NEEM FOR TREATMENT OF RLS

Abstract

A pharmaceutical product of the present invention contains plant parts obtained from the neem tree Azadirachta indica or active ingredients derived from such plant parts for use in treating, preventing and/or alleviating symptoms of restless legs syndrome.

Claims

1. Pharmaceutical product containing plant parts obtained from the neem tree Azadirachta indica or active ingredients derived from such plant parts for use in treating, preventing and/or alleviating symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS).

2. Pharmaceutical product for the use according to claim 1, wherein the plant parts are derived from leaves, flowers, seed, gum, fruit or bark of the neem tree.

3. Pharmaceutical product for use according to claim 1, comprising crushed or shredded neem tree leaves.

4. Pharmaceutical product for use according to claim 1, wherein active ingredients are obtained by extraction and can be included as crude or complex mixture of substances or as partly or fully isolated substances.

5. Pharmaceutical product for use according to claim 4, wherein the active ingredients include at least one of nimbin, nimbinin, nimbidin, salannin, meliantriol and azadirachtin.

6. Pharmaceutical product for use according to claim 1, which is provided in a form suitable for internal use.

7. Pharmaceutical product for use according to claim 6, in dry or liquid form, especially a powder, granules, pills, tablets, lozenges, capsules or an emulsion, a suspension, an extract, an oil, a tea or tea preparation.

8. Pharmaceutical product for use according to claim 1, further containing additional pharmaceutically active substances or drugs, preferably analgesic and/or antiphlogistic substances.

9. Pharmaceutical product for use according to claim 1, further comprising substances selected from pharmaceutically acceptable adjuvants and excipients, especially fillers, lubricants, glidants, binders, compounds which ensure easy disintegration, disaggregation and dissolution of a tablet in the stomach or the intestine, compounds providing for sustained release, sweeteners, sugar, varnish or wax, flavor, coloring agents or preservatives.

10. Pharmaceutical product for use according to claim 1, comprising oil obtained from neem seeds.

11. Pharmaceutical product for use according to claim 1, which is provided in a form suitable for external use.

12. Pharmaceutical product for use according to claim 11, which is provided in the form of a paste, cream, balm, ointment, emulsion, suspension, gel, spray or foam.

13. Pharmaceutical product for use according to claim 11, which is capable of penetrating the skin and/or being absorbed into the blood circulation.

14. Pharmaceutical product for use according to claim 11, further comprising additional pharmaceutically active substances or drugs, preferably analgesic and/or antiphlogistic substances.

15. Pharmaceutical product for use according to claim 11, further comprising substances selected from pharmaceutically acceptable adjuvants, excipients and preservatives.

Description

EXAMPLE 1

Treatment of Patient: Case No. 1, male, 58 years old (German)

[0037] The patient was diagnosed when 52 years old as having a “very lively” form of RLS. The diagnosis was made by a German neurologist. The diagnosis was further confirmed by treating the patient with L-Dopa, which is considered as best practice in treating RLS. If the symptoms decrease or cease under exposure to L-Dopa, the diagnosis is considered confirmed which was the case for this patient. Unfortunately, however, the symptoms did not completely cease and the continued treatment with L-Dopa was also considered undesirable.

[0038] The patient then started to take neem capsules contained dried neem leaves which are available on the market in different forms and brands. Each capsule contained 500 mg of dried neem leaves. For over 18 months, the patient took two capsules of dried neem leaves two times daily which amounts to 2 g of dried neem leaves per day.

[0039] Under this treatment, the symptoms of RLS disappeared completely. If the treatment was stopped, the symptoms started to reappear after a few days. When reinitiating the treatment, the symptoms disappeared again. This effect of the treatment and discontinuing of the treatment was confirmed several times and proved that the treatment is responsible for the disappearance of the symptoms of RLS.

EXAMPLE 2

Treatment of Patient: Case No. 2, female, 74 years old (Turkish)

[0040] The second patient suffered from RLS for many years. The patient is treated by neem leaves, a tea spoon each night. Since the patient has started this treatment, she considers herself free of symptoms of RLS during the night.

[0041] Also this patient observed reappearance of symptoms if the treatment was discontinued which again proves the effect of the neem leaves on the encumbering RLS symptoms.