A comparative study of anti-anxiety properties of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Ocimum sanctum in animal models.

Background: Anxiety transcends a natural emotion, evolving into a pathological condition with the potential to trigger cascading cardiovascular and psychiatric disorders. Although conventional allopathic medicine offers treatment options, concerns regarding their side effects and long-term efficacy remain prevalent. Medicinal plants contain natural compounds that may be promising sources of therapeutic drugs. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to compare the anxiolytic potential of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Ocimum sanctum (OS). The growing appeal of plant-based therapies for anxiety stems from perceived advantages in safety and tolerability compared to synthetic drugs. Materials and Methods: The anxiolytic activity of aqueous and ethanolic extract of OS is evaluated with an elevated plus maze test. A total of 36 Wistar albino rats (150-200 g) were used and randomly divided into six groups of six animals each. The effects of the test drug at different doses, 100 and 200 mg/kg, were compared with the standard anxiolytic drug diazepam at 2 mg/kg body weight and the control group using distilled water at 0.5 mL/kg body weight. Results: The behavioral changes suggested reduced anxiety and openarm exploration in plus-maze indicates reduced anxiety in animals treated with OS extracts. The changes are significantly (P < 0.001) comparable with the standard drug diazepam. Conclusion: The ethanolic extracts of OS are more significant than aqueous extracts for evaluating anti-anxiety activity in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, ethanolic extracts are more likely to contain a wider range of bioactive compounds, which are thought to be responsible for the anti-anxiety effects of OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]