QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE SCREENING OF ANACARDIUM OCCIDENTALE (CASHEW) LEAVES FOR ALKALOIDS, FLAVONOIDS AND PHENOLS

QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE SCREENING OF ANACARDIUM OCCIDENTALE (CASHEW) LEAVES FOR ALKALOIDS, FLAVONOIDS AND PHENOLS

CHAPTER ONE

1.0       INTRODUCTION

Plants are important in our everyday existence as they provided us with food for nourishments, the oxygen we breathe and serve as raw materials for many industrial and domestic products such as; food, clothes, foot wears and many others (Abulude, Ogunkoya, & Akinjagunla , 2010). In addition to serving humanity, plants also help in the provision of shelter, preventing and curing ailments (Tipu, Akhtar & Raja, 2006). Plant kingdom is a treasure house of potential drugs and in recent years there has been an increasing awareness about the importance of medicinal plants. Drugs from the plants are easily available, less expensive, safe, and efficient and rarely have side effects (Tipu, Akhtar & Raja, 2006).

Medicinal plants represent rich source of antimicrobial agents, thus, they are used in different countries as a good source of many potent and powerful drugs (Srivastava. Lambert  & Vietmeyer, 1996). According to the world health organization (WHO, 2017) a medicinal plant is any plant which contains substances that can be used for therapeutic purpose in one or more of its organs or substances which are precursors for the synthesis of useful drugs. The most important of these bioactive constituents of plants are steroids, terpenoids, carotenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins and glycosides.

The plant parts used includes; the root, leaves, stem, bark, flower, exudates, fruits, twigs and modified plant organs. Medicinal plants have been of age long remedies for human diseases because they contain components of therapeutic value. Plant species have been used in the formulation of various proprietary medicines and it is therefore important to determine the active chemical components of such plants in order to develop more effective drugs (Mustapha & Hafsat, 2007).

Anacardium occidentale L. (Cashew plant) is a tropical evergreen tree that produces the cashew seed apple. It is said to originate in Latin America, specifically north-eastern Brazil (Mustapha & Hafsat, 2007). Its water resistant wood is used for boats and ferries, while the resin, in addition to having industrial uses, is used as an expectorant, cough remedy and insect repellent. Anacardium occidentale (Linn.) is an important tropical nut tree that belongs to the family Anacardiaceae, which includes about 75 genera and 700 species among which the well economically known ones are mango and pistachio (Mustapha & Hafsat, 2007).

The leaves and bark of cashew have bactericidal and germicidal activities (Olife,  Jolaoso, & Onwualu, 2013). They also help to stop dry secretion, increases libido, and reduce fever, blood sugar and pressure (Olife,  Jolaoso, & Onwualu, 2013).. In western Nigeria young leaves are used for arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. In some parts of Nigeria, bark, roots and leaves are traditionally used for the treatment of numerous diseases such as; allergy, cough, stomach ache, diarrhea, skin infections and others (Olife,  Jolaoso, & Onwualu, 2013).

 In the Southeastern part of Nigeria, the leaf extracts is used to bath malaria patients. An infusion of the stem bark and leaves of the plant is used as a remedy for tooth ache and sore gums while the astringent bark is given for severe diarrhea and thrush. The cashew apple has higher vitamin C content than oranges and mangos thus; they are used in the treatment of cough and scurvy (Olife,  Jolaoso, & Onwualu, 2013). Cashew apple is also anti-scorbutic, astringent and diuretic, and is used for cholera and kidney troubles .

The cashew kernel (nuts)  are rich in protein, carbohydrate, fat (heart friendly monounsaturated fatty acid), oil, manganese, magnesium, zinc, potassium, copper and iron for preventing deficiency diseases and serving as antioxidants (Chabi, Sina, Adoukonou-Sagbadja, Ahoton, Roko, Saidou, Adeoti, Ahanchede & Baba-Moussa, (2014).

Industrially, the bark contains an acrid sap of thick brown resin, which becomes black on exposure to air and is used as indelible ink in marking and printing linens. The resin is also used as a varnish, a preservative for fishnets and a flux for solder metals. The stem also yields an amber-colored gum, which is partly soluble in water. This gum is used as an adhesive (for woodwork panels, plywood, bookbinding), partly because it has insecticidal properties (Olife,  Jolaoso, & Onwualu, 2013).

1.2       Objectives of the Study

Broadly stated, the purpose of this work is to investigate/assess the Qualitative And Quantitative Screening Of Anacardium Occidentale (Cashew) Leaves For Alkaloids, Flavonoids And Phenols

Specifically, this work investigated:

• The proximate constituents of cashew leaf and
• The qualitative and quantitative screening for  phytochemicals in cashew leaf such as Alkaloids, Flavonoids And Phenols