Moringa health benefits includes protecting skin and nourishing hair, fighting inflammation, promoting heart health, stabilizing mood and enhancing neurotransmitters function, stabilizing blood sugar levels, treating stomach disorder, protecting the liver, enhancing eyesight, boosting immunity, preventing stone formation, help prevent cancer, treating anemia, treating asthma, and helping to balance hormones.
What is Moringa Oleifera?
Moringa oleifera is a drought tolerant evergreen tree native to northwestern India. Known as the drumstick tree, horseradish tree, or ben oil tree, it grows up to 2 meters tall and produces long, slender, brown capsules with globular seeds. Its pods range from 6 to 18 inches in length with constrictions at the seed nodes, resembling a drumstick appearance. Most of its parts including its leaves, seeds, and flowers are eaten as vegetables. Fresh Moringa pods and leaves are readily available in Asian markets. Moringa is given the title “the miracle plant” because of its long list of health benefits.
Nutrition Info (per 100g)
(Pods)
Calories 37
Carbohydrates 8.53 g
Protein 2.10 g – 4% RDA
Total Fat 0.20 g – 1% RDA
Dietary Fiber 3.2 g – 8% RDA
Folates 44 µg – 11% RDA
Niacin 0.680 mg – 4% RDA
Pyridoxine 0.120 mg – 9% RDA
Riboflavin 0.074 mg – 6% RDA
Thiamin 0.053 mg 4.5% RDA
Vitamin A 74 IU 2.5%
Vitamin C 141mg 235% RDA
Sodium 42 mg 3%
Potassium 461 mg – 10% RDA
Calcium 30 mg – 3% RDA
Iron 0.36 mg – 4.5% RDA
Magnesium 45 mg – 11% RDA
Phosphorus 50 mg – 9% RDA
Selenium 8.2 µg – 15% RDA
Zinc 0.45 mg – 4% RDA
15 Amazing Health Benefits of Moringa
1. Protects Skin and Nourishes Hair
Moringa has antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral qualities, keeping your skin protected from infectious threats. It effectively hydrates and detoxifies your skin, while neutralizing the effects of harmful toxins brought by pollution, sweat, and certain chemical products. Moreover, the plant’s high protein content shields dermal cells from damage caused by mercury and cadmium; for that reason, Moringa is used in several skin care products.
Likewise, Moringa strengthens your hair and protects it from harmful UV rays and pollutants. It stimulates hair growth and helps prevent hair thinning.
2. Provides Antioxidants and Anti-Inflammatory Effects
Moringa grants similar results to conventional medicine, with the exception of side effects acquired from constant drug use; hence, making it worthy of its title, “the miracle plant.” It has significant levels of antioxidants, essential amino acids, carotenoids, and anti-bacterial compounds, which work similarly to most anti-inflammatory drug such as NSAIDs.
Moringa leaves have anti-aging properties owing to its significant amount of vitamin C, beta-carotene, polyphenols, quercetin, and chlorogenic acid. All these components not only reduce inflammation, but also combat oxidative stress and decelerate the progression of age-related disorders.
3. Promotes Heart Health
High levels of cholesterol in the body increase your risk of numerous heart ailments. Fatty deposits create blockages within arteries, increased your risk of heart attacks. Isothiocyanates and niaziminin, two bioactive components found in Moringa, prevents the thickening of arteries.
Moringa effectively regulates blood pressure and cholesterol levels in the body; therefore reducing the impact of hypertension and preventing other heart conditions.
4. Stabilizes Mood and Enhances Neurotransmitter Function
Moringa is an excellent source of protein, particularly the amino acid tryptophan that is beneficial in maintaining proper neurotransmitter function. It also enhances the production of serotonin, a hormone that gives you vitality and promotes wellbeing.
Likewise, Moringa promotes thyroid health, which helps maintain high energy levels and fight fatigue and insomnia.
5. Stabilizes Blood Sugar Levels
Consistently High blood glucose levels raise the risk of diabetes. Diabetes itself carries complications that affect the heart, kidneys, eyes, liver, and other organs of the body. Moringa helps fight type 2 diabetes with its hormonal balancing and glycemic controlling properties. It contains chlorogenic acid and isothiocyanates that help regulate blood glucose levels, allowing cells to utilize glucose as required.
6. Treats Stomach Disorders
The isothiocyanates in Moringa can effectively treat various disorders of the digestive tract such as ulcers, gastritis, and constipation. It is a great herbal alternative to over-the-counter antacids.
Moringa has antibiotic and antibacterial qualities, which help inhibit the growth of pathogens including helicobacter pylori and coliform bacteria that cause diarrhea.
Its notable content of vitamin B aids in proper digestion and converts food into energy rather than accumulating body fat. For the same reason, Moringa promotes weight management as well.
7. Protects the Liver
Moringa is beneficial to the liver. It fights liver damage caused by certain drugs as well as speeding up the recovery process. Moringa helps restore normal glutathione levels in the body and prevents hepatic lipid peroxidation, owing to its phytochemical composition of catechin, epicatechin and vitamin c.
8. Enhances Eyesight
Moringa’s abundance of antioxidants helps improve vision and provides protection against retinal damage. It also prevents capillary membranes from solidifying; thus, avoiding retinal dysfunction.
9. Boosts Immunity
Moringa help stimulate your immune system, enhances cellular immune response, and yields positive effects on several other immune system parameters including leucocyte count.
The miracle plant also features immunosuppressive properties, which is extremely helpful with individuals with autoimmune diseases, so their bodies won’t reject certain conventional treatments. The immunosuppressive properties of Moringa ameliorate the production of antibodies, allowing new organs and other transplanted material to settle in the body safely.
10. Prevents Stone Formation
Moringa is effective in breaking down uterus, bladder, and kidney stones. It help reduce the development of stone deposits and regulates endogenous oxalate synthesis.
Likewise, it protects the kidney from nephrotoxicity, a kidney problem due to exposure of certain toxins or a consequence of taking certain drugs. The nephroprotective effects of Moringa soothe renal injuries and serves as an effective bio-absorbent, eliminating heavy metals and toxins out of the body.
11. Helps Prevent Cancer
Moringa is highly valued in cancer treatment for its protective qualities attributed to the presence of its phenolic components, quercetin and kaempferol. Furthermore, niamzimicin, a bioactive compound in Moringa, inhibits the spread of cancer cells and induce caspase-mediated cell death. Such chemo-modulatory effects can even cure various types of cancers (in initial stages).
12. Serves as an Antibacterial Agent
Moringa features a broad spectrum of protection against food-borne microorganisms including E. Coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella to name a few. Its inhibitory effects makes Moringa ideal for preservation and sanitation purposes.
Likewise, Moringa has anti-fungal properties and kills certain fungi such as the Penicillium and Aspergillus.
13. Treats Anemia
It is beneficial in treating anemia as it facilitates the absorption of iron, increases red blood cell count, and regulates normal blood parameters. It also prevents the formation of abnormal red blood cells or sickle cells, owing to its zinc, flavonoids, and phenolic acids. Sickle cells are an abnormal form of these red blood cells and are crescent in shape, having a particularly difficult time in optimizing oxygenation.
14. Treats Asthma
Moringa provides relief from bronchial asthma and inflammation due to its anti-allergenic properties. It helps inhibit hypersensitive reactions relevant in several allergic diseases such as anaphylaxis and allergic rhinitis. Moringa help lessen the frequency of asthma attacks and alleviate its symptoms such as dyspnea, chronic coughing and bronchial constriction. Overall, it promotes respiration and lung function.
15. Helps To Balance Hormones and Slows the Aging Process
The production of certain hormones including somatotropin, estrogen, and testosterone declines throughout life as we age. These hormones are crucial in keeping the balance in many aspects of your overall health. Deficiency of such hormones may affect anti-oxidative activities, cause major health problems and hasten the aging process; hence, resulting to reduced sex drive, thinning of hair, dulling of skin, increased abdominal fat, low energy, and much more. Although aging is a natural process, you could slow its effects by incorporating Moringa to your diet.
Moringa’s antioxidants scavenge free radicals that damage healthy cells and promote hormonal balance. Moringa also benefits your libido: increasing your sex drive and performance. Since the miracle plant exerts estrogenic activity, it can also address infertility. Drinking Moringa juice may also help increases milk production in lactating mothers.
Conclusion
Moringa oleifera, which is also known as the drumstick tree, offers a multitude of health benefits across various cultures since time immemorial. It is highly prized by Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians. Presently known as “the miracle plant,” Moringa help address a list of widespread conditions such as: anemia, cancer, diabetes, heart problems, low sex drive, and parasitic infections to name a few, making it something you should consider taking a serious look at.
