J Ethnopharmacol. 1999 Aug; 66(2): 211-5.

The fruit essential oil of Pimpinella anisum exerts anticonvulsant effects in mice.

Pourgholami MH, Majzoob S, Javadi M, Kamalinejad M, Fanaee GH, Sayyah M.

Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

This study investigates anticonvulsant effects of an essential oil of the fruits of Pimpinella anisum (Umbelliferae), a folkloric remedy in the Iranian traditional medicine, against seizures induced by pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) or maximal electroshock (MES) in male mice. The essential oil suppressed tonic convulsions induced by PTZ or MES. It also elevated the threshold of PTZ-induced clonic convulsions in mice. The essential oil produced motor impairment. However, this effect was not observed at the doses and time courses needed for anticonvulsant activity.