International Journal of Research in Advent Technology, Vol.2, No.6, June 2014 E-ISSN: 2321-9637
Anti Head Lice Ointment from Custard Apple Seed Oil V D Chitodkar1, R P S Srivastav2 Department of Chemical Engineering, MGM’s College of Engineering and Technology, Navi Mumbai. vdchitodkar@gmail.com1, rps_srivastava@yahoo.com2
Abstract - In Indian folk medicines various parts of custard apple tree have been used. This study is focused on the extraction of oil from custard apple seed and tested against head lices. The custard apple seeds contain 20% oil by weight. The oil was extracted from powdered seeds using organic solvent (Ethyl Acetate) at room temperature and concentrated by distillation process carried out at temperature higher than room temperature. The concentrate custard apple seed oil (CASO) blended with coconut oil and water to prepare ointment which was tested against head lice. Freshly prepared water base ointment(containing 20% custard apple seed oil by weight) kills about 90% head lices in three hours The same results shown by freshly prepared coconut oil base ointment (containing custard apple seed oil in ratio 1:1). The major component of oil is the oleic acid which kills the lices. The cream prepared remains stable for 6 months. As the ointment is cheaper and safe it may become an alternative therapy against head lice. Key Word: custard apple seed oil(CASO), Head lice 1. INTRODUCTION Custard apple (Binomial Name: Annona squamosa) plant is commonly found in India [5]. It is popularly known as ‘Sharifa’ or ‘sitafal’ in India. It is cultivated in all parts of India. The conical fruit, with a green knobby skin, is very sweet [4] and eaten fresh or can be used for milkshakes, ice- creams and even sherbets. The fruit is juicy and creamy-white and looks like a giant raspberry. This fruit contains large number of seeds [4]. In Indian folk medicine the various parts of the tree have been used to treat diabetes, ulcer, wound, dysentery and other ailments [5]. The grounded seeds can be applied on hair, to get rid of lice. However, make sure that it does not come in contact with eyes or else, it can irritate the eye, leading to blindness. Head lice are small parasite insect which causes health problem to human beings, especially in the poor sanitary areas. Growth of head lice on the scalp of girl is a often problem. It required a long term and costly treatment to remove head lice completely. The medicines available in the market are mostly having the chemical compositions in higher concentrations which may generate some other medical problems. The problem can be overcome by using some natural extract which are available easily, at cheaper rates, and more effective than the available medicines. The custard apple seed oil (CASO) is one of the alternatives for anti head lice activity. CASO extracted [1,2]by using organic solvent like Ethyl Acetate, Benzene, Methanol, etc. at room temperature and
concentrated by distillation process. The distillation process is carried out at the higher temperature depending on the boiling point of the solvent used. In Different weight percent CASO is mixed thoroughly with water to prepare water base anti head lice ointment[1,2]; and the same CASO blended with coconut oil in the different weight ratio to prepare coconut oil base anti head lice ointment. These ointments are then tested against head lices. CASO contents oleic acid and triglyceride with one oleate ester [1] 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 2.1 Materials Custard Apple seed crush, Ethyl Acetate, Coconut Oil , Distilled Water, were used to prepare the anti head lice ointment; whereas the Dryer was used to remove the moisture from seed crush and Distillation assembly was used to concentrate the oil. 2.2 Extraction of oil The custard apple seed were crushed finely after removing the outer shells. This crush was kept in oven dryer to remove the moisture content of the seeds for three hours at 600C. Ethyl acetate was added to this crush in the ratio of 1:4(one part crushed seeds and four parts ethyl acetate by weight). The entire mixture was kept for a whole night(12 hours) and then stirred for an hour. The mixture of solids, oil and solvent was filtered to separate the insoluble solids from the mixture. The
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