Aphrodisiac properties of hydro‐alcoholic extract of Cassia auriculata flower in male rats

Abstract

Cassia auriculata is a commonly found plant in Asia, widely used in Ayurveda and Siddha medicines as a tonic, astringent and in general for diabetes. Herbal tea made from this plant has been marketed as a product for restoring sexual vitality, to increase sperm count and counteract ejaculatory disorders. However, the scientific evidences are scarce to prove this concept. Here, we examined the effect of hydroalcoholic extract obtained from C. auriculata flower upon the expression of male Wistar albino rat’s sexual behaviour. Sildenafil was used as a positive control. Penile erection index (PEI), mount latency (ML), intromission latency (IL), ejaculation latency (EL), mounting frequency (MF), intromission frequency (IF), ejaculation frequency (EF) and post‐ejaculatory interval (PEjI) were recorded for days 0, 7, 14 and 28 and also after the withdrawal of the treatment on days 7 and 15. Significant reduction in ML, IL and PEjI, and increment in EL, PEI, MF, IF and EF were observed (p < 0.05,<0.01). However, neither extract nor sildenafil sustains the effect after withdrawal of the treatment. The present finding demonstrates the aphrodisiac potential of hydroalcoholic extract of C. auriculata flower in vivo and lends support to the traditional utilisation as a sexual stimulating agent.