Analgesic effect of Satureja ‎bachtiarica Bunge essential oil ‎using formalin test in mice

The application of herbal plants instead of synthetic drugs is increasing in recent years because of their lower side-effects and high varieties of efficient components. The aim of this study was to investigate the analgesic effect of Satureja bachtiarica Bunge essential oil by formalin test in mice model in this study, S. bachtiarica Bunge essential oil was prepared using clevenger apparatus by distilled water method. Mature male rats (25-35 gr) were selected. Acute and chronic pain induction was performed by injection of 20μl of 4% formalin solution to evaluate the analgesic effects of S. bachtiarica essential oil. The study groups consisted of the control group receiving normal saline, the groups receiving 25, 50 and 100 mg/ kg of S. bachtiarica essential oil, and the positive control group received morphine 10 mg/ kg. Single dose injections were performed 30 minutes before the start of the test. Acute pain (5 minutes after injection) and chronic pain (20 minutes after inoculation) were measured by stopwatch and the results were analyzed by SPSS16 software.S. bachtiarica Bunge essential oil at doses of 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg significantly moderated formalin-induced pain as it could reduce foot licking caused by formalin injection in both acute and chronic phases. The present data indicate that essential oil of S. bachtiarica Bunge has analgesic effect on mice, and this plant could be considered in future health care.