Mekonnen, Eyasu (Professor)Debella, Asfaw (PhD)Dikasso, Dawit2018-06-202023-11-292018-06-202023-11-292005-07http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/1998Malaria is a major public health problem in the world in general and developing world in particular. It is known to cause 1-2 million deaths per year, with an annual incidence of 300- 500 million clinically manifested cases and with more than 2 billion people at risk of infection. It is becoming more difficult to prevent and to treat malaria due to the increasing resistance of the transmitting mosquito and of the malaria parasite to the insecticides and drugs that have been commonly used. The importance of malaria as a major public health and development problem has been reviewed on a number of occasions in Ethiopia. This study aims at investigating the in vivo antiplasmodial activity of the known traditionally used herbal drugs. A rodent malaria parasite, Plasmodium berghei, maintained in EHNRI laboratory, was inoculated into young male albino mice. Male mice were infected with 1x107 parasites intraperitonially. The extracts were administered by intra gastric tube daily for four consecutive days starting from the day of parasite inoculation. Control groups received the same amount of solvent (vehicle) used to suspend each dose of the herbal drug and Chloroquine was used as a standard drug given by the same route. The results showed that Asparagus africanus Lam. (Liliaceae) root and areal part and Withania somnifera (L) Dunal (Solanaceae) leaf and root bark are effective in P.bergei malaria, which is inconformity to the claim that they have therapeutic values in human malaria in traditional medicine. This study could partly confirm the claim, facilitate in initiating further in-depth investigation using different experient model. vii Key words: Asparagus africana Lam., Withania somnifera (L) Dunal, Plasomodium berghei, acute toxicity, in vivo, antimalarial activity,enAsparagus africana Lam.;Withania somnifera (L) Dunal; Plasomodium berghei;acute toxicity; In vivo, antimalarial activityThesis