A plant used in Indian traditional medicine shows potential in treating sciatic nerve pain

Alstonia scholaris (Linn.) R. Br., known commonly as saptaparni, has been used in Ayurvedic medicine as a natural treatment for various aches and pains. The authors of a study published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine determined if these pain-relieving properties offered any benefits to sufferers of neuropathic pain.

• The researchers gathered 48 rats that they divided into eight groups of six members each. Some of the mice were given chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve (CCI) to induce neuropathic pain, Some were given a sham operation, while others were left as they were.
• Group I acted as the normal control and was not put under surgery. Group II was the sham control and was given a sham operation that did not damage their sciatic nerve. Group III was designated as the model group and had their sciatic nerve damaged but without treatment. Group IV had CCI but was given clinical medication. Groups V and VI had CCI and were treated with 100 mg/kg or 200 mg/kg of Saptaparni’s chloroform extract. Groups VII and VIII had CCI and were treated with the plant’s methanol extract at the same dose.
• CCI caused hyperalgesia and allodynia in the animals, but saptaparni extract was able to ameliorate the changes in the rats’ nociceptive threshold. This was particularly true in the case of the 200 mg/kg methanol extract.
• Examination of the methanol extract determined that it contained flavonoids, including kaempferol.

The researchers concluded that Saptaparni can indeed attenuate neuropathic pain caused by CCI. This effect was attributed to the presence of kaempferol.

Read the full text of this study at this link.

Find more natural ways to ease neuropathic pain at Remedies.news.

Journal Reference:

Singh H, Arora R, Arora S, Singh B. AMELIORATIVE POTENTIAL OF ALSTONIA SCHOLARIS (LINN.) R. BR. AGAINST CHRONIC CONSTRICTION INJURY-INDUCED NEUROPATHIC PAIN IN RATS. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2017;17(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-017-1577-7