Antitussive activity of Abies webbiana Lindl. leaf extract against sulphur dioxide-induced cough reflex in mice.

The methanol extract of A. webbiana Lindl was evaluated for its effect on a cough model induced by sulphur dioxide gas in mice. When administered orally it exhibited significant antitussive activity compared with the control in a dose dependent manner. The antitussive activity of the extract was compared with that of codeine phosphate, a prototype antitussive agent. The A. webbiana leaf extract (400 and 600 mg/kg) showed maximum inhibition of cough frequency by 71.69% and 78.67%, respectively, when compared with the control group and was comparable in effect to codeine phosphate. Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.