Comparative Pharmacognostical and Phytochemical Analysis of Moringa oleifera and Moringa concanensis

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Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) and Moringa concanensis (M. concanensis), belong to the family of Moringaceae and are well-known as the drumstick tree. M. oleifera is a miracle tree, that people have been using for centuries due to its health benefits. M. concanensis locally known as Kattumurungai is also one of the important medicinal plants. Like M. oleifera, this plant is also used to treat skin tumors, fatigue, high blood pressure, jaundice, and diabetes. The present study involved the comparative pharmacognostic and phytochemical evaluation of these two species. The preliminary phytochemical analysis of both species showed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, steroids, and tannins including carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. The maximum percentage yield was found in M. oleifera. The physicochemical parameters like ash values and extractive values were found to be maximum in M. oleifera. The thin layer chromatography (TLC) of the methanolic extract was performed for three important phytochemicals such as alkaloids, steroids, and flavonoids. Both species showed the presence of prominent spots on TLC plates. Among these spots, some of them had similar Rf values, but some of them with different Rf values indicating the presence of similar and different alkaloids, steroids, and flavonoids respectively. Determination of total flavonoid and total phenolic content was also carried out using the Folin Ciocalteu and Aluminum Chloride methods respectively. M. oleifera was found to contain 453 µg/ml of total phenols and 365 µg/ml of total flavonoids and were maximum compared to M. concanensis. These findings suggest that M. concanensis shares some similar macroscopical and phytochemical characteristics as that of M. oleifera but is very similar in the types of alkaloids, steroids, and flavonoids. Further study has to be done to identify these particular spots using reference standards.