Should We Marvel Over Moringa?

Even though moringa has been used as an herbal remedy in Eastern cultures for centuries, it has garnered considerable interest in Western Europe and North America in recent years due to suggestive evidence, based primarily on animal studies, that moringa possesses important health benefits.

Moringa oleifera trees are native to India but also thrive in countries with tropical (e.g., Philippines, Sri Lanka)  and subtropical (e.g., Taiwan, Vietnam) climate conditions conducive to lots of sunlight, daily temperatures exceeding 70 degrees F and significant moisture (natural or via irrigation).  In the U.S., moringa trees thrive best in Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas.

Whether to marvel over moringa is largely derived from concentrated nutritional value in its edible leaves, seed pods and extracted oil.  They include high amounts of Vitamins (A, B6 and C), minerals (calcium, magnesium potassium)  and antioxidants (chlorogenic acid, quercetin).  If you do not have direct access to moringa, it is available for purchase as an organic powder (added to smoothies, soups, salads, cereal, etc) and tea.  Please bear in mind however, that it has an earthy taste and certainly takes a bit getting used to (as I can attest to).

In rat models, studies have shown that moringa supplementation yields a host of benefits such as robust antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, improvement in memory, cognition and mood as well as reduced blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Unfortunately, human studies testing moringa are scarce although one small study found that 1 tablespoon of moringa powder taken daily for 40 days did reduce blood glucose and LDL cholesterol levels 25-30%  in diabetic subjects.  A host of other human based studies testing moringa are either in progress or have recently been completed.  Needless to say. we anxiously await the published results….until then, adding some organic moringa powder to your smoothies, salads and teas has minimal if any downside and might even give you a bit of the boost you’ve been looking for!

Michael Miller, MD is Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland USA.  He is a member of the American College of Cardiology Nutrition Workgroup and author of the bestselling book “Heal Your Heart: The Positive Emotions Prescription to Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease“.