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Abstract
African Mistletoe, Loranthus bengwensis L. (Loranthaceae) is known in folk medicine for its therapeutic values. To explore the possible antihypertensive effect of this plant, normotensive (NWR) and spontaneous hypertensive (SHR) rats were orally dosed with the aqueous extract (1.32 g/kg per day) or an equal volume of saline for 8 days. A significant reduction in the Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) in both NWR (P<0.01) and SHR (P<0.001) was obtained. This does not affect the respiratory rate or the urinary flow rate but a significant reduction of the serum total cholesterol (P<0.05) was obtained on days 6, 7, and 8. This result confirms that African Mistletoe has a reducing effect on the blood pressure and thus could be a useful antihypertensive agent. This study provides the first indication that the plant may have activity which lowers blood pressure suggesting the need for further investigation of African Mistletoe as an antihypertensive agent.