Exploring the bioactivities, phytochemical composition and nutritional benefits of Tectaria coadunate

In this study, researchers from Nepal investigated the phytochemical composition and nutrient content of Tectaria coadunate. Their findings were published in the International Journal of Herbal Medicine.

• T. coadunate, locally known as kali niyuro, is a common nutritious vegetable in Nepal.
• The researchers obtained extracts and from its leaves and rhizomes using Soxhlet extraction, with methanol and hexane as solvents.
• They reported that alkaloids, polyphenols and tannins are the predominant phytochemicals in T. coadunate.
• In terms of nutrient content, fresh T. coadunate leaves yielded the following:
  • Moisture — 87.23 percent
  • Total ash — 1.40 percent
  • Crude fat — 0.14 percent
  • Protein — 1.76 percent
  • Crude fiber — 2.42 percent
  • Carbohydrate — 6.97 percent
• Meanwhile, oven-dried leaves yielded the following:
  • Moisture — 0 percent
  • Total ash — 11.04 percent
  • Crude fat — 1.11 percent
  • Protein — 13.88 percent
  • Crude fiber — 19.05 percent
  • Carbohydrate — 54.93 percent
• The oven-dried leaves also had a vitamin C content of about 10.49 mg/100 g.
• The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the methanol extract of T. coadunate rhizomes were estimated as 186.61 mg (gallic acid equivalent, GAE)/g and 143.72 mg (quercetin equivalent, QE)/g, respectively.
• Methanol extracts from T. coadunate leaves and rhizomes also showed antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus.
• Their zones of inhibition were measured as 16, 9, 20 mm and 15, 11, 21 mm, respectively.
• Meanwhile the hexane and methanol extracts of the plant’s leaves and rhizomes had IC50 values of 143.49 and 150.80 mcg/mL and 76.32 and 50.81 mcg/mL, respectively, in the DPPH free radical scavenging assay.
• GC/MS analysis confirmed the presence of decenediol, dodecanoic acid, methyl stearate and palmitic acid in T. coadunate.

Due to its abundance in beneficial phytonutrients, the researchers believe that the medicinal uses of T. coadunate is worth exploring in future studies.

Journal Reference:

Marahatta AB, Poudel B, Basnyat RC. THE PHYTOCHEMICAL AND NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF TECTARIA COADUNATE LINN. International Journal of Herbal Medicine. 2019;7(2):42-50