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Moringa leaf powder can noticeably support our calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin A and vitamin B1 supply and is therefore rightly considered a “superfood”:
calcium
Moringa powder provides about 2,000 mg of 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.
beta-carotene/vitamin A
The body can synthesize vitamin A from beta-carotene - a vitamin that is important for vision, bones and mucous membranes, among other things. 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 just over twice the amount found in fresh carrots.
potassium
Fresh bananas provide 380 mg of potassium per 100 g, banana powder 1,480 mg of potassium/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 more than the moringa value.
vitamin C
Oranges provide 30-50 mg of vitamin C per 100 g. Fresh moringa leaves provide 220 mg and dried moringa powder provide 17 mg of vitamin C per 100 g.
vitamin E
Moringa leaf powder contains an average of ~85 mg of vitamin E per 100 grams - depending on when it is harvested (older leaves contain more vitamin E than young leaves). That's a lot for a leafy vegetable. These usually 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 leader, wheat germ oil, provides 185 mg of vitamin E. Moringa is therefore in second place among the best sources of vitamin E.
Normally, vitamin E is found in significant amounts in foods that are high in fat, such as nuts, oilseeds and oils. In these foods, vitamin E, which has a highly effective antioxidant effect, protects the fats from spoiling.
Due to the large amounts of vitamin E, in the native countries of the Moringa tree, fatty foods or dishes are prepared with Moringa leaves, which greatly increases the shelf life of these foods.
vitamin B2
Most foods provide far less than 1 mg of vitamin B2 per 100 g. Only liver provides more than 3 mg per 100 g. Moringa leaf powder provides a full 2 mg of vitamin B2 with just a daily portion of 10 g, making it the plant-based food richest in B2.
Therapeutic Applications
Cardiovascular diseases
Diuretic properties as well as a lowering effect on blood pressure and Blood lipids make Moringa oleifera an interesting plant in the field cardiovascular diseases.
Basic experiments suggest that the rare forms of thiocarbamate and mustard oil glycosides found particularly in Moringa have a hypotensive effect. The substance niacinin and its derivatives, which are also contained, could lower blood pressure by inhibiting calcium channels.
In vivo experiments also indicate a cholesterol and triglyceride lowering effect, which is probably caused by the substance β-sitosterol (cf. .
The diuretic effect, which provides an additional positive In vivo tests have also confirmed that it promises to have an effect on blood pressure. The substances responsible are probably polar molecules such as saponins, flavonoids and organic acids (cf.
diabetes
In addition to basic research with various extracts from the Moringa leaf, there are also a manageable number of potentially promising clinical studies on diabetic diseases (cf. .
The active ingredients responsible for this effect are thought to be quercetin and kaempferol, as well as their glycoside forms (cf. ).
A clinical study with 55 type II diabetics examined the antidiabetic effect of Moringa in more detail. 46 people received either 8 g of Moringa leaf powder or a preparation made from neem tree seeds daily. Another 9 people served as a control group. After 40 days, the participants in the Moringa group had significantly reduced fasting blood sugar. and a reduced postprandial blood sugar level (after a meal) (cf.
Another study with 60 type II diabetics found a similar effect. The test group received two tablets of a preparation made from moringa leaf that was specially prepared for the study. The exact dose is not specified in the study. not specified, but is probably around 1-2 g of leaf powder daily. The control group received no preparation. Both groups were instructed to follow a calorie-reduced diet. After 90 days, the control group had a 9% reduction in postprandial blood sugar level. In the Moringa group, this value was even reduced by 29% (see.
Even the short-term administration of large amounts of moringa leaf powder can affect blood sugar. For example, a group of 17 type II diabetics and 10 healthy people were given a control meal and a meal with 20 g of moringa leaf powder on two days. Three hours after eating, the blood sugar level was measured every 30 minutes. It turned out that the blood sugar level after the meal with the moringa leaf powder rose less than that of the control group. The reduction was greater in the diabetics than in the healthy people and was statistically significant at several points in time. The authors suspect that both the fiber content and the secondary plant substances were responsible for the effect (see.
A clinical study on 35 type II 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).
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 could have an anticarcinogenic effect. Antibacterial activities are probably due to the isothiocyanate content. A liver-protecting effect is likely to be derived from the quercetin that is also found in Moringa. Finally, a positive effect on thyroid function is also conceivable. In any case, the antioxidative effect of the Moringa leaf is undeniable, which is not only due to the content of vitamin C, beta-carotene and vitamin E, but also to the flavonoids and other polyphenols it contains.
The antioxidant effect was documented in a clinical study on 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, which the authors attribute 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).