WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants - travolekar.ru

Fructus Tribuli
noradrenaline-precontracted corpus cavernosal strips from treated groups
showed an increase in relaxation of a concentration-dependent nature
when compared to that of the tissues from the control group. However,
the contractile, anti-erectile response of corpus cavernosal tissue to noradrenaline
and histamine did not differ significantly between the treatment
and the control groups. The relaxant responses to acetylcholine, nitroglycerin
and electrical field stimulation by more than 10%, 24% and 10%,
at the doses of 2.5 mg/kg bw, 5.0 mg/kg bw and 10.0 mg/kg bw, respectively,
compared to their control values and the lack of such effect on the
contractile response to noradrenaline and histamine indicate that the extract
has a pro-erectile activity (30).
An extract of the fruit containing protodioscin was investigated in both
normal and castrated rats to determine aphrodisiac effects. Rats were divided
into five groups of eight animals each. The treatments were distilled
water (normal and castrated animals), testosterone (normal and castrated
animals, 10.0 mg/kg bw, subcutaneously, bi-weekly) and extract (castrated
animals, 5.0 mg/kg bw, orally once daily for 8 weeks). Decreases in body
weight and prostate weight were observed among the castrated groups of
rats as compared to the normal rats. There was an overall reduction in the
sexual behaviour parameters in the castrated rats as reflected by a decrease
in mount and intromission frequencies and an increase in mount, intromission
and ejaculation latencies as well as post-ejaculatory interval. Compared
to the castrated control animals, treatment of castrated rats with either
testosterone or the extract led to a mild to moderate improvement of
the sexual behaviour parameters as demonstrated by an increase in mount
frequency and intromission frequency and a decrease in mount latency,
intromission latency and post-ejaculatory interval (29).
Formation of uroliths (urinary calculi)
An ethanol extract of the fruit exhibited a dose-dependent protection
against uroliths induced by glass bead implantation in albino rats. The
extract provided significant protection against deposition of calculogenic
material around the glass bead. It also protected against leukocytosis and
elevation of serum urea levels (32).
Toxicity
The plant, when used as fodder, has been reported to cause photosensitivity
in livestock and is responsible for the diseases geeldikkop (in South
Africa) and “bighead” (in Australia and the USA) in sheep. The condition
is characterized by oedema of the head, fever and jaundice, leading to
death (6). Two beta-carboline indoleamines (harman and norharman),
present in trace amounts in the seeds of Tribulus terrestris have been im-
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