474EVALUATION OF ANTIANEMIC ACTIVITY OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF LEPIDIUM SATIVUM L. (GARDEN CRESS SEEDS) IN EXPERIMENTAL ANIMAL MODELSThe study deals with the evaluation of antianemic activity of oral administration of aqueous extract of Lepidium Sativium Linn (Garden cress seeds) at different dosage levels (250 & 500mg/kg body weight) on female wistar rats using various paradigms of anemia. India is one of the richest sources of herbal plants and seeds. Many of them were used as traditional and folk medicine and as a natural remedy to cure various health problems in early days. Lepidium Sativum, commonly known as “Garden Cress” comes one among them. Garden cress seeds and leaves are used in India as a food supplement and also in traditional medicine in early days. In the present study, the extraction of Lepidium sativum(Garden cress seeds) was carried out with Soxhlet apparatus using different solvents. The phytochemical screening showed the presence of phytoconstituents like triterpenoids, flavanoids, alkaloids, carbohydrate, protein- aminoacid, saponins, mucilages and fixed oils in aqueous extract of Lepidium Sativum Linn. The antianemic activity in rats was done by using the chemical phenylhydrazine. Studies showed that phenylhydrazine is well absorbed by inhalation, oral and dermal routes and binds readily with heamoglobin in Red blood cells and may cause damage to RBC, potentially resulting in anemia. Phenylhydrazine was given to the experimental group (24 rats) as oral administration of 100mg /kg daily for a period of eight days to induce anemia and the remaining rats (6rats) serves as normal control. Phenylhydrazine treated rats with Haemoglobin concentration of <14g/dl were considered as anemic and are included in the study. The aqueous extract of Lepidium sativum (Garden cress seeds) was given to two experimental groups (IV and V group) at two different dosage levels of (250 mg/kg body weight and 500 mg/kg body weight) for a period of one month. The effect of aqueous extract of Lepidium sativum in Wistar rats has shown significant increase in the level of hematological parameters after the period of treatment. Both the doses enhanced the hematological levels from the initial week of treatment to final week of treatment and the effect was comparable to that of standard drugsheebajafer@gmail.comReview642016Lepidium Sativum (Garden cress seeds),Phytochemical screening,Anemia,Antianemic activitySheeba MK,Sabitha N Research Scholar, Department of Foods & Nutrition, Vellalar College for Women, Erode – 638012, Tamilnadu, India.,Assiociate Professor & Head, Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, Vellalar College for Women, Erode – 638012, Tamilnadu, India.