Phytochemicals, acute toxicities and actual median lethal doses (actual LD50) of Zingiber officinale and Allium sativum given singly and in combination via mice models

Phytochemicals are substances produced mainly by plants which are very important due to their biological and pharmacological activities. The pharmacological effects of these components range from the treatment of bacterial and fungal infections to the treatment of chronic-degenerative diseases such as diabetes and cancer. Mice were used for assessing the acute toxicities; studies usually conducted to evaluate the effects of a single substance. Each animal receives a single dose of the test substance but repeated doses may be administered provide all doses are administered within 24 hours. This study is aimed at assessing the phytochemical components, acute toxicities and actual Mean Lethal Doses (actual LD50) of Zingiber officinale and Allium sativum when administered separately and in combination. Both the phytochemical analysis and acute toxicity testing were done using standard methods with slight modification of the acute toxicity method which led to obtaining the actual LD50 for the tested samples and minimizing the number of study animals used. The phytoconstituents of Zingiber officinale were alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, steroids and terpenoids and those of Allium sativum were alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, and glycosides. The actual lethal doses of Zingiber officinale, Allium sativum and combination of the two were 8,660, 4,472, and 5,477 mg/kg body weight respectively. In conclusion, Zingiber officinale was practically none toxic while Allium sativum had slight toxicity which was ameliorated when the two herbs were administered together. Thus, rendering the combination of the two herbs safe, as evident in the actual LD50 being raised to 5,477 mg/kg body weight.