A feasibility study on Nerium oleander L. in Malta

Abstract

A previous investigation carried out on Nerium oleander Linn. gave positive results in the quantity of cardiac glycoside Oleandrin. When this quantity was compared with that of other countries, it was found that the local shrub may supply more glycoside. However it was noticed that there was a difference in glycosidal content according to the season when the cuttings were taken. This thus left many areas where one could specialise and a study was carried out to investigate the effect of the seasonal variations on the content of oleandrin. The aim of this study was to find out the content of oleandrin in the cuttings collected all throughout the year and to estimate the feasibility of producing the glycoside locally. The method used was extraction with ethanol and readings were taken using the UV spectrophotometer. It was observed that the content of oleandrin remained high during most of the months and is estimated to be quite feasible to produce when compared with the cost of oleandrin on the local market.