Moringa Powder Benefits: Nutritional Value, Medicinal Use & More

Have you ever heard about moringa or moringa powder? Well, moringa powder is obtained from the native Indian plant Moringa oleifera or the drumstick tree. With the increasing health impact of moringa, it has now become widely discussed. The plant extract is a powerhouse of nutrients and thus helps promote health, treatment, and prevention of various medical conditions. All parts of the tree are extensively used for their medicinal properties. Researchers have now deviated their studies toward moringa plant to exploit the benefits of moringa and back them up with medical research. In this article, let us discuss the various benefits of using moringa powder in daily life.

What is Moringa?

Moringa is a plant scientifically known as Moringa oleifera. In common language, the plant is known as the drumstick tree, ben oil tree, miracle tree, or horseradish tree. Moringa is a native tree of India that grows in Africa, Asia, and South America. Moringa is a nutritious plant that contains minerals, vitamins, and proteins. The various healthful components of Moringa include vitamin A, thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), vitamin B6, and ascorbic acid (vitamin C), folate, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc. Some important nutritious facts about moringa include:

• Moringa is extremely low in fats.
• It contains no harmful cholesterol.
• It contains 9 times more protein than yogurt.
• Its vitamin A content is 10 times more than carrot.
• Its potassium content is 15 times more than bananas.
• It contains 17 times more calcium than milk.
• It contains 50% more vitamin C than oranges.
• It contains 25 times more iron than spinach.

What are the health benefits of Moringa?

Moringa is packed with nutrients. When consumed daily, moringa can provide various health benefits like fighting free radicals and some common infections. Let us discuss some of the common health benefits of Moringa.

• Promotes heart health

Moringa contains many phytonutrients that help remove toxins and excess water from your body. It also protects your kidney and helps in lowering blood pressure naturally. Maintenance of blood pressure promotes good health of your heart. It also helps lower your blood cholesterol levels, protecting your heart from severe diseases and even heart attack.

• Boosts immunity

Moringa leaves contain a high concentration of phytonutrients that boosts your immune system and strengthens it to be competent enough to fight infections. The vitamins A and C and teh iron content present in the moringa plant further help in maintaining a healthy and active immune system.

• Fights inflammation

Inflammation is your body’s response to any pain or injury. Moringa plant contains anti-inflammatory properties that soothe your body’s inflammation, suppress inflammatory enzymes, and boost the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines.

• Anti-diabetic properties

Moringa plant contains anti-diabetic properties. That is, it can help cure type I and type II diabetes. The intake of moringa can help control blood sugar levels and further aid in preventing and treating diabetes. The high content of protein present in moringa leaves also contributes to reducing diabetes and its associated ailments. Various research studies have been conducted on animal and human samples to evaluate the potential effect of moringa on the treatment and prevention of diabetes. 

• Improves bone health

Moringa is rich in calcium and phosphorus also. These minerals are very essential for maintaining good bone health. Moringa plant prevents arthritis due to its anti-inflammatory property and helps fight osteoporosis.

• Anti-cancer properties

The leaves of the moringa plant contain various anticancer compounds like niazimicin, eugenol, glucosinolates, and isopropyl isothiocyanate. These bioactive compounds provide health benefits besides their basic nutritional value. These compounds have the capability of killing cancerous cells and preventing their development. Moringa can act as a safe, reliable, and natural anticancer agent that can provide effective results in the prevention and treatment of cancer. Moringa also contains antineoproliferative ability that can inhibit the growth of cancerous cells. Moringa extract produces reactive oxygen species that target specific cancer cells, only making moringa an ideal anticancer agent. 

• Treatment of anemia

Moringa contains high content of iron, which is highly recommended for people suffering from anemia. Anemia is a medical condition characterised by reduced iron levels in the blood cells. The main benefit of using moringa over the available iron supplements is that the moringa extract can even help your body in absorbing more iron. An increased intake of iron-rich food like moringa can increase your energy levels and reduce fatigue.

• Provides protection and nourishment to your skin and hair

Moringa is a rich source of antioxidants like vitamin B2 and certain proteins. Moringa can be used in the form of oil on your skin and hair. Moringa oil can fight pollutants and unstable molecules like free radicals that might damage your skin and hair.

• Aids in digestion

Moringa is an excellent food source for your digestive system. Moringa leaves contain an ample amount of fibers, both soluble and insoluble. These fibers not only help digest food properly but also prevent and treat problems related to the digestive system.

• Acts as a neuroprotectant

Moringa can also act as an excellent source of neuroprotectant. It can protect your brain from a neurological disease, known as cerebral ischemia. Cerebral ischemia is characterized by the blockage in blood flow to the brain, leading to reperfusion and lipid peroxidation that produces reactive oxygen species. The antioxidant ability of the moringa plant can thus protect your brain from cerebral ischemia. Moringa extract can also be used to treat dementia by acting as a promoter of spatial memory. The leaf extract of moringa is also involved in improving the cholinergic function and memory by decreasing the activity of acetylcholine esterase. 

• Antimicrobial effect

Moringa can also be used against various microbial diseases because of its good antimicrobial properties. Various studies have been conducted to exploit the antimicrobial properties of moringa against bacterial species like Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Vibrio cholera. The moringa seeds contain various compounds like moringine, pterygospermin, and benzyl isothiocyanate that can provide an antibacterial effect.

• Treat edema

The anti-inflammatory property of moringa powder can help in preventing and treating edema. Edema is a painful condition characterized by the accumulation of fluid in the specific tissues of your body.

• Promote sex life

Moringa powder can help promote your sex life by decreasing your blood cortisol levels, which may increase due to stressful situations. It also helps in boosting the levels of testosterone in your blood naturally. It enhances sexual performance as well. Thus, the powder is also known as a sex drive supporter. 

• Weight loss

Moringa powder is also thought to be effective in weight reduction. It contains vitamin B, which smoothens the digestion process making it more effective. It also assists the process of conversion of food into energy, thereby opposing the storage of fat. However, this is not yet proven scientifically, and there is a need to do more research on this aspect of moringa benefit.

Which part of the moringa plant is used for its medicinal properties?

Moringa plant in whole is packed with nutrients and health benefits. All parts of the moringa tree have nutritive properties and contribute to medical health benefits.

Moringa leaves

Moringa leaf extract contains antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-atherosclerotic, and neuroprotective properties.

Nutritional content:

The leaf extract of moringa contains proteins, fats, fiber, minerals (like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, iron, and sulphus), beta carotene, choline, thiamine, riboflavin, nicotinic acid, ascorbic acid, amino acids (like arginine, histidine, lysine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, threonine, leucine, methionine, isoleucine, and valine), and phytochemicals (like saponins, sterols, tannins, phenolics, terpenoids, alkaloids, and flavonoids).

Medicinal use:

Moringa leaf extracts can be used for treatment and prevention of various medical health problems like:

• Hyperglycemia,
• Asthma,
• Dyslipidemia,
• Heartburn,
• Flu,
• Syphilis,
• Pneumonia,
• Malaria,
• Diarrhoea,
• Scurvy,
• Headache,
• Skin disease,
• Eye and ear infection,
• Bronchitis,
• Reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels,
• Boost immune system.

Moringa seeds

The moringa seed extract contains anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.

Nutritional content:

Moringa seeds contain oleic acid, fatty acids (like linolenic acid, linoleic acid, and behenic acid), phytochemicals (like saponin, tannins, phytate, phenolics, terpenoids, flavonoids, and lectins), fibers, fats, minerals, proteins, amino acids, and vitamin A, B, and C.

Medicinal use:

Moringa seed can be used for the treatment and prevention of various health conditions like:

• Hyperthyroidism
• Infection of herpes simplex virus
• Crohn’s disease
• Arthritis
• Gout
• Epilepsy
• Cramps
• Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)

Moringa root bark

The extract of the moringa root bark is used as a cardiac stimulant and contains anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer properties.

Nutritional content:

The root bark of the moringa plant contains alkaloids like moriginine and morphine, and minerals like sodium, calcium, and magnesium.

Moringa flower

Moringa flowers are anti-arthritic agents and act as hypocholesterolemic agents as well. The flowers contain nectar which makes them potent for the use of beekeepers.

Nutritional content:

The flowers of the moringa plant contain minerals like potassium, calcium, and amino acids.

Medicinal use:

Moringa flowers are usually used to treat flu and problems related to the urinary system.

Moringa pods

Nutritional content:

The pods of moringa plant are rich in lipids, fibers, protein, non-structural carbohydrates, ash, and fatty acids (linoleic acid, oleic acid, linolenic acid, and palmitic acid. 

Medicinal use:

Moringa pods are used to provide various medicinal benefits like:

• Diarrhea
• Problems related to the spleen
•  Liver 
• Joint pain
• It is also used as a dietary component for obese people because it contains PUFA.

Can moringa lead to any side effects?

Excessive of anything is bad. Similarly, an increased intake of moringa can lead to certain side effects. Make sure that you do not overconsume moringa powder. Besides overconsumption, certain people are also at risk of developing certain side effects. The side effects that the overconsumption of moringa powder can cause includes:

• Upset stomach,
• Diarrhoea,
• Gaseous distension,
• Heartburn,
• Nausea,
• Gag reflex,
• Uterine contraction in pregnant women increases the risk of miscarriage.

The certain group of people who are at a higher risk of developing side effects of the moringa powder include:

• Breastfeeding women
• Pregnant females
• People who take blood-thinning medicines like warfarin

How can moringa powder be included in diet?

You can include moringa powder in your diet in various ways like:

• You can add moringa powder to your green smoothie.
• You can sprinkle the powder in your soup, hummus, salad, or toast.
• You can bake it with your bread.
• You can also use it as a caffeine-free substitute for your coffee by whisking it into hot water along with matcha.
• Moringa is also used for making infused tea..

Takeaway 

Moringa plant, traditionally found in India, contains nutrients and compounds that can provide several health benefits. Moringa plant has proven to provide effective results in maintaining heart and bone health, boosting immunity, fighting inflammation, treatment and prevention of diabetes, cancer, anemia, and various other health issues. Now that you know how beneficial the consumption of moringa can be for you make sure to include it in your daily diet. You can take moringa in any form in your diet, including the seed, leaves, flower, root bark, and pods. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Is moringa powder good for the immune system?

Yes, moringa powder is excellent for immune system. Moringa leaves contain a high concentration of phytonutrients that boosts your immune system and strengthens it so that it is competent enough to fight infections. 

• Can moringa cure heart disease?

Yes, moringa ensures a healthy heart by reducing cholesterol levels in your body. This does not allow cholesterol to accumulate in your arteries leading to heart diseases and heart attacks.

• It's good if we take moringa powder every day?

Yes, you can take moringa every day in a limited quantity. Overconsumption of moringa can lead to certain side effects.