Toxicological evaluation of a herbal tea made from the leaves of Setaria megaphylla, Ageratum conyzoides and Chromolaena odorata

The toxicological effect of an herbal tea made from leaf extracts of Ageratum conyzoides, Chromolaena odorata, and Setaria megaphylla, plants traditionally used in Nigeria for malaria treatment was studied. Hot aqueous extracts of the ternary combination (1:1:1 ratio) of the plants were administered in varying doses (0, 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) to assess impact on hepatic, renal and haematologic function parameters, and liver and kidney tissue histology of forty male albino rats divided into four groups of ten animals each. The tea extracts were administered orally daily for 60 days. Biochemical analyses revealed that the extract significantly (p<0.05) reduced ALT (25.91 ± 2.35 to 6.84 ± 0.31 U/L), AST (36.39 ± 1.96 to 19.24 ± 1.19 U/L), and ALP (21.94 ± 3.51 to 11.06 ± 2.76 IU/L) activities, with no significant (p>0.05) changes in bilirubin, protein and albumin concentrations, suggesting non-hepatotoxic property. Among the kidney function, significant (p<0.05) dose-dependent increases was observed only in serum urea ranging from 23.09 ± 0.79 mg/dl (Control group) to 34.90 ± 0.52 mg/dl (200 mg/kg treated group). Increase in WBC count was observed indicative of a possible immune response, while other blood parameters remained stable. Histopathological examination confirmed that lower extract doses were relatively safe, whereas higher doses presented early signs of organ stress. These findings suggest that this herbal tea extract has a favourable safety profile at moderate doses, though higher doses may pose risk of organ toxicity, warranting further studies on dose optimization and elucidation of its folkloric therapeutic potential.