Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Synonyms —
Tamarindus occidentalis
Gaertin,
Tamarindus officinalis
Hook.
Family —
Caesalpiniaceae
Common Names —
Tamarind tree (E), tamarinier, tamarin (F)
African Names —
Bambara: tombi, ntomi, tumi; Hausa: tsamyia, tsamia; Masai: ol massam-
burai; Nyamwezei: mshishi; Peuhl: dam, dabe, dami, djamini: Shona: musika; Swahili: ukwaju,
mkwayo; Igbo: icheku; Yoruba: ajagbon
Description —
Tamarindus indica
is a medium-size tree, with short bole, striped scaly dark
brown bark, and a dense crown. The leaves are peripinnate with 7-12 pairs of opposite leaflets,
unequally rounded at the base. The flowers occur in small terminal racemes, are yellowish with
red or purple stripes with 3 peals and 4 sepals. It produces thick pods, about 10-20 cm long, with
edible fibrous pulp with 5 to 6 seeds. The fruit has a faint characteristic odor, and the taste is acrid
and sweet.
Habitat and Distribution —
It occurs wild in the tropics and is widespread throughout the
continent. It is probably native to Africa as well as India. It is cultivated for its fruits and as shade
and avenue trees. It is widely distributed and is found in Ghana, Nigeria, Chad, Ethiopia, Angola,
Kenya, and Tanzania.
Ethnomedicinal Uses —
The sweet fruit pulp is used for the preparation of a refreshing drink
and is eaten as an occasional snack. It is also fermented into wine. In northern Nigeria, the roots are
used as an ingredient in the preparation of medication for leprosy treatment. The leaves have been
administered for fevers as a laxative. In many parts of West Africa, a decoction of the roots is the
principal ingredient in a remedy for cardiac diseases. The bark infusion is drunk by women after
childbirth as a general tonic. The fruit pulp is processed in various ways and added to certain meals
as a form of mild laxative. In northern Ghana, Sokoto Province of Nigeria, Chad, and southern
Sudan, the evaporated pulp is often added to boiled cereal pap for the treatment of constipation. The
leaves are used as a cicatrizer in wound dressing.
Constituents —
The fruit flesh is highly acidic and yields up to 15% tartaric acid. It also
contains citric, malic, and acetic acids. The fresh ripe tamarind is rich in reducing sugars (ca.
30% to 41%). The unripe tamarind contains little sugar or acid but may have some vitamin C. The
plant also contains volatile oil, consisting of cinnamaldehyde, ethyl cinnamate, gerniol, limonene,
α-terpineol, piperitone, alkylthiazoles, pyrazines, methylsalicylate, and safrole.
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All parts of the
plant contain phenolics, including catechin, epicatechin, quercetin, and isorhamnetin.
Pharmacological Studies —
The fruit pulp has laxative properties and is highly nutritive. It
is dispensed in China to treat nausea in pregnancy. The fruit pulp extract reduced the fluoride con-
centration in blood and bone and enhanced its urinary excretion in animal studies, which is indica-
tive of the ameliorative potential of fruits of tamarind in fluoride toxicity.
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The pulp fruit extract
(5%) given to hypercholesterolemic hamsters decreased the levels of serum total cholesterol (50%),
non-HDL cholesterol (73%), and triglycerides (60%) and increased HDL cholesterol levels (61%).
In vitro
, the extract presented radical scavenging ability, as assessed by the DPPH and superoxide
radical assays, and led to decreased lipid peroxidation in serum, as assessed by the thiobarbituric
acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay.
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It has antihyperglycemic properties and has been used
for the treatment of diabetes.
Tamarind has strong antioxidant properties attributed to the high concentration of phenolics
in the leaves, fruits, seeds, veins, and skins. The effects of solvents, of varying polarities, on the
extraction of antioxidant phenolics from the leaves, seeds, veins, and skins of
Tamarindus indica
(
T. indica
) have been studied. The efficiencies of the solvents for extraction of the antioxidant phe-
nolics were found to be in the order methanol > ethyl acetate > hexane. Methanol leaf extract had
the highest phenolic content and was the most potent scavenger of DPPH and superoxide radicals.
Methanol vein extract had the highest ferric-reducing activity, whereas methanol seed extract was
the most potent ABTS radical scavenger. A positive correlation existed between phenolic content
and antioxidant activities of the plant parts.
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Four major antioxidants are known to occur in the
