Caracterização Farmacognóstica das Folhas de Moringa Oleifera

Abstract

Moringa oleifera Lam. is a small to medium-sized tree, and one of 13 species belonging to the Moringaceae family of a single genus. It is a plant native to Asia and Africa, quick and easy to grow and widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions of the worldwide. Many studies have reported that one of its main properties is antioxidant action, that is, the ability to fight free radicals and protect cells against aging and degenerative diseases. In view of the popularity achieved, being early called the "tree of life", ANVISA, through resolution N° 1478/2019, prohibited throughout the national territory, the manufacture, import, commercialization, advertising and distribution of all products that present Moringa oleifera in their composition, as an input for food, in any form of presentation. The measure was motivated by the lack of evaluation and proof of safety of the use of the species in products with the various therapeutic claims that were popularly attributed. The quality control of plant raw materials and herbal medicines, governed by RDC No. 26/2014, establishes, among the tests, the purity and identification of substances present in the plant drug. In this work, results were analyzed for water content, granulometry, total ash, insoluble ash and CCD for Moringa oleifera.