8ACUTE AND CHRONIC TOXICITY STUDIES OF METHANOL EXTRACT OF OXALIS CORNICULATA L. IN EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALSThe plant Oxalis corniculata L. (creeping wood sorrel) also called procumbent yellow sorrel belongs to family Oxalidaceae. It is very population perennial herb that is distributed in world wide. The leaves of wood sorrel are quite edible with a tangy taste. The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the safety of methanol extract of Oxalis corniculata L. (MOC) whole plant by determining its potential toxicity after acute and chronic administration in rats. Study on acute toxicity of extract found to be safe at the doses 2000mg/kg body weight orally as per OECD guidelines No.423. General behavior adverse effects and mortality were determined for up to 14 days. In the chronic toxicity study, the MOC was administered orally at doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg once in a week for 6 weeks to rats. Biochemical and hematological parameters were determined after 6 weeks. In the acute study in rats, there was no toxicity/ death was observed at the dose of 2000mg/kg b.w. The onset of toxicity and signs of toxicity also not there. In the chronic toxicity study, no significant treatment-related changes in the levels of haematological, hepatic and renal parameters such as SGOT, SGPT, cholesterol, creatinine, urea, uric acid, protein and glucose, and serum ALP activities were observed at the termination of the study. It suggests that the methanol extract of Oxalis corniculata L. does not appear to have significant toxicity. In view of the dose of Alocassia macrorhiza consumed in traditional medicine, there is a wide margin of safety for the therapeutic use of the methanol extract of Oxalis corniculata L. whole planyallareddy777@gmail.comResearch212012 Alocassia macrorhiza (L.), Traditional Medicine,Acute and Chronic Toxicity,Heamatological Parameters,Biochemical ParametersK. Yalla ReddyAssistant Professor, Department of Pharmacognosy, Sana College of pharmacy, Kodad, Andhra Pradesh,-508 206, India