Health Benefits of Moringa / Drumstick

Health Benefits of Moringa / Drumstick

The Moringa is ideal for obese people as well as for the malnourished. Moringa olifeira contains several phytochemicals, some of which are of high interest because of their medicinal value. In particular, this plant family is rich in compounds called glucosinolates and isothiocyanates. Here are some health benefits of Moringa tree.

Fights Ovarian cancer - There is a 10-fold to 20-fold increase in the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) level and a 3-fold to 5-fold increase in the luteinizing hormone (LH) levels in the blood during menopause. Both hormones are known carcinogens for ovarian cancer. A study from Kolkata found that the moringa plant contains a unique combination of isothiocyanate and glucosinolates which can effectively treat ovarian cancer by inducing apoptosis (cell death) of cancer cells. This plant not only kills the cancer cells in ovary, but has also been found to have anti-tumor activity in cancers of the lung, breast, skin, esophagus, and pancreas.

Controls Diabetes - A number of human studies have shown that moringa extracts or moringa as vegetable could significantly reduce fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels and their post-prandial (PPPG) levels. One study went as far as to say that the hypoglycemic effect of the plant extract was comparable to that of the anti-diabetic drug Glipizide administered at 2.5 mg per kg of body weight.

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Checks Dyslipidemia - Dyslipidemia is a disorder characterized by alterations in the levels and composition of plasma lipids (cholesterol). That is, your total cholesterol is 200 mg/dL or more, LDL cholesterol is equal to or greater than130 mg/dL, HDL cholesterol is less than 40 mg/dL, and your triglycerides levels are 150 mg/dL or more. Besides high blood pressure, chronic dyslipidemia is a major cause of atherosclerosis, a vascular disease affecting blood circulation. Human studies looking for potential anti-dyslipidemic effect of M. oleifera, found a significant fall in the plasma levels and almost 9 percent increase (not very significant) in HDL cholesterol levels with M. oleifera dietary leaves.

Effective in Weight loss - Although there is no scientific evidence of Moringa actually causing weight loss, nutritionists believe that nutrients in the plant can help maintain weight or lose weight to some extent. Given the fact that the plant, especially the leaves and pods, is rich in protein but low in ‘bad’ fats, contains reasonable amount of dietary fiber, and is a rich source of B-vitamins that help convert food to energy. Therefore, it makes sense to consume the plant for weight management.

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Adjuvant property - Moringa is known to enhance bioactivity of commonly used antibiotics such as rifampicin, ampicillin, and tetracycline against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and other anti-fungal drugs.

Drinking water treatment - M. oleifera seed extract is used worldwide, especially in rural areas of developing countries, to treat drinking water. Its seeds contain certain compounds which are carbohydrate-binding proteins that are able to reduce water turbidity because of their coagulant activity and reduce the growth of harmful bacteria such as E.coli.