Drumstick leaves
Moringa oleifera is considered a valuable plant because all its parts can be used for food, medication, and other industrial and household purposes.
The Moringa oleifera Lam., commonly known as the drumstick tree and a member of the Moringaceae family, is a versatile plant utilized in various tropical and arid countries for food and medicine. This plant is known for its ability to grow well in drier regions due to its drought-resistant properties, such as water-logging of roots. While Moringa plants can grow on different soil types, well-drained loamy and sandy soil with a pH of 5-9 is best suited for their growth.
Moringa oleifera is considered a valuable plant because all its parts can be used for food, medication, and other industrial and household purposes. The leaves, in particular, are consumed as a salad, roasted, or stored as dried powder for an extended period without losing their nutritious content. The leaves also have potential applications as functional foods and nutraceuticals due to their phytochemicals, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, carotenoids, and glucosinolates. Some of the significant phytochemicals present in Moringa leaves are crypto-chlorogenic acid, is quercetin, and astragalin, which are attributed to the plant's antioxidant, anti-hypertension, and anti-inflammation activities.
Moringa oleifera is also known as the "Miracle Tree" or "Tree of Life" due to its excellent health, nutritional, and environmental benefits. Traditionally, Moringa leaves have been used in India to cure conjunctivitis, remove intestinal worms from the abdomen, and improve the milk production of pregnant and lactating mothers, and treat anemia. The juice of Moringa leaves is also believed to help diabetic patients control blood pressure and blood glucose levels.
As the usage of herbal medicine increases, Moringa leaves have become a suitable option in developing countries for quality health services that offer inexpensive and easily accessible treatment in places not accessible to Western medicine. However, moringa processing may sometimes alter the inaccessibility of nutrients and polyphenols, and new approaches are needed to increase their retention during processing and storage.
This review intends to fill a void in the scientific literature by providing current knowledge on Moringa oleifera leaves' nutritional content and composition of bioactive compounds, their bio-accessibility, and health-promoting effects. It is essential to understand the plant's bioactive components to explore its potential as functional foods in various food products and broaden the researchers' research.
The protein content of moringa ranges from 19% to 29%, while its fiber content ranges from 16% to 24%. Similar protein content levels were reported in Brazil and South Africa by Teixeira et al. and Mayo et al., respectively, with the leaves exhibiting approximately 28% to 30% protein. In terms of daily nutritional value, 100 g of fresh moringa leaves contain 17.5% of the required protein. Moringa leaves are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, particularly α-Linolenic acid, which is the most abundant among them. Recent research has identified a new polysaccharide, MOP-2, from moringa leaves using hot water extraction and chromatographic techniques. MOP-2 has potential as an immunoregulatory agent in various functional foods. Moringa leaves are a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as omega-3 and omega-6, which are essential for various cardiovascular functions and overall body health. Additionally, they have low levels of saturated fatty acids and high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids.
Moringa powder is an effective replacement for iron tablets to treat anemia, as the iron content in moringa leaf powder is 28 mg per 100 g, which is more than that found in beef and spinach. In addition to iron, M. oleifera leaves are also rich in fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A (pre-cursor of beta-carotene), D, and E, water-soluble vitamin-B complexes such as folic acid, pyridoxine, and nicotinic acid, and vitamin C. Fresh moringa leaves contain 7564 IU of vitamin A and 145 µg of vitamin C, which is 252% and 235% of the daily recommended value of vitamin A and C, respectively. Malnourished children who were administered 10 g of dried moringa leaf powder daily showed significant weight gain and rapid recovery compared to the control group in 6 months. M. oleifera leaves contain an adequate source of phytochemicals such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, etc., and their derivatives are known for their anti-cancer properties. Fresh moringa leaves also contain carotenoids such as trans-lutein, trans-b-carotene, and trans-zeaxanthin, as well as tocopherol and ascorbic acid. M. oleifera leaves contain a trace amount of antinutrients such as phytates, saponins, tannins, and oxalates, which may interfere with the assimilation and ingestion of different supplements like zinc, iron, calcium, and magnesium when taken in large amounts. However, M. oleifera leaves and seeds contain less phytate and saponins than most legumes like soybean, making them nutritionally safer and healthier for consumption.
Moringa oleifera leaves contain several essential bioactive compounds such as folates, tannins, saponins, and fatty acids. Folates are crucial water-soluble vitamins that play a vital role in various cell metabolisms. Moringa oleifera leaves contain primary forms of folates, including 5-Formyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolic acid, 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolic acid, 5-Methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolic acid, and 10-Formylfolic acid. These forms of folates have a higher bioavailability of 81.9% compared to natural folates, which have a bioavailability of only 50%. Therefore, Moringa oleifera and its derived foods are significant sources of folates.
The leaves of Moringa oleifera are also rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, including ω-3 and ω-6, with α-linolenic acid and linoleic acid being the major forms. Among the saturated fatty acids, palmitic acid is the primary form. The leaves have higher polyunsaturated fatty acids and lower monounsaturated fatty acids compared to its pods. Tannins, which are water-soluble polyphenolic astringent biomolecules, and saponins, which are isoprenoid-derived aglycone covalently linked to sugar moieties, are also present in Moringa oleifera leaves. The concentration of tannins in dry leaves ranges from 13.2 to 20.6 g/kg, while saponins' content ranges from 64 to 81 g/kg dry weight. Both tannins and saponins have various therapeutic properties.
A study conducted by Aja et al. [71] investigated the effects of methanol extract from moringa leaves on the heart of diabetic rats that were experiencing oxidative stress due to streptozotocin. In this 60-day study, rats were given a concentration of 300 mg/Kg body weight of moringa leaves orally and were separated into six groups: normal control rats (group 1), normal rats treated with moringa leaves (group 2), high energy diet control rats (group 3), diabetic control rats (group 4), diabetic rats treated with moringa leaves (group 5), and diabetic rats treated with metformin and atorvastatin (group 6).
The results showed that there was a significant decrease in the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (Gaps), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in rats from groups 3 and 4. Conversely, antioxidant enzyme activity in the heart of rats from groups 2, 5, and 6 was increased. This indicates that the various antioxidant compounds found in moringa leaves, including hexatonic acid, phytol, DL-alpha-tocopherol, and other compounds, were responsible for the leaves' antioxidant potential.
About the Creator
Prabu S
I became a blogger..
9 Foods You Should Never Eat Past the Expiration Date, No Exceptions
But certain foods cross a line where the expiration date becomes about more than just quality—it’s about safety. Eating past that line can expose you to dangerous bacteria, toxins, or nutrient loss you can’t see or smell. Knowing which foods to never push beyond their expiration dates is key to keeping your kitchen safe. Here are the nine foods that are not worth the risk.
By General gyan7 days ago in Lifehack
The Power of Being Alone: Why Solitude Is Becoming the Secret Weapon of the Modern Mind
The modern world is loud. Notifications buzz, videos autoplay, conversations scroll endlessly across screens, and opinions arrive faster than most people can process them. Silence has become so rare that many now associate it with discomfort instead of peace. The moment there is nothing to listen to, watch, or respond to, the hand instinctively reaches for a phone. But beneath all this noise lies a forgotten skill — the ability to be alone without feeling lonely. Solitude is not the same as isolation. Isolation is being cut off from others against your will. Solitude is choosing to step away, even briefly, to reconnect with yourself. This difference is small in definition but massive in impact. Psychologists have found that moments of intentional solitude can improve creativity, emotional regulation, and problem-solving. When the brain is no longer reacting to external stimuli, it begins to wander inward. This is where ideas form, where feelings are processed, and where deeper understanding takes shape. Many of history’s most influential thinkers, artists, and leaders had one thing in common: they valued time alone. Writers walked long distances to think. Scientists sat quietly with unsolved problems. Philosophers spent hours in reflection. These weren’t escapes from reality — they were ways of understanding it more clearly. Today, however, solitude is often misunderstood. Being alone can be seen as antisocial or unproductive. In a culture that celebrates constant connection, stepping back can feel like falling behind. But in truth, the opposite is often happening. When people never pause, they don’t just lose time — they lose direction. Without moments of reflection, it becomes easy to live on autopilot. Goals are inherited instead of chosen. Opinions are adopted instead of examined. Emotions are suppressed instead of understood. Over time, this can create a quiet sense of dissatisfaction, even when life looks successful on the surface. Solitude acts as a mental mirror. In silence, you begin to notice what actually matters to you. You recognize patterns in your behavior. You become aware of the thoughts you normally drown out with distraction. This awareness can be uncomfortable, but it is also powerful. There is also a growing connection between solitude and focus. In an age of constant interruption, the ability to concentrate deeply has become a competitive advantage. People who can work without checking their phone every few minutes often produce better results in less time. This kind of focus doesn’t come from willpower alone — it comes from training the mind to be comfortable without stimulation. Even emotional resilience is shaped in quiet moments. When you sit alone with a difficult feeling instead of escaping it, you learn that discomfort doesn’t destroy you. You learn that emotions rise and fall like waves. This understanding builds inner stability that no external validation can replace. Of course, humans are social by nature. Connection, community, and relationships are essential for a healthy life. The power of solitude doesn’t come from replacing these things, but from balancing them. It’s in solitude that you figure out what you want to bring back to the world. Small practices can make a big difference. A short walk without headphones. A few minutes of journaling in the morning. Sitting quietly before starting the day. These moments don’t need to be dramatic. They just need to be intentional. Over time, something changes. The noise of the world becomes easier to navigate. Decisions feel clearer. Reactions become calmer. You begin to act from understanding instead of impulse. In a society that is constantly speaking, posting, and performing, choosing silence can feel radical. But that is exactly why it is so powerful. Because sometimes, the strongest voice you can listen to is your own.
By Hazrat Usman Usman5 days ago in Lifehack
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.