Sub-acute toxicity evaluation of an aqueous extract of Labisia pumila, a Malaysian herb

Labisia pumila (Myrsinaceae), is a popular herb among the women in Malaysia known locally as “Kacip Fatimah”. Recently many nutraceutical products containing the powdered or extracted parts of the plant have become available for women’s health care. However no evaluation of the effect of the repeated dosing of any herbal product of this plant had been undertaken prior to a 28-day sub-acute study presented in this report. The results showed that a dose of 50 mg/kg of an aqueous extract of L. pumila corresponded to no-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL), whereas higher doses were associated with some toxicity concerns.