Going back in time thousands of years, in the tropics the traditional use of the Moringa oleifera led to its nutritional and medicinal benefits becoming so interwoven that the tree was considered an overall resource for well- being and good health.
“Several phytochemicals contained in the leaves and fruit of the Moringa oleifera have revealed their potential for controlling diabetes and arterial hypertension”.
In India, the Moringa was used in Ayurvedic medicine to deal with over 300 ailments. This ancient form of traditional medicine used the different parts of the tree to treat, among other afflictions, asthma, anaemia, stress, bronchitis, colds, cholera, chest congestion, conjunctivitis, sperm deficiency, milk deficiency in nursing mothers, diabetes, diarrhoea erectile dysfunction, joint pain, head-aches, sore throats, scurvy, sprains, pimples, low libido, fevers, gonorrhoea, glandular swelling, arterial hypertension, hysteria, impurities in the blood, skin infections, sores, malaria, otitis, paralysis, intestinal parasites, poisonous bites/stings, bladder and prostrate problems, psoriasis, respiratory disorders, coughs, tuberculosis, abdominal tumours and ulcers.
The use of Moringa oleifera in healing and treatment became a deep-rooted custom that has been transmitted across continents over the centuries from generation to generation; however, it has only begun to awaken interest in the scientific community over the last few years. Therefore, those studies conducted on the Moringa seem to validate many of the benefits attributed traditionally to the Moringa.
It should be said, however, that a substantial number of research studies in vitro and in vivo are still in progress while others are pending approval in clinical trials.
Dried leaves of Moringa, full of nutraceuticals, substances that contribute both to our nutrition and to our health.
The Nutraceuticals of the Moringa
It has recently been shown that the Moringa contains different phytochemical substances which are active in our bodies. Among them are to be found anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, glucosinolates, isothiocyanates, flavonoids and cinnamates.
Different compounds of the Moringa oleifera that have been identified scientifically may be considered nutraceutic, as they contribute to both our nutrition and our health.
Among them we can highlight 4-(4’-O-acetil-α-L-ramnopiranosiloxi)-benzyl isothiocyanate, 4-(α-L-ramnopiranosiloxi)- benzyl isothiocyanate, benzyl isothiocyanate and the 4-(α-L-ramnopiranosiloxi)- benzyl glucosinolate.
Ayurvedic medicine used the Moringa for dealing with over 300 ailments.”
According to different studies referred to in this article, the therapeutic effects of the Moringa depend also on its high levels of vitamins, minerals, vanillin, omega-3 fatty acids, carotenoids, ascorbates, tocopherols, β-sitosterol, stearic acid, moringin, moringinin and phytoestrogen.
Diverse phytochemicals contained in the leaves and fruit of the Moringa oleifera have revealed their potential for controlling diabetes and arterial hypertension.
The Moringa used in against hypoglycaemia
The traditional use of the Moringa in different regions for treating diabetes and hypertension was the basis for recent scientific research whose findings have been corroborated in the preliminary phase.
Several of the compounds from la Moringa oleifera identified scientifically can be considered nutraceutic as they contribute to our nutrition as well as to our health”.
In India, studies were conducted on 30 medicinal plants which traditional wisdom had attributed with anti-glucemant activity. 24 of them showed the concentration of blood glucose was reduced, Moringa oleifera being especially effective in this aspect.
Another study in Mexico titled “Evaluation of the hypoglycaemic effect of Moringa oleifera extract on Wistar rats with induced diabetes” showed that administrating Moringa oleifera extract reduces the blood glucose significantly.
Administrating Moringa had a hypoglycaemic effect on the experimental model used; the group of diabetic Wistar rats that received Moringa extract held down their glucose levels while the group that did not, presented high, irregular glucose levels.
La Moringa is a tropical tree whose demonstrated contribution to our health has been calibrated in the “laboratory of nature”.
Vitamins used in diabetes
The high vitamin level in the Moringa is fundamental in its use in diabetes. Vitamin D is important for the correct functioning of the pancreas and the secretion of insulin.
Likewise, β-carotene reduces the risk of blindness in diabetics, vitamin B12 is of use in the treatment of diabetic neuropathy and vitamin C prevents the accumulation of sorbitol and protein glycation (biochemical process in which one carbohydrate is added to another molecule, for example a protein type), both relevant factors when complications develop provoked by diabetes.
The study “Insulin secretagogues from Moringa oleifera with cyclooxygenase enzyme and lipid peroxidation inhibiting activities” collects the results of isolating and purifying from the Moringa eight biologically active components that stimulated the secretion of insulin in the pancreatic cells of rats“.
Moringa oleifera is not a drug, but a functional food of vegetal origin to incorporate as a Daily Natural Addition to what we eat and drink.
Anti-hypotensive Activity
Another study carried out by Pakistani scientists (“Hypotensive constituents from pods of Moringa oleifera”), showed that the anti-hypotensive activity of the Moringa lies in thiocarbamate glycosides and isothiocyanate, as well as in betasitosterol and methyl p-hydroxybenzoate.
This result endorses the conclusions found in the study “Pharmacological studies of thiocarbamate glycosides isolated from Moringa oleifera.” which demonstrated the antihypertensive activity of the thiocarbamate glycosides isolated from the Moringa oleifera.
Learn more about studies conducted on the Moringa oleifera.
References
- Foidl, N.; Makkar, H.P.S. & Becker, K. 2001. The potential of Moringa oleifera for agricultural and industrial uses. In: The miracle tree: The multiple attributes of Moringa. (Ed. J. Lowell Fuglie). CTA Publication. Wageningen, The Netherlands. p. 45.
- Kar, A.; Choudhary, B.K. & Bandyopadhyay, N.G. 2003. Comparative evaluation of hypoglycaemic activity of some Indian medicinal plants in alloxan diabetic rats. J. Ethnopharmacol. 84:105.
- Faizi, S. et al. 1998. Hypotensive constituents from pods of Moringa oleifera. Planta Medica. 3:957.
- Fahey, J 2005. Moringa oleifera: A review of the medical evidence for its nutritional, therapeutic, and prophylactic properties. J. Trees for Life. 1:5.
- Fuglie, L.J. 2001. Combating malnutrition with Moringa. In: The miracle tree: the multiple attributes of Moringa. (Ed. L.J. Fuglie). CTA Publication. Wageningen, The Netherlands. p. 117.
- Singh, B.N. et al. 2009. Oxidative DNA damage protective activity, antioxidant and anti-quorum sensing potentials of Moringa oleifera. Food Chem. Toxicol. 47:1109.
- Tahiliani, P. & Kar, A. 2000. Role of Moringa oleifera leaf extract in the regulation of thyroid hormone status in adult male and female rats. Pharmacological Research. 41:319.
- Murakami, A. et al. 1998. Niaziminin, a thiocarbamate from the leaves of Moringa oleifera, holds a strict structural requirement for inhibition of tumor-promoter-induced Epstein–Barr virus activation. 64:319.
- Evaluación del efecto hipoglucemiante del extracto de Moringa oleífera en ratas Wistar con diabetes inducida Gutiérrez Paez, Alejandra 2015-02-28.
- Francis, J.A.; Jayaprakasam, B.; Olson, L.K. & Nair, M. 2004. Insulin secretagogues from Moringa oleifera with cyclooxygenase enzyme and lipid peroxidation inhibiting activities. Helvitica Chimica Acta. 87:317.
- Jansakul, C.; Wun-Noi, A.; Croft, K. & Byrne, L. 1997. Pharmacological studies of thiocarbamate glycosides isolated from Moringa oleifera. J. Sci. Soc. Thailand. 23:335.
