Diospyros fischeri
Gurke (Ebenaceae) is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of epilepsy. Dichloromethane, ethylacetate, and ethanol extracts of theroots, at doses between 100 and 1600 mg/kg BW, inhibited convulsions induced by the γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA
A) receptor antagonist, pentylenetetrazole (PTZ), in a dose dependent manner. The extracts also exhibited low toxicity against brine shrimps giving LC
50 values between 45 .4 and 95.4 μg/ml. These results provide evidence for the potential of
D. fischeri extracts to treat absence seizures, especially given their seemingly innocuous nature.