Controle de qualidade físico-químico das folhas de ora-pro-nobis (Pereskia aculeata) comercializadas no município de Santa Cruz -RN.

Abstract

Medicinal plants and herbal medicines are recognized in Brazil as a therapeutic alternative for a large part of the population, being used to alleviate or cure illnesses. In popular medicine, Pereskia aculeata, popularly known as ora-pro-nóbis, has healing and anti-inflammatory medicinal properties. It can be indicated in the treatment of anemia, burns and syphilis, and also has emollient, analgesic, expectorant, contraceptive and antitumor properties. From this perspective, the present work proposed to evaluate the physical-chemical quality parameters and phytochemistry of four samples of Pereskia aculeata (A, B, C and D) sold in the municipality of Santa Cruz-RN. To this end, the morphological aspects of the leaves, foreign material and tests were carried out to determine the moisture content, total ash, dry residue and pH, in addition to the determination of phytochemical groups and microscopic characterization. The results obtained for the four samples of Pereskia aculeata were compared with each other and with the existing literature. For morphological aspects, samples A and B are dark green in color, with an elliptical to lanceolate shape, flat, wedge-shaped base, fleshy and glabrous, while samples C and D were scratched with the appearance of a mixture of leaves, stem and thorns with predominant yellow color and green fragments. The foreign material content was greater than pharmacopoeial specifications for all samples; the moisture content varied from 9.07% to 10.88% between samples; total ash was in the range of 4.13% to 8.20%; dry residue from 0.04 ± 0.01 to 0.14 ± 0.01; Acidic pH of 4.88 to 5.75. There are no pharmacopoeial parameters for moisture and ash content, dry residue and pH. Phytochemical screening identified a strong presence of phenolic compounds in all samples and the presence of flavonoids in samples A and B. In the microscopic analysis, it was possible to observe the absence of stomata on the abaxial side of the leaf and the presence of anomocytic type stomata on the side abaxial. While fragments from samples C and D revealed the presence of calcium oxalate crystals in the form of drusen. The results highlight the need for further studies in order to standardize values in physical-chemical parameters, to then certify the quality of the material analyzed. The data also reveal the therapeutic potential of the species, especially due to the presence of phenolic compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action.