Experimental study on antinociceptive and anti-allergy effects of patchouli oil

Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth. (Lamiaceae), which is named ‘Guang-Huo-Xiang’ in Chinese, has various therapeutic functions to remove dampness, relieve summer-heat and exterior syndrome, stop vomiting, and stimulate appetite. Patchouli oil is the essential oil of Pogostemonis herba. This study is aimed to investigate the antinociceptive and anti-allergy activities of patchouli oil. The antinociceptive activity of patchouli oil (20, 40, and 80 mg/kg) was evaluated using the acetic acid-induced writhing test (NIH mice) and the hot-plate test (NIH mice), and those for anti-allergy activity were tested using Schultz–Dale reaction, the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) test, and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) test. All doses of patchouli oil could significantly (p<0.05) extend writhing latent period and moderately decrease writhing frequency. In the hot-plate test, patchouli oil treatment significantly (p<0.01) increased the latency period at all three doses at 30, 60, and 90-minute time intervals com...