A. citrodora EO displays a range of pharmacological properties worthy of further investigation to isolate the compounds responsible for the observed neuroactivities, to further analyse their mode of action and determine their clinical potential in neurodegenerative diseases.

This work was carried out in collaboration between all authors. Author SA designed the study, wrote the protocol and the first draft of the manuscript. Authors SA and SAO conducted the experimental works. Author RA performed the statistical analysis. Author PC managed the literature searches and the analyses of the study. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

No abstract

The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details.

Background: Peganum harmala L. is a medicinal plant used in Jordan and in many countries in traditional medicine against several diseases, including gastrointestinal disorders. Objective: In this study, the effects of crude ethanolic root extract of P. harmala on the isolated smooth muscle of the rat jejunum intestine were investigated. Materials and Methods: The isolated organ bath method was adopted. The efficacy was recorded and analyzed by biological signal collection and analysis recording. Results: The ethanolic root extract inhibited the spontaneous contraction of rat jejunum and showed dose dependent inhibition of acetylcholine Ach (10 -5 m) and potassium chloride KCl (60 mm), as well as inducing contractions of isolated rat jejunum. The extract also reduced barium chloride BaCl 2 (5 mm) induced contractions of isolated rat jejunum dose-dependently. The inhibitions were statistically significant. Conclusion: These results indicated that the root extract of P. harmala possesses antispasmodic activity and justifies its use traditionally in alleviating gastrointestinal disorders.