Moringa leaf powder can significantly support our calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin A and vitamin B1 intake and is therefore rightly considered a “superfood”:

Calcium

Moringa powder provides about 2,000 mg calcium per 100 grams, which is 1.5 to 2 times as much like milk, if one were to start from the calcium content in the dry matter of the milk and compare the leaf powder with the values ​​of milk powder.

Betacarotene/Vitamin A

From beta-carotene, the organism can synthesize vitamin A – a vitamin that u.a. is important for vision, bones, and mucous membranes. Carrots contain so much beta-carotene that the body can synthesize 1,700 micrograms of vitamin A from 100 g of carrots.

Moringa leaf powder contains an average of 3,600 micrograms of vitamin A – which is slightly more than twice the amount found in fresh carrots.

potassium

Fresh bananas provide 380 mg of potassium per 100 g, while banana powder provides 1,480 mg of potassium per 100 g. Powder from dried moringa leaves contains 1,300 mg of potassium.

iron

Moringa leaf powder contains an average of 28 mg of iron per 100 g, while fresh spinach contains 4 mg per 100 g. Dried spinach powder contains 35 mg of iron, slightly higher than moringa.

Vitamin C

Oranges provide 30-50 mg of vitamin C per 100 g. Fresh moringa leaves provide 220 mg, and dried moringa powder provides 17 mg of vitamin C per 100 g.

Vitamin E

Moringa leaf powder contains an average of approximately 85 mg of vitamin E per 100 grams, depending on the time of harvest (older leaves contain more vitamin E than young leaves). This is a lot for a leafy vegetable. These typically only contain between 2-4 mg of vitamin E. Oils, on the other hand, contain between 4 and 50 mg of vitamin E per 100 grams. And the top-ranked source, wheat germ oil, provides 185 mg of vitamin E. This makes moringa the second best source of vitamin E.

Vitamin E is normally found in significant amounts, especially in high-fat foods such as nuts, oilseeds, and oils. In these foods, vitamin E, a highly effective antioxidant, protects the fats from spoilage.

Due to the large amounts of vitamin E, high-fat foods or dishes with moringa leaves are prepared in the native countries of the moringa tree, which greatly increases the shelf life of these foods.

Vitamin B2

Most foods provide well under 1 mg of vitamin B2 per 100 g. Only liver contains more than 3 mg per 100 g. Moringa leaf powder provides a full 2 ​​mg of vitamin B2 with just a 10 g daily serving, making it the plant-based food richest in B2.

Therapeutic applications

Cardiovascular diseases

Diuretic properties and a lowering effect on blood pressure and Blood lipids make Moringa oleifera an interesting plant in the field of cardiovascular diseases.

Basic experiments suggest that the rare forms of thiocarbamate and mustard oil glycosides, particularly found in Moringa, have a hypotensive effect. The substance niacinin and its derivatives, which are also present, could lower blood pressure by inhibiting calcium channels.

In vivo experiments also indicate a cholesterol and triglyceride-lowering effect, which is presumably caused by the substance β-sitosterol (cf. Anwar, F. et al. 2007. Moringa oleifera: a food plant with multiple medicinal uses. Phytother Res. 21(1):17–25.).

The diuretic effect, which has an additional positive In vivo experiments have also confirmed that it promises to have an effect on blood pressure. The substances responsible are presumably polar molecules such as saponins, flavonoids, and organic acids (cf. Kumolosasi, E. et al. 2021. Antihypertensive Activities of Standardized Moringa oleifera Lam. (Merunggai) Extracts in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats. Sains Malaysia. 50(3):769–778).

diabetes

In addition to basic research studies with various extracts from the Moringa leaf, there is also a manageable number of potentially promising clinical studies on diabetic diseases (cf. Stohs, SJ, Hartman, MJ 2015. Review of the Safety and Efficacy of Moringa oleifera. Phytother Res. 29(6):796–804).

Quercetin and kaempferol, as well as their glycoside forms (cf. Ali Redha, A. et al. 2021. Novel insights on anti-obesity potential of the miracle tree, Moringa oleifera: A systematic review. J Funct Foods. 84:104600).

A clinical study involving 55 type II diabetics examined the antidiabetic effect of moringa in more detail. Forty-six participants received either 8 g of moringa leaf powder or a neem seed preparation daily. A further nine participants served as a control group. After 40 days, participants in the moringa group showed significantly reduced fasting blood sugar. and a reduced postprandial blood sugar level (after a meal) (cf. Kumari, DJ 2010. Hypoglycaemic effect of Moringa oleifera and Azadirachta indica in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Bioscan. 5(2):211–214).

Another study with 60 type II diabetics found a similar effect. Each test group received two tablets of a specially prepared Moringa leaf preparation. The exact dose is not disclosed in the study. The dosage is not specified, but is presumably around 1–2 g of leaf powder daily. The control group received no supplement. Both groups were instructed to follow a calorie-restricted diet. After 90 days, the control group showed a 9% reduction in postprandial blood sugar levels. In the Moringa group, this level was even reduced by 29% (see Giridhari, VA et al. 2011. Anti diabetic property of drumstick (Moringa oleifera) leaf tablets. Int J Health Nutr. 2:1–5).

Even the short-term administration of large amounts of moringa leaf powder can influence blood sugar. For example, a group of 17 type 2 diabetics and 10 healthy individuals were given a control meal and a meal containing 20 g of moringa leaf powder on two days. Blood sugar levels were measured every 30 minutes for three hours after eating. The results showed that blood sugar levels after the meal with moringa leaf powder rose less than those in the control group. The reduction was greater in the diabetics than in the healthy individuals and was statistically significant at several time points. The authors suspect that both the fiber content and the secondary plant substances were responsible for the effect (see [link missing]. Leone, A. et al. 2018. Effect of Moringa oleifera Leaf Powder on Postprandial Blood Glucose Response: In Vivo Study on Saharawi People Living in Refugee Camps. Nutrients. 10(10):1494).

A clinical study involving 35 type 2 diabetics also documented the positive effects of moringa on blood lipid levels. The test group received 4.6 g of moringa leaf powder daily for 50 days, while the control group took no supplement.At the end of the study, the Moringa group showed a small but significant increase in HDL and a simultaneous decrease in other cholesterol levels (see Figure 1). Nambiar, VS et al. 2010. Impact of antioxidants from drumstick leaves on the lipid profile of hyperlipidemics. J Herb Med Toxicol. 4(1):165–172).

Overall, Moringa oleifera shows promising capacity to support normal blood sugar levels, especially in the presence of type II diabetes and during a calorie-restricted diet.

antioxidant

The Moringa leaf probably has an antispasmodic effect due to the thiocarbamate it contains, which is the basis for its traditional use for diarrhea. Another thiocarbamate may have anticarcinogenic effects. Antibacterial activity is likely due to the isothiocyanate content. A liver-protective effect may be derived from quercetin, which is also found in Moringa. Finally, a positive effect on thyroid function is also conceivable. The antioxidant effect of the Moringa leaf is undeniable, which is due not only to its vitamin C, beta-carotene, and vitamin E content, but also to the flavonoids and other polyphenols it contains.

The antioxidant effect was documented in a clinical study involving 90 postmenopausal women. Over a period of three months, the participants received either 7 g of moringa leaf powder, 9 g of amaranth leaf powder, or no supplement (control group). At the end of the study, the moringa group showed the best results, while the control group's values ​​remained virtually unchanged. Specifically, after taking moringa, blood retinol levels increased by 8.8%, vitamin C levels by 44.4%, glutathione peroxidase levels by 18%, and superoxide dismutase levels by 10.4%. These significant differences indicate an increase in antioxidant capacity. Malondialdehyde, a marker of oxidative stress, decreased by 16.3%, confirming this assumption.

Another interesting finding was the 17.5% increase in hemoglobin levels. The authors attribute this to the high vitamin C content, which may have improved the absorption of iron from the diet (see Kushwaha, S. et al. 2014. Effect of supplementation of drumstick (Moringa oleifera) and amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor) leaves powder on antioxidant profile and oxidative status among postmenopausal women. J Food Sci Technol. 51(11):3464–3469).