Moringa oleifera is an economically important tree and vegetable, and preliminary evidence suggests that it has a respectable antioxidant and antiinflammatory potency. It contains compounds structurally similar to Sulforaphane and appears to be protective when orally ingested.
The Miracle of Moringa Tree Leaves (Moringa Oleifera), commonly called the 'drumstick tree", and 'horseradish tree' is native to India but has been planted around the world and is naturalized in many locales. Moringa is one of the most powerful health-enhancing plants. While many things found in Nature can have one or two health benefits, Moringa has many. India's ancient tradition of ayurveda medicine sites 300 diseases that are treated with the leaves of the Moringa tree. Recent scientific research has proven that these humble leaves are in fact a powerhouse of nutritional value.
Moringa leaf is best known as an excellent source of nutrition and natural energy booster. This energy boost is not based on sugar, and so it is sustained. Moringa is also soothing. It helps lower blood pressure and is a sleep aid. Its detoxifying effect may come from Moringa's ability to purify water. Moringa acts as a coagulant attaching itself to harmful material and bacteria. It is believed that this process is taking place in the body as well.
While the continued use of Moringa for food and medicinal purposes by cultures in separate and distant parts of the world attest to its beneficial effects, Moringa is a recent “discovery” of modern science. The leaves of Moringa Oleifera are nature's multi-vitamin providing 7 x the vitamin C of oranges, 4 x the calcium of milk, 4 x the vitamin A of carrots, 3 x the potassium of bananas, and 2 x the protein of yogurt. On top of that, science is proving Moringa to be a power house of nutrients; 90 are known to date, with the possibility of more yet to be identified. If that were not enough, Moringa has no known impurities, with no adverse reactions ever recorded.
Medicinal Qualities of Moringa Leaves
- Juice from the leaves is believed to have a stabilizing effect on blood pressure and is used to treat anxiety. It is believed to control glucose levels in cases of diabetes.
- Mixed with honey and followed by a drink of coconut milk 2 or 3 times a day, leaves are used as a remedy for diarrhea, dysentery and colitis.
- Leaf juice, sometimes with carrot juice added, is used as a diuretic. Eating leaves is recommended in cases of gonorrhea because of the diuretic action.
- Leaves and buds are rubbed on the temples for headache.
- A poultice is made from fresh leaves and applied to reduce glandular swelling.
- Leaf juice is used as a skin antiseptic.
- Leaves are used to treat fevers, bronchitis, eye and ear infections, scurvy, and catarrh (inflammation of the mucus membrane).
- Leaves are considered to be anthelmintic ( able to kill intestinal worms).
- Leaves are used as a purgative.
- Eating leaves is believed to increase a woman's milk production and is sometimes prescribed for anemia.
More Impressive Than Olive Oil
Oleifera is a Latin term meaning oil containing. The Moringa oil, known as ben oil, (due to the high concentration of behenic acid contained in the oil) is extracted from the seeds. Moringa Oleifera seeds contain 35-40% oil by weight and can yield more oil per hectare than sunflower or peanuts. The oil has more impressive attributes than olive oil. It is used in cooking and cosmetics; and because it won’t spoil and turn rancid, it is also used as a preservative and machinery lubricant, even being used as a lubricant in fine watches. What’s left after the oil has been extracted from the seeds is called seed cake, which is used as feed to increase milk production in cows.
Better Protein Than Soy
Moringa is considered to have the highest protein ratio of any plant so far identified, with the protein in Moringa being comparable in quality to that of soy. Food scientists once believed that only soy had protein comparable to meat, dairy, and eggs. Now they have added Moringa to that very short list. Some even consider Moringa protein better than soy protein as it is non-allergic. Proteins are digested into smaller units known as amino acids. Moringa contains 18 of the 20 amino acids required by the human body including all eight of the essential amino acids found in meat products. (Meat is a luxury most people around the world cannot afford). The body cannot manufacture those eight essential amino acids and must get them through the food we eat. Moringa is one of very few plants that contain all eight.
Summary
Moringa oleifera is a tree that is sometimes called the Tree of Life or a Miracle Tree, but rather than this being in reference to its potential medicinal usage this is actually refering to how it is a very valuable food crop (it is drought resistant, grows very fast, and is highly nutritive) and even beyond food it serves many benefits in third world countries such as having an ability to be used for some crafts (due to being a tree) and cleaning water.
For usage as a supplement, moringa oleifera is recommended mostly as being a highly nutritious antioxidant. While it is indeed nutritious, supplemental dosages are too low to aquire adequate nutrition from and this claim is not relevant; it is a relatively potent antioxidant, and while it seems to be less potent than other herbs when tested outside of a living system it does appear to be quite potent when tested in living models. The reason for the increased potency in living models is not known (although it is possible that it can induce genetic transcription similar to Sulforaphane since the bioactives are similar in structure), but the antioxidant properties seem to underlie the vast majority of benefits associated with this supplement.
There are also antiinflammatory effects that, while less studies, seem to be quite effective; one of the bioactives, RBITC, is effective in suppressing macrophage activation in the nanomolar range which is worth some future research into. Beyond that, there does appear to be a nice anti-diabetic effect that has gone some very preliminary human testing which suggests that this plant may benefit pancreatic function and reduce blood glucose secondary to that.
While both the antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties are somewhat interesting, until the exact mechanisms and relative potency to some other antioxidants or antiinflammatories are tested it is hard to recommend this supplement over other options.
Now, despite the plant being referred to as 'nontoxic' this does not appear to be the case overall. While supplemental dosages listed below appear to be safe from all tested toxicity a relatively small increase (3-4 times the recommended does) is known to cause genotoxic damage and may promote cancer formation whereas doses higher than that cause overt organ damage (mostly liver and kidneys); this effect is seen with the seeds while toxicity of the leaves seems to be a lesser concern. Beyond that, very reasonable supplemental dosages appear to be able to induce abortions in pregnant rats and thus supplementation is contraindicted (not advised) in pregnant women.
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