Nature and severity of the effect of herbal medicinal products based on Melissa officinalis L. on animal behaviour when administrating different drug dosages.

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to study the impact of herbal medicinal products based on Melissa officinalis on the anxiolytic effect in animals at different dosages of the drug. The study was conducted on albino Wistar rats using a sequence of three behavioural test systems (black and white chamber, elevated cruciform maze and open field). The combined medicinal product included the following starting materials of herbal origin: Melissa officinalis, Origanum vulgare, Salvia officinalis, Crataegus berries and Glycyrrhiza glabra root, in the ratio 17:10:10:10:10. Two dosages of the drug were tested: 5 ml and 2.5 ml per 1 kg of animal weight. The active components of the starting materials of herbal origin were isolated through continuous extraction in the Soxhlet apparatus with ethyl alcohol; after that, the solvent was distilled in a rotary evaporator. The herbal preparation produced notable effects by alleviating stress caused by the experimental setup (reducing phobic reactions) and simultaneously enhancing locomotion as well as exploratory and searching activities. These effects were observed to varying degrees across all three behavioural models. A comparative analysis of the testing results at different dosages of the experimental herbal preparation demonstrated the comparability of quantitative changes in the recorded behavioural reactions. This data makes it possible to use a lower drug dosage (2.5 ml/kg) in subsequent studies. The developed complex herbal medicinal product can be used as a basis for creating phytopreparations with targeted anxiolytic effect. The experimental data obtained will subsequently help in choosing the optimal dosage for rational pharmacotherapy and prevention of psycho-emotional disorders in humans and animals. (Neuropsychopharmacol Hung 2025; 27(1): 6-13)