Abstract

Medicinal plants contain physiologically active principles that over the years had been exploited in traditional medicine for the treatment of various ailments. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of ethanolic extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa calyx on rat reproductive hormones. The effects on the basal levels of estradiol, testosterone, prolactin and follicle stimulating hormone were conducted in experimental animals. H. sabdariffa calyx extract at a dose of 250 mg/kg produced minor effects on rat reproductive hormones, namely testosterone and estradiol while no change was observed on both prolactin and follicle stimulating hormone levels. Moreover, no histological changes were detected on both testes and ovaries of the experimental animals after 28 days of administration. It can be concluded that H. sabdariffa calyx extract at a dose of 250 mg/kg caused mild effects on rat reproductive hormones.

Key words: Estrogenic effect, reproductive hormones, Hibiscus sabdariffa extract.