Project Materials

TRACE ELEMENTS CONTENT OF NEEM LEAVES (AZADIRACHTA INDICA)

ABSTRACT

The worldwide scenario increasingly favours the creation of modern pharmaceuticals derived from less harmful plant products with established therapeutic characteristics. Each portion of the neem plant (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) is said to have different medical characteristics and has been used for ages across many continents. This experiment provided a water extract from Neem leaves (Azadirachta indica A Juss) measured using a sophisticated atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The mineral and chemical characteristics of a water extract from Neem leaf were investigated. The results demonstrated that neem leaf contains some critical minerals required by the biochemical system. It is clear that the aqueous extract of Azadirachta indica contains very high quantities of sodium ions (Na+) and potassium ions (K+), which are responsible for impulse conduction along the central nervous system’s axons. Iron is another element that has been determined. This element is significantly low in the sample’s water extract (neem leaf).

Chapter one

INTRODUCTION

Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) is one of the few trees found on the Indian subcontinent (Puri 1999). This tree belongs to the Meliceae family and grew quickly in tropic and semi-tropic climates. It was also discovered that this tree could thrive in extremely dry and desert environments. (Puri, 1999).

The Neem Tree is an outstanding plant that the United Nations has designated as the Tree of the 21st Century (Puri, 1999). In India, it is referred to as the ‘Divine Tree’, ‘Life Giving Tree’, ‘Nature’s Drugstore’, ‘Village Pharmacy’, and ‘Panacea for all ailments’. It is a major component of Ayurvedic medicine, which has been practiced in India for many years.

Extracts from the Neem tree (Azadirachta indica A Juss), also known as ‘Dogonyaro’ in Nigeria, are frequently recommended in ancient medical books for gastrointestinal upsets, diarrhoea and intestinal infections, skin ulcers, and malaria (Schmutterer 1995).

All parts of the Neem plant, including the leaves, bark, flower, fruit, seed, and root, have applications in medicine and industry. The leaves can be used to treat diabetes, eczema, and fever.

Neem bark can be used to produce toothbrushes, and the roots have antibacterial and insecticidal properties. (Puri, 1999). Neem seed contains a high percentage of oil.

Neem oil is commonly used as an insecticide, lubricant, and medication for a number of ailments, including diabetes and tuberculosis (Puri, 1999; Ragasa et al., 1996).

India encouraged scientific research on the neem tree as part of his program to revitalise Indian tradition while also increasing commercial interest in neem (Stix, 1992), and some authors now believe that no other plant or tree in the world has been so thoroughly researched or used in all possible capacities.

In Africa, neem leaf extracts have been used in a variety of therapeutic treatments (Ekanem, 1971; Udeinya, 1993). The biochemical, pharmacological, and therapeutic qualities of the neem plant (Azadirachta indica) have proven to be extremely beneficial to human health.

1.1 Aims and Objectives of the study

Many studies have been conducted on the neem plant (Azadirachta indica), and the results have revealed that it possesses both medical and pharmaceutical characteristics.

However, there is no reported information about the mineral characteristics of the plant’s leaf. As a result, the purpose of this study was to determine the minerals present in a water extract of neem leaf using current atomic absorption spectrophotometry.