Benefits Of Moringa Leafs And Seed

Superfoods are substances that provide you with a high dose of nutrition. Oftentimes, these are organic fruits, berries and plants that are packed with vitamins and nutrients that are necessary to keep the body in the highest degree of health possible. One such superfood is moringa.

Moringa: A Brief Introduction

Moringa was first used in North Africa, where it served to feed cattle and people. Native to India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, this is a plant that is able to contribute to the health of individuals through many of its various parts, including the leaves, flowers, seeds, fruit and bark. Although it originates in the southern regions surrounding the Himalayan Mountains, this plant also grows well in tropical regions around the globe.

Nutritional Value

As a food product, moringa is exceptionally valuable. In fact, Trees for Life, an international charitable organization, has promoted the use of moringa to address malnutrition. The leaves of the tree are brimming with vitamin A, calcium, iron, vitamin C, potassium and protein. As such, this is a wonderful resource for people who are facing food insecurity – as well as those who have access to food but want to improve their nutrition.

Health Benefits

Further research is necessary to solidify the health benefits that moringa offers; however, this superfood is said to impact health in a major way. Some of the concerns that moringa may improve include anemia, asthma, arthritis, constipation, cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, diarrhea, stomach ulcers, gastritis, intestinal ulcers, heart conditions, headaches, high blood pressure, inflammation, kidney stones, thyroid disorders, infections, s*x drive, athlete’s foot, warts, dandruff, snake bites and gingivitis. Additionally, it is said to stimulate immunity and chest milk production.

Is Moringa Safe?

Before adding a new supplement to your diet, it is always important to ensure that you are well aware of any side effects that may be associated with it. The leaves, seeds, and fruit of moringa are considered safe when ingested as part of a well-rounded diet; however, the root should be avoided. The root of the moringa plant, as well as its extracts, may introduce a toxic substance to the human body. This can result in paralysis and may even be fatal, depending upon the circumstances.

It is also important to note that women who are pregnant or who are breastfeeding should not eat moringa or any of its extracts. This plant contains certain chemicals that, when ingested, can induce contractions. In women who are carrying a child, these contractions can lead to miscarriage. The research conducted on women who are breastfeeding with regard to the consumption of moringa is so sparse that it is best for these women to avoid the food altogether to prevent unforeseen side effects in both them and their children.

Moringa: A More Complete Picture

Ultimately, moringa may be a wonderful addition to your current dietary routine. There are so many ways in which this superfood has been said to improve health; therefore, it may be something that you want to consider.

1. Nutritional content of fresh Moringa oleifera tree leaves

Moringa oleifera tree leaves belong to the family of dark green leafy vegetables, a food group particularly rich in nutrients. In particular, the leaves are a good source of proteins, calcium, iron, ß-carotene (converted to vitamin A in the human body), vitamin C and vitamin E. In addition, Moringa leaves have a high dry matter content (around 20-25%) compared to most other plant food sources (generally around 10%). This makes it even more beneficial as a fresh vegetable since 100 grams of fresh leaves will bring twice as much nutritive material as 100 grams of most other vegetables.

Eating 100 grams fresh Moringa oleifera tree leaves provides you with as much protein as an egg, as much calcium as a big glass of milk, as much iron as a 200 grams beef steak, as much vitamin A as a carrot and as much vitamin C as an orange.

Indeed, 100 grams fresh Moringa oleifera leaves are enough to cover:

• 30 to 100% of the daily recommended intake of calcium (30 to 50% for teenagers, 40 to 60% for adults, children and pregnant and breastfeeding women, 80 to 100% for young children below 3 years old)
• 25 to 80% of the daily recommended intake of iron (25% for pregnant women, 40-60% for teenagers and women, 50 to 100% for men and children).
As for vitamins, the recommended daily intake for vitamin A varies from 400 μg retinol equivalents (young children) to 1,000 μg retinol equivalents (breastfeeding women). Therefore, 100 grams of fresh Moringa tree leaves could theoretically cover 100% of daily needs, but this is highly variable depending on storage conditions and how they are eaten, as vitamin A degrades over time and when exposed to light or heat. Similarly, 100 grams of fresh Moringa leaves could cover 100% of the vitamin C requirements, for which the recommended daily intake varies from 60 mg (young children) to 130 mg (breastfeeding women), but this vitamin degrades quickly with time and during cooking.
For optimal nutrient retention, it is advised to consume fresh Moringa tree leaves shortly after harvesting and to cook the leaves for a short time (a few minutes only), or even to eat them raw if they are young and tender

10 grams of Moringa leaf powder per day cover:

Calcium
• About 30% of the recommended daily intake for children between 1 and 3 years old.
• About 25% of the recommended daily intake for children between 4 and 9 years old as well as adult women.
• About 15% of the recommended daily intake for teenagers and women over 55.

Iron
• About 30% of the recommended daily intake for children between 1 and 12 years old.
• About 15% of the daily recommended intake for teenagers.
• About 20% of the daily recommended intake for adults over 55.
• About 12% of the recommended daily intake for adult women.
• About 7% of the recommended daily intake for pregnant women.

Vitamin A
• 50 to 100% of the recommended daily intake for all population categories.

Moringa oleifera leaf powder can be used somewhat like dried spirulina, a nutritionally rich, green seaweed, often used as a dietary supplement.

2. Nutritional content of dry Moringa oleifera tree leaf powder

Another way of consuming Moringa leaves is to dry them and reduce them into powder, making it easier to store and use at any time. To ensure the good nutritional and microbiological quality of the leaf powder, its water content has to be lower than 7%, the drying time should be as short as possible and the drying temperature not too high (no more than 50-55°C).
Even if a large amount of the vitamins are lost during drying and storage, the leaf powder still constitutes a very rich nutritional supplement, since it is a concentrate of the Moringa oleifera leaves

Moringa tree leaf powder can be stored for some time before it is consumed. If so, the leaf powder has to be stored in a water- air- and light-proof container to preserve as much vitamins as possible and avoid microbial contamination. In storage, the protein and mineral contents will be preserved for up to six months, whereas a loss of up to 50% of vitamins can be reached after six months of storage.
Once the container is opened, the leaf powder should be consumed quickly (within one week) since its water content will increase and it will be exposed to microbial contamination. For this reason, it is advised to package Moringa leaf powder in rather small containers.

3. Nutritional content of cooked Moringa oleifera leaves

Fresh Moringa leaves can be eaten raw, if they are very young and tender, but usually they are cooked. Even if cooking the leaves destroys a part of their nutrients, notably vitamins, others become easier to assimilate. For this reason, it is important to consider various ways of cooking the leaves and to understand how to preserve the maximum amount of nutrients. This can be achieved by associating Moringa oleifera tree leaves with other ingredients that enhance the availability of nutrients, by cooking the leaves only for a short time, or by keeping the liquid (water, sauce) in which the Moringa leaves are cooked. Using Moringa leaf powder is also a way of preserving nutrients (although some have been lost during drying and storage), as the powder can be added to food after cooking.

Moringa oleifera- Vitamin C
A study from Sri Lanka showed that on average, leafy vegetables lose 32% of their vitamin C content when they are boiled for five minutes, and 54% in ten minutes. Steaming is less damaging, with 15% loss in five minutes and 39% loss in ten minutes. Cooking Moringa oleifera tree leaves or Moringa oleifera tree leaf powder the least possible time is thus a good way to preserve the vitamin C content.

Moringa oleifera - Beta-carotene
The World Vegetable Centre (AVRDC, Taiwan) showed that the retention of total carotene and beta-carotene of Moringa oleifera tree leaves was enhanced by adding oil to the leaves during pressure cooking (76-99% of retention with oil against 46-63% without).

Moringa oleifera - Iron
The bioavailability of nutrients is the ability they have to be digested and used by the human body. The bioavailability of the iron provided by plants is lower than when provided by meat. A good way to improve the availability of iron to the body is to add vitamin C to the dish. This can be done by using lemon juice, lemon peel or fresh tomatoes.
AVRDC demonstrated that boiling Moringa tree leaves in water enhanced the in vitro iron bioavailability of fresh leaves and leaves dried powder by 3.5 and 3 times, respectively. In addition, boiling the leaves in water enhanced aqueous antioxidant activity. This shows that cooking Moringa tree leaves does not necessarily have a negative impact on nutrient intake. The heat destroys some of the vitamin C, but improves the assimilation of iron. The best option is to vary consumption modes.

4. Water soluble and fat soluble vitamins

Vitamin C and all the B vitamins contained in the Moringa oleifera tree leaf are water-soluble. Other vitamins are soluble in fat: such is the case of vitamin A (ß-carotene) and E (a-tocopherol). When cooking fresh or dried leaves, the cooking water should be kept to benefit from the vitamins B and C, soluble in water. In addition, to render the fat-soluble vitamins A and E available, it is suggested that the leaves be cooked using oil or other sources of fat. Ideally, the Moringa leaves should be quickly boiled in a small quantity of water. Add both Moringa oleifera tree leaves and the cooking water to a sauce containing a source of fat. This way both water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins, only slightly diminished by cooking, are made available.