluation of the analgesic activity of an aqueous extract of the seeds of Nigella sativa Linn in albino rats

Background: Many herbs and plant products have been claimed to have a significant analgesic action. However, not much work has been reported on the pharmacological evaluation of such plant-based products for the analgesic effects claimed in traditional medicine. Aim and Objective: The study aimed to assess the analgesic potential of the aqueous extract of Nigella sativa Linn (NSL) in albino rats by the hot plate and tail-flick method and to compare it with the standard drug indomethacin. Materials and Methods: Four groups of randomly divided albino rats were made. Group 1 was given oral normal saline (0.1 mg/kg) (control group). Group 2 was given indomethacin 25 mg/kg orally (standard group). Groups 3 and 4 (test groups) were administered NSL 300 mg/kg body weight (BW) and 600 mg/kg BW orally, respectively. The hot plate and tail-flick method were used to screen for analgesic potential. Results: Our study revealed a uniform increase in reaction time in both test groups which received NSL. Maximum analgesic activity was noted at 120 min. NSL has good analgesic activity in comparison with the control. However, indomethacin has significantly better activity than NSL at both doses. NSL at 600 mg/kg BW has analgesic activity comparable to indomethacin only at 20 min. Conclusion: NSL has analgesic potential, but comparatively, indomethacin is a more potent analgesic drug.