## 3 Results
### Pharmacological Research
#### 3.2.3. Sedative Activity  
The results of the behavioral activity studies of animals in the \"Elevated Plus Maze\" test are presented in Table 2.  
In the \"Open Field\" test, the effects of the extracts on the central nervous system were examined to evaluate the sedative effect (Figure 3). The data presented in Table 2 indicate that the animals in groups III and IV spent more time in the open arms and the center of the maze compared to the closed arms, suggesting high exploratory activity and low fear levels. The indicators for the group III animals, which received _E. planum_ extract EP3, were comparable to those of the control group, which received motherwort extract, a proven sedative. The time spent by animals in the maze's center was minimal across all the groups and did not differ significantly. An important indicator of stress resilience is the number of downward glances by the animals. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Animal Group** & **Closed Arm** & **Time Spent, \% Open Arm** & **In Center** & **Number of Downward** \\ \hline I group (EP1) & 60.9 \(\pm\) 3.10 \({}^{\star}\) & 34.2 \(\pm\) 1.71 \({}^{\star}\) & 4.9 \(\pm\) 0.22 \({}^{\star}\) & 5.7 \(\pm\) 0.29 \({}^{\star}\) \\ II group (EP2) & 53.1 \(\pm\) 2.85 \({}^{\star}\) & 40.8 \(\pm\) 1.25 \({}^{\star}\) & 6.1 \(\pm\) 0.29 \({}^{\star}\) & 6.8 \(\pm\) 0.30 \({}^{\star}\) \\ III group (EP3) & 48.3 \(\pm\) 2.41 \({}^{\star}\) & 44.5 \(\pm\) 1.21 \({}^{\star}\) & 7.2 \(\pm\) 0.31 \({}^{\star}\) & 6.5 \(\pm\) 0.35 \({}^{\star}\) \\ IV group (control) & 44.5 \(\pm\) 2.40 & 49.7 \(\pm\) 1.20 & 5.8 \(\pm\) 0.28 & 7.8 \(\pm\) 0.35 \\ V group (intact) & 78.8 \(\pm\) 2.89 \({}^{\star}\) & 16.2 \(\pm\) 0.82 \({}^{\star}\) & 5.0 \(\pm\) 0.19 \({}^{\star}\) & 3.5 \(\pm\) 0.12 \({}^{\star}\) \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} Note: \({}^{\star}\)—the deviation of the indicator is significant compared to the data of the control group (\(p<\) 0.05). EPI—water extract, EP2—40% ethanolic extract, and EP3—70% ethanolic extract.  
\end{table} 
Table 2: Behavior of animals in the “Elevated Plus Maze” test. Figure 2: Antimicrobial activity of _Erngium planum_ herb extract EP3. This indicator for groups I-III was nearly double that of the intact group. The significant reduction in activity indicators for the experimental animals (Figure 3) over five minutes indicates the pronounced sedative activity of the tested extracts. The locomotor activity of animals in group III decreased significantly by 2.4 times compared to the control group. The \"Cube\" test, designed to study cognitive responses and fear levels toward a new object, provided further insights. The results of these studies are presented in Table 3.  
The data presented in Table 3 indicate that _E. planum_ extracts and motherwork extract influenced the locomotor activity of mice toward a novel object. The first approach to the cube was performed the fastest by mice in groups III and IV (19.0 s and 14.3 s, respectively). The total duration of the approaches by the mice in group III was nearly four times greater than that of the intact animals, indicating increased exploratory activity due to the EP3 extract and a lack of anxiety. For the \"Black-and-White Box\" test, a two-chamber apparatus was used, with one chamber shielded from light and the other illuminated. Mice were placed in the dark compartment, and the latency of the first exit to the light chamber, the number of exits, and the duration of time spent in the light compartment were recorded. The results of these studies are presented in Table 4.  
Figure 3: Locomotor activity of animals in the “Open Field” test.