What is Moringa good for?
Updated: Apr 21, 2022
Have you recently heard about moringa and found yourself wondering what it is, what are the health benefits and how you can add it to your diet?
This article will hopefully answer some of your questions, so keep reading.
Moringa, also known as the ‘miracle tree’, is a plant of the Moringaceae family which is native to India, but also grows in Africa, Asia, and South America.
The whole plant is entirely edible.
The long, slim seed pods can be pressed for oil, its roots can be crushed to provide a condiment with a flavour similar to horseradish and the leaves can be either cooked in a similar way to spinach, they can be naturally dried and infused in hot water as a loose leaf tea, or grounded into a fine powder.
Moringa contains a range of proteins, vitamins and minerals and it has been used for centuries for its medicinal properties.
It retains most of its nutritional values even when dried.
Some of the healthy compounds it contains include - vitamin A, C and B, Calcium, Zinc, Potassium, Iron and fibres among others.
Scientists have found that Moringa has a range of health benefits, nine of which will be discussed in this article.
Anti Inflammatory
Inflammation is the body’s natural response to pain which can occur because of stress, sleep problems, asthma, injury, infection or other factors.
Its symptoms include redness, swelling, pain and loss of a particular function.
Moringa may be effective in reducing inflammation.
Studies have proven that moringa can boost the production of anti-inflammatory molecules, also known as cytokines, which help regulate the immune response and soothe pain.
Lower Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance carried in the bloodstream.
There are two types of cholesterol – the good one, also known as HDL and the bad one - LDL.
The liver is the organ responsible for producing all the cholesterol your body needs. However, there is another source – food.
Having food rich in bad cholesterol on a regular basis while living a sedentary lifestyle, can eventually increase your level of cholesterol.
For people age 40 -75 with underlying conditions such as diabetes, the level of LDL shouldn’t go over 70mg/dl. Otherwise, they could potentially be at high risk of heart attack and stroke.
Researches have proven that certain foods, if consumed on a regular basis, could lower your cholesterol. Moringa is one of them.
According to experts, moringa presents a hypolipidaemic effect.
In other words, it has the ability to both reduce high cholesterol while raising the HDL ratio and promote a healthier cholesterol level.
Boost Immune System
The main job of the immune system is to protect your body from foreign bodies, ie: bacteria, viruses and other elements that may cause infections.
