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Abstract
Arthritis was produced in adult albino rats weighing 120±10 g through intramuscular
injections of 0.5 ml of 2% w/w formalin beneath the plantar aponeurosis on the first
and third day. The anterioposterior diameter of the ankle was recorded and statistically
analyzed. It was evident that relatively low doses, 0.25 ml/100 g body weight, of
tincture of Hypericum perforatum produced a significant 48% anti-inflammatory effect, whereas higher doses, 0.5 ml/100
g body weight, of the drug showed 32% activity under identical conditions. Parallel
studies with 1 mg/100 g body weight hydrocortisone administration gave similar anti-inflammatory
effects.
Local application of an alcoholic extract of the drug in very small doses also produced
significant skin softness and flexibility of muscle.
