AN UPDATE ON THE THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF NEEM AND ITS ACTIVE CONSTITUENTS: A PANACEA FOR ALL DISEASES

Abstract

Herbal plants play an important role in the global context today. In the last century, approximately 121 pharmaceutical products were discovered based on the information obtained from the plants used in Ayurveda, the Indian traditional system of medicine. Phytoconstituents isolated from natural sources have contributed significantly to the development of novel drugs from medicinal plants. Among all medicinal plants, neem (Azadirachta indica) has been widely used in treatment of diseases because it is a rich source of antioxidants. It contains 60 different types of biochemically active components including steroids and terpenoids. Various parts of neem tree are known to possess antifungal, anticancer, antifertility and other biological activities. The present review provides a bird's eye view of the various medicinal properties and therapeutic applications of this important medicinal plant. It has rightly been called as a 'single solution to a thousand problems'. Anchal Trivedi, Naseem Fatima*, Ishrat Husain, Aparna Misra Department of Biochemistry, Department of Pathology* Era's Lucknow Medical College & Hospital, Sarfarazganj Lucknow, U.P., India-226003 ERA’S JOURNAL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH AN UPDATE ON THE THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF NEEM AND ITS ACTIVE CONSTITUENTS: A PANACEA FOR ALL DISEASES VOL.6 NO.1 Original Article Page: 110 ERA’S JOURNAL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH, VOL.6 NO.1 Dr. Aparna Misra Department of Biochemistry Era’s Lucknow Medical College & Hospital, Lucknow-226003 Email: draparnamisra@gmail.com Contact no: +91-9452242158 Address for correspondence Received on : 09-02-2019 Accepted on : 20-06-2019