ABSTRACT
Herbal medicine constitutes a larger proportion of the health care needs of developing countries. However, the safety and toxicity index of these herbal medicines should be ascertained, either alone or in combination. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute and sub-acute toxicity concerns of the polyherbal formulation, which includes Citrus limon, Curcuma longa, Zingiber officinale, Allium sativum, and Moringa oleifera. The acute toxicological assessment was carried out using Locke's modified method. In the sub-acute investigation, 20 albino rats were divided into four groups of five rats each. Group 1 received distilled water; groups 2, 3, and 4 received 0.25, 0.5, and 1 g/kg of an aqueous extract of polyherbal tea, respectively, orally for 28 days. The animals were sacrificed using chloroform anesthesia, blood was collected for hematological and biochemical investigation, and the tissues were preserved for histological inspection. Since there was no death at the highest dose of 10 g/kg, the LD50 was indeterminable. Phases 1 and 2 did not record any deaths, making it impossible to determine the LD50 of the polyherbal-formulated tea. The tea at 0.25, 0.5, and 1 g/kg significantly increased the weights of the rats at weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4 when compared to the control (p<0.05). The tea did not affect the organ-to-body weight ratio. The level of granulocytes was reduced at 0.25 g/kg when compared with the control (p<0.05). The other hematology parameters remained unaffected. Aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, total protein, direct bilirubin, cholesterol, triglycerides, creatinine, and urea levels were all significantly lower in the polyherbal tea group (p<0.05) compared to the control group. All other parameters were unaffected. The histological result shows normal features of the kidney, heart, lungs, and spleen. However, at 0.5 and 1 g/kg, the liver exhibits steatosis. In conclusion, the polyherbal-formulated tea is safe and may be hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, and cardioprotective
