Protective effects of honey and Zizyphus extract in male albino rats

Medicinal plants have been used as remedies for human diseases for centuries. The reason for using them as medicine lies in the fact that they contain chemical components of therapeutic value. Kava refers to both the South Pacific herb (Piper methysticum G. Forster) and the products prepared from its rhizomes and roots that contain the psychoactive kavalactones. Several reports suggest that, occasionally, even normal doses of kava can cause severe liver injury. Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is the best characterized system of xenobiotic- induced hepatotoxicity. Zizyphus spina-christi belongs to the family Rhamnaceae and grows throughout Upper Egypt and Sinai . Zizyphus species are commonly used in folklore medicine for the treatment of various diseases such as digestive disorders, weakness, liver complaints. Honey, a natural product formed from nectar by honeybees, has been a subject of renewed research interest in the last few years. Evidence indicates that honey can exert several health-beneficial effects such as Gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, reproductive and antioxidant effects.