Introduction. Rauwolfia vomitoria is a plant used as a sedative and in the treatment of psychotic tendency. This study was on the teratogenic effects of its root bark and leaf extracts on Wistar rat’s fetal femurs. Materials and Methods. Twenty-five female rats weighing between 180 and 200？g were divided into 5 groups, of 5 rats each. Group A was the control, while Groups B, C, D, and E were the experimental. The female rats were mated with mature male rats to allow for pregnancy. Groups B and C animals received orally 150？mg/kg each of the root bark and leaf extracts of Rauwolfia vomitoria, respectively, while Groups D and E animals received 250？mg/kg bodyweight each of the root bark and leaf extracts of Rauwolfia vomitoria, respectively, from day 7 to day 11 of gestation. On day 20 of gestation, the rats were sacrificed, the fetuses were examined, and their femurs were dissected out and preserved, decalcified, and routinely processed using the Haematoxylin and Eosin staining method. Results. Histological observations of the fetal femur bones showed numerous osteoblast and osteoclast, hypertrophy, and hyperplasia of bone cells compared with the control. Conclusion. Ethanolic root bark and leaf extracts of Rauwolfia vomitoria may lead to advanced skeletal development. 1. Introduction Herbalism has become the main stream throughout the world. This is due in part to the recognition of the value of traditional medical systems, particularly of the Asian origin, and the identification of medicinal plants from indigenous pharmacopeias shown to have significant healing power, either in their natural state or as the source of new pharmaceuticals. Generally, these formulations are considered moderate in efficacy and thus less toxic than most synthetic pharmaceutical agents [1]. One of such herbs in use is Rauwolfia vomitoria belonging to the family Apocynaceae. Reports show that this herb lowers blood pressure [2] and possesses analgesic, haematinic, and anticonvulsant properties [3–5]. Antioxidant and antipsychotic properties have also been reported [6, 7], with another study reporting improvement of immunity [8]. Rauwolfia is reported to contain indole alkaloids which includes yohimbine, reserpine, rescinnamine, raucaffricine, ajmaline, and ajmalicine [9]. These may be responsible for the different properties exhibited by the plant. Common herbs rich in essential oils (sage, rosemary, and thyme) and essential oils extracted from these herbs and other plants (oils of sage, rosemary, juniper, pine, dwarf pine, turpentine, and eucalyptus) as well as their
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