OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of Herba ephedrae, honey-fried Herba ephedrae and Maxingshigan decoction on pentobabital sodium sleep experiment in mice.

METHODSMale Kunming mice were divided into 11 groups, namely normal saline (NS) group, ephedrine group, 3 Herba ephedrae dose (high, medium, and low) groups, 3 honey-fried Herba ephedrae dose group, and 3 Maxingshigan decoction dose groups. The corresponding drugs were administered intragastrically for 6 consecutive days, and 45 min after the final administration, the mice received intraperitoneal injection of pentobabital sodium, and the latent period and continuous sleeping time were recorded.

RESULTSCompared with high- and low-dose Herba ephedrae groups, Maxinshigan decoction containing equivalent Herba ephedrae significantly increased the sleeping time of the mice (P<0.05). In comparison with NS, the decoction at medium and low doses produced no significant changes in the sleeping time, which, however, was significantly shortened in the other 8 groups (P<0.05). Compared with Herba ephedrae, Maxingshigan decoction and honey-fried Herba ephedrae at equivalent doses showed comparable effects on the sleep latency (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONUnder the condition of this experiment and with pentobabital sodium-induced sleeping time as the index, honey-fried Herba ephedrae shows no obvious effect in reducing the excitement of the central nervous system, while Maxingshigan decoction can significantly lower the excitement level, the effect of which is inversely correlated to the dose administered.