Pharmacognostical standardization of leaves of Azadirachta indica – An effective panacea for all disease

Abstract

Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (Meliaceae) commonly called Neem in India and is nature’s drugstore due to thousands of medicinal properties associated with it. It is one of two species in the genus Azadirachta, and is native to India and Burma, growing in tropical and semi-tropical regions. Present investigation highlights the standardization of Azadirachta indica leaf from Garhwal Himalayas. The various parameters applied (WHO Guideline) were ash value, acid insoluble ash, water & alcohol extractive values, loss on drying, pH, volatile matter, heavy metal content, phytochemical investigation, chromatographic profile, spectroscopic profile, heavey metal content and microscopic and macroscopic description. The quantitative determination of marker component was also done by HPTLC study using azadirachtin as standard.