Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
plant: 2-hydroxy-3,4-dihydroxyacetophenone, methyl 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate, 3,4-dihydroxyphen-
ylacetate, and epicatechin, as well as other minor phenolic compounds.
The most widely used tamarind is the seed extract, tamarind seed extract (TSE), which has
been shown to exhibit strong antioxidant scavenging activity against hydroxyl radicals and superox-
ide anions produced by the ABTS/H
2
O
2
/FeCl
3
(Feton reaction) and hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase
(neotetrazolium) systems, respectively. It has also displayed scavenging activity against peroxyl radi-
cals generated by ABTS/H
2
O
2
/peroxidase and ABTS/H
2
O
2
/myoglobin systems.
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It also inhibited
the
in vitro
and
in vivo
production of both nitrite and NO. The anti-snake-venom property of TSE has
been evaluated. TSE completely inhibited the phospholipase A2 (PLA2), protease, hyaluronidase,
L-amino acid oxidase, and 50-nucleotidase enzyme activities of
Vipera russellii
venom dose depend-
ently. It completely neutralized the venom-induced edema, hemorrhage, and myotoxicity, including
lethality. The venom-induced lethality (2LD
50
dose) was antagonized dose-dependently
in vivo
.
1031
The seed coat has antioxidative activity, as well as antiacne and antidiabetic activity, and is used
as a tanning material.
TETRAPLEURA TETRAPTERA
Botanical Name —
Tetrapleura tetraptera
(Schum. & Thonn.) Taub.
Synonyms —
Adenanthera tetraptera
Schum. & Thonn.,
T
.
thonningii
Benth.
Family —
Leguminosae
African Names —
Bini: ighimiakia; Efik: edeminang; Etsako: imininie
Description —
Tetrapleura tetraptera
is a medium-size tree, up to 24 m high and 1.5 m in girth.
It has sharp buttresses, fern-like foliage, and silvery gray to reddish smooth bark. The leaves are
very sensitive, bipinnate, with 6-8 pairs of pinnae. The leaflets are opposite, alternate, oblong-ellip-
tic, with rounded ends, practically glabrous, and 8-12 pairs. It has prominently grooved, wing-like
ribs, which are slightly curved, dark purple-brown, glabrous, and glassy. Two of the wings contain
soft sugary pulp, oily and aromatic, and the other two are garde and woody.
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Habitat and Distribution —
It occurs in deciduous and evergreen forests. It is found in Senegal,
Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania.
Ethnomedicinal Uses —
The plant is used in West Africa to flavor soups taken as general ton-
ics and stimulants or as part of postpartum diet therapy. The powdered fruit is used as fish poison
and in ointment for the treatment of skin diseases. The infusion of the fruits is used in Ghana as a
bath solution for fevers and malaria. The stem bark extracts have been used, among other things, for
gonorrhea and viral diseases and as a tonic. A decoction of the roots is used in Ghana as a bath solu-
tion for fevers and malaria. A decoction of the roots is used in jaundice. The fruits are also added as
an ingredient to anticonvulsant remedies. It is an ingredient in traditional remedies for arthritis and
other inflammatory conditions, asthma, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and epilepsy.
