The present study was conducted to assess the xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of Allium ceba L., Azadirachta indica A.Juss. and Piper betle L. alone and in combination, using double beam visible spectrophotometer. A. ceba (bulb), A. indica (leaf) and P. betle (leaf) were selected as per the existing indigenous practice among poultry farmers in Namakkal district. All the plants were collected locally and they were processed to obtain fresh extracts. The phytochemical analysis of these herbs

more »

... was conducted to identify the active constituents. The xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of fresh extracts of all three herbs were assessed alone and in combination at the dose rate of 100 µg/ml in double beam UV/visible spectrophotometer in comparison with standard antigout drug allopurinol. The results revealed that among the herb extracts, the P. betle extracts were produced potential xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity (72.39 ± 0.60 per cent) in comparison with allopurinol ( 89.30 ± 0.77 per cent). Hence, it was concluded that the xanthine oxidase inhibitory property of P. be tle leaf extracts will be utilized for the development of potential antigout remedy for poultry.