Euphorbia Hirta (Euphorbiaceae) Crudeaqueous extract Enhances Copulatory activities in Sexually Naïve normal male albino rats

Euphorbia hirta has long been used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments, including gastrointestinal disorders, bacterial infections and respiratory conditions. Notably, its potential as an aphrodisiac and fertility enhancer have been reported in ethnoveterinary practices, where it is administered to improve the reproductive performance of male animals. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of E. hirta crude aqueous extract on copulatory activities in sexually naïve normal male albino rats.Twenty-five adult male albino rats weighing between 150 and 300 grams each were subdivided into 5 groups and treated as follows: rats of groups 1, 2 and 3 were administered 300mg/kg, 600mg/kg and 1200mg/kg of the plant extract respectively, those of group 4 received 10 ml/kg distilled water, while those of group 5 received sildenafil citrate: Erekta (5mg/kg). Treatment lasted for 21 days with sexual behavioural parameters recorded on days 1, 7, 14 and 21. Eh1200-treated animals recorded a significant decrease in mount latency from day 1to day 21 compared to the Distilled Water control group. Intromission Latency values decreased in extract-treated groups with the Eh1200-treated animals recording the smallest intromission latency values compared to both control groups. Extract-treated males registered a significant increase in mount and intromission frequencies, penile licking and copulatory efficiency values dose-dependently. Results obtained from our study enables us to say that the crude leaf aqueous extract of E. hirtaenhances copulatory efficiency by improving on the mating behaviour of male rats.