The anti-venom potential of the stem bark of Boswellia dalzielli on saw-scaled viper venom

Abstract

Boswellia dalzielli known as ‘Ararabi’ in Hausa belongs to the family Burceraceae. It is an aromatic tree with a height of up to 13 m and has a pale brown bark. It is widespread in tropical Africa in savanna woodland, often near inselbergs and rocky areas. Saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus) is 40cm - 60cm long and is a widely distributed species of snake especially in Africa and Asia. Its venom is hematoxic i.e. the venom is injurious to blood vessels. Studies on the methanol, acetone, chloroform and water extracts of the stem bark obtained by the cold extraction method revealed that the methanol extract ED₅₀ of 0.58 ml has the highest efficacy. This was determined by injecting a group of rats with a viper venom of LD₅₀ whose LD₅₀ was predetermined to be 0.076 mg. The study shows that Boswellia dalzielli stem bark could be used for viper antivenom.