Diuretic effect of Aerua lanata with water, normal saline and coriander as controls.

The extract (200 ml of 50 g/L) of common garden herb (in Sri Lanka) Aerua lanata (S. Polpala, T. Thengapookeerai) induced diuresis, consistent ovet four repetitions in 70% of the subjects. The rest of the subjects needed higher concentration of the solution (100 g/L), to induce diuresis. The urine output observed with the fresh plant extract was significantly elevated (P less than 0.001) when compared with controls who received the same quantities of water, 0.9% saline of extracts of the seeds of another medicinal plant, Corlandrum sativum. Raw flowers of Aerua lanata were found to be the most effective in inducing diuresis when compared to the other parts of the raw plant and its dried form.