Abstract
Parasitic diseases are considered a serious problem due to the lack of appropriate vaccines for the prevention and treatment of these diseases and the appearance of drug-resistant parasites. This study tries to evaluate the antiparasitic activity of water hyacinth leaves aqueous extract for the first time. Aqueous extract of water hyacinth leaves was prepared. The chemical composition of the extract, and its antiparasitic activity against Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma brucei, and Leishmania donovani were evaluated. The extract has high content of proteins and carbohydrates which are important nutrients for human and animal. Beside its high nutritional value it has high antioxidant capacity and high content of important pharmaceutical components. The extract showed effective antiparasitic activity against the three tested parasites. This study offers a new cheap effective antiparasitic agent.