Mir Yousuf Ali

Fever (pyrexia) is defined as an elevation of core body temperature above the level normally maintained by the individual. The idea that fever is a method of therapy may be traced back to the early days of written history. “Give me the power to produce fever, and I will cure all disease,” is a quotation attributed to Hippocrates more than 2300 years ago. Hippocrates had ideas as to the significance of fever, and modern concepts as to its possibilities.  Ruphos of Ephesus, 450 years afterwards, said: “If indeed any were so good a physician as to be able to produce fever, it would not be necessary to look for any other remedy in sickness”. In Unani system of medicine several hundred of plants are used as therapeutic remedies. A large number of these medicinal plants unfortunately, have not been investigated with the help of allied science like chemistry and pharmacology. In Unani various plant drugs are used for the treatment of fever; Swertia chirata is one of the important drug of them mentioned as antipyretic in classical Unani text. The present study shows that methanolic extract of Swertia chirata (MESC) in the dose of 800 mg/kg body weight possesses a significant antipyretic effect and reducing the yeast induced elevated body temperature in Albino rats, its effect is compatible to that of standard antipyretic drug paracetamol in the dose of 200 mg/kg body weight.