Vol. 3, Issue 1, Part A (2021)

Folklore medical practitioners have indicated the roots of Waltheria indica in the management of erectile dysfunction but there seems to be no sufficient scientific evidence to support the claim. This study investigated the aphrodisiac and fertility enhancing potentials of the ethanol root extract of Waltheria indica using the fruit fly (Drosophilia melanogaster) model. A total of 24 sexually inexperience male flies were randomly allotted to four groups. The negative control (group A) was fed on 0.2 ml of 10% ethanol only and groups B, C, and D received 0.025% w/w, 0.05% w/w and 0.1% w/w of extract respectively. Mating studies showed a significant difference in mating latency of treated flies at (p< 0.01, p< 0.001 and p<0.01) for groups B, C and D respectively, when compared with control. Copulation duration results did not show any significant difference between treated groups and control although there were observable dose related differences. The extract had no effect on fecundity. In conclusion, the extract enhances sexual performance without a corresponding enhancement in fertility in D. melanogaster. This has implication on its current use in ethnomedicine.