Hyraceum, the fossilized metabolic product of rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis), shows GABA-benzodiazepine receptor affinity

dc.contributor.authorOlsen, Andreas
dc.contributor.authorPrinsloo, Linda Charlotta
dc.contributor.authorScott, Louis
dc.contributor.authorJager, Anna K.
dc.date.accessioned2008-06-04T11:43:59Z
dc.date.available2008-06-04T11:43:59Z
dc.date.issued2007-11
dc.description.sponsorshipHyraceum, an accretion of urine and dung of rock hyraxes (also known as rock dassies), when fossilized with age, has been used in South Africa for the traditional treatment of epilepsy.We report on tests of 14 hyraceum samples, collected at various geographical locations in South Africa, and assayed for GABA-benzodiazepine receptor affinity. Ethanolic extracts of four of the hyraceum samples assayed positive, whereas all aqueous extracts were inactive. Qualitative TLC resolution of the ethanolic extracts shows a complex mixture of constituents, with no feature being a distinguishing pattern for all four active samples. These preliminary results are not in conflict with the traditional use of hyraceum as a treatment for epilepsy by the settlers of Gamkaskloof.en
dc.format.extent933307 bytes
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.citationOlsen, A, Prinsloo, LC, Scott, L & Jäger, K 2007, 'Hyraceum, the fossilized metabolic product of rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis), shows GABA-benzodiazepine receptor affinity', South African Journal of Science, vol. 103, no. 11-12, pp. 437-438. [http://www.sajs.co.za/]en
dc.identifier.issn0038-2353
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/5788
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherAcademy of Science of South Africaen
dc.rightsAcademy of Science of South Africaen
dc.subjectHyraceumen
dc.subjectRock hyraxesen
dc.subjectGABA-benzodiazepine receptor affinityen
dc.subject.lcshHyraxes
dc.subject.lcshHyracoidea, Fossil
dc.subject.lcshTraditional medicine -- South Africa
dc.subject.lcshEpilepsy
dc.titleHyraceum, the fossilized metabolic product of rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis), shows GABA-benzodiazepine receptor affinityen
dc.typeArticleen

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