الفهرس 
Pharmacognostical Studies of Melilotus messanensis (L.) All. and Melilotus indicus (L.) All. (Family Fabaceae)
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Abstract
Genus Melilotus holds commercially medicinal sorts, among
which is the well-known species; Melilotus officinalis (L.) Pall. It is
considered as a prescription drug used in anti-bacterial, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and astringent
treatments. Therefore, one of the objectives of the current study is to
find alternative medicinal species that could have mutually common
compounds with those in the conspicuous drug.
Melilotus messanensis (L.) All and Melilotus indicus (L.) All.
are two closely related species growing in Egypt as weeds of
cultivation, which provoked our interest to be subject of present
study, due to its abundance in Egypt and wealthiness with
phytoconstituents as illustrated by previous studies.
Both species seem to be similar before flowering and fruiting
stages, whereas, they share the same vegetative characters. M.
messanensis and M. indicus distinctively have different pods. M.
messanensis pod is obliquely-ovoid, valves with looping, tapering at
ends and a long sharp beak and concentric striations, pale brown
when ripe. On the other hand, M. indicus pod is ovoid to subglobular,
papery, clearly flexuous with wrinkled reticulate surface sculpture,
finally pitted, with rounded apex or sometimes mucronulate, pale
brown or olive green when ripe.
Both plants were extracted individually by 70% methanol to give
the total aqueous methanol extract (AME) which was defatted with
petroleum ether to give petroleum ether extract (PEE) and defatted
AME (DAME). PEE was analyzed by GC/MS assay, which led to the
detection of 44 and 35 non polar compounds (fatty acids methyl
esters and unsaponifiable compounds) in M. messanensis and M.
indicus, respectively