Moringa oleifera

 Moringa oleifera is very nutritious, a fairly large tree native to North India. It goes by a variety of names, such as drumstick tree, horseradish tree or ben oil tree. Almost all parts of the tree are eaten or used as ingredients in traditional herbal medicines. This especially applies to the leaves and pods, which are commonly eaten in parts of India and Africa.

Moringa oleifera, native to India, grows in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is commonly known as ‘drumstick tree’ or ‘horseradish tree’. Moringa can withstand both severe drought and mild frost conditions and hence widely cultivated across the world. With its high nutritive values, every part of the tree is suitable for either nutritional or commercial purposes. 

The leaves are rich in minerals, vitamins and other essential phytochemicals. Extracts from the leaves are used to treat malnutrition, augment breast milk in lactating mothers. It is used as potential antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and antimicrobial agent. M. oleifera seed, a natural coagulant is extensively used in water treatment. The scientific effort of this research provides insights on the use of moringa as a cure for diabetes and cancer and fortification of moringa in commercial products. This review explores the use of moringa across disciplines for its medicinal value and deals with cultivation, nutrition, commercial and prominent pharmacological properties of this “Miracle Tree”.

Moringa may lower blood sugar levels.

High blood sugar can be a serious health problem. In fact, it’s the main characteristic of diabetes.

Over time, high blood sugar levels raise the risk of many serious health problems, including heart disease. For this reason, it’s important to keep your blood sugar within healthy limits.

Interestingly, several studies have shown that Moringa oleifera may help lower blood sugar levels.

However, most of the evidence is based on animal studies. Only a few human-based studies exist, and they’re generally of low quality (18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source).

One study in 30 women showed that taking 1.5 teaspoons (7 grams) of moringa leaf powder every day for three months reduced fasting blood sugar levels by 13.5%, on average.

Another small study in six people with diabetes found that adding 50 grams of moringa leaves to a meal reduced the rise in blood sugar by 21%.

Scientists believe these effects are caused by plant compounds such as isothiocyanates.