Haloperidol-induced catalepsy in mice and rats suppressed by orally pre-administered potentized Agaricus

Agaricus muscarius 30s, a potentized homoeopathic drug prepared by sucessive dilution and sonication from the alcoholic extract of the fungus of the same name, significantly reduced haloperidol-induced catalepsy in mice and rats. The drug produced the anticataleptic effect when administred orally and no such effect when administered intraperitoneally. Open field activity of the mice was suppressed more with haloperidol (hal) alone than with the combination of Agaricus 30s (oral) and hal. Agaricus 30s, given intraperitoneally, did not alter hal-induced suppression of the spontaneous activity of mice. Based on the previoluly reported results with Agaricus in combination with apomorphine, D1 and D2 agonists, it was thought that Agaricus might have served as a D1 blocker. It war further assumed that the effect of Agaricus was mediated throught the oral taste receptors

Differentiation of potencies of Agaricus muscarius by experimental catalepsy

Agaricus m., administered orally to rats subjected to restraint to induce catalepsy, enhanced the cataleptic state. The higher the potency the longer its duration of peak action and the longer did it take to reach the peak effect. The action of atropine sulphate which diminishes catalepsy, was suppressed by Agaricus m. The degree of suppression increased with the increase in potency of Agaricus m. Since restraint-induced catalepsy is mediated by cholinergic-dopaminergic interactions in the brain, Agaricus m. is thought to produce its effect by influencing those systems. The work provides a scientific proof for the action of potentized homoeopathic drugs and for the principle of the minimum dose. Further, it introduces an animal model for testing homoeopathic drugs