ANTICONVULSANT PROPERTIES OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS- A REVIEW

Abstract : Epilepsy is the tendency to have seizures that start in the brain. The brain uses electrical signals to pass messages between brain cells and when these signals are disrupted, it leads to a seizure .A number of synthetic antiepileptic drugs are available in practice, but various medicinal plants acts as an important source of treatment for epilepsy; Plants like Aeollanthussuaveolens, Parsifoliacaerulea, Perseaamericana,Annonadiversiflora and Boearhaviadiffusa have good anticonvulsant activity. Aeollanthussuaveolen’s essential oils are the main constituents were deemed to display anticonvulsant activity. Passifloracaerulea is reputed to have herbal activity as a sedative and anticonvulsant, and is often used as a relatively disease-resistant root stock. Whereas Perseaamericana , extract (PAE) produces its anticonvulsant effect by enhancing GABAergic neurotransmission and or action in the brain . Boerhaviadiffusa consists of a calcium channel antagonist compound, liriodendrin, that is responsible for its anti- convulsant activity.Since epilepsy has become a common brain disorder, having knowledge of the medicinal plants with  an anti-convulsant activity will be beneficial to the society. Key words : Antiepiletic, Aeollanthussuaveolens, Parsifoliacaerulea, Perseaamericana, Annonadiversiflora and Boearhaviadiffusa.