Moringa Powder Side Effects – What You Should Be Aware of Beforehand

Before consuming herbs like moringa it is important to do a little research and discover the side effects that are possible. Sure moringa is natural which people often associate with healthy and less side effects, but just because it is natural doesn’t necessarily mean that is the case. Poison Ivy is also natural and look what that does to the body (extreme and non related example).

So what are the side effects of moringa powder and moringa leaves? Moringa powder is made from grinding up moringa leaves so these two questions are one in the same. The side effects of moringa leaves are the same as the powder.

Are there any side effects that you need to be aware of before adding this miracle plant to your diet? Should you be concerned?

The Potential Side Effects

After doing quite a bit of research on side effects that may come from moringa I was able to gather very little information. The reason is because there are very little side effects. Unlike other natural superfoods like spirulina & chlorella, moringa is very safe to consume and doesn’t have to be taken in strict doses.

*You still need to restrict your intake to the recommended dosage as talked about below

If you look on sites like WebMD they scare you a bit by giving warnings and precautions but they don’t make any claims. They only tell you what could be possible which they are required to do with everything. So pretty much looking at what they say tells you nothing about the side effects.

From all of the research I have done and the many articles I have written there haven’t been any side effects that I have found really. The only notable one, which doesn’t effect many people, is that it might cause your stomach to be upset and this could potentially lead to diarrhea. Other than this nothing else.

However, I still am supposed to say that you should consult with your doctor before use. Pretty much no one does this but its something that should be said. Moringa does contain Vitamin D, Zinc, Sulfur, and some others that a very small percent of the population may have reactions to.

Warning: Don’t eat the roots

If you buy moringa supplements you are going to be buying leaves, not roots. So there was very little information on this but I was able to dig up that moringa roots contain alkaloid spirochin, which is a toxin that has potential neuro-paralytic effects, meaning it could lead to paralysis.

On WebMD all it said was that the roots “may” be harmful or something like that but this information about it containing this toxin I found on MedIndia.net.

Don’t Take With These Medications

While moringa is pretty much harmless if you are all natural, there are medications that, if taken with moringa, can lead to some problems.

Blood thinner drugs such as aspirin, warfarin, and heparin, as well as antiplatelet drugs like clopidogrel, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen should be avoided when taking moringa.

If you are on some form of medication then you should definitely talk with a doctor about this.

Thousands of Years of Use

Sure there are a fair number of potential harmful side effects but its nothing that should be too much of a scare. Its worth mentioning that moringa leaves, oil, seeds have been consumed safely for thousands of years. Its not like this is some new magical herb that has been subject of little study and use.

Moringa has been around forever and has been ingested as a medicinal herb for a long time. It was and still is used as a folk medicine in many Asian and African countries. Today it is growing in popularity with the unstoppable “green” movement and has been proven to treat a variety of health problems, conditions, and diseases through scientific studies, for example: Acne, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.

Recommended Dose

Even though moringa is very safe to consume, it is only safe to consume when you dose it appropriately. As with anything, if you eat too much it can be harmful.

Standard doses of moringa, according to Examine.com, are completely safe from organ damage. But if you ingest 3-4 times above the safe dosage amount then you could risk genotoxic and if you ingest even more than that you could risk having organ damage, which you probably don’t want.

Most tests of moringa’s side effects/benefits have been performed on rats and it appears that a dose of 150-200mg/kg of bodyweight is optimal. That would be like a human consuming the following…

• 1.6 – 2.2 grams for a 150lb person
• 2.1 – 2.9 grams for a 200lb person
• 2.7 – 3.6 grams for a 250lb person

Now of course aren’t completely equivalent due to the biological difference of humans and other animals, but it gives you somewhat of an idea of what is safe to consume. Also, on WebMD they state that humans have been shown to safely consume up to 6g per day for up to 3 weeks, which is a heck of a lot.

Most powder moringa supplements out there on the market are dosed from 1-3 grams which is right on the money. They are safe for consumption from a toxicology standpoint.

Where You Buy Moringa Matters

You probably already know this but the source of moringa is also important. You want to buy good quality moringa for a variety of reasons.

For example, the moringa tree sucks up iodine that is in the soil. Iodine is something that you don’t want too much or too little of. So some sources may not be a great choice if there is too much iodine in the soil. And this is just an example for you. For more info on this you can read Iodine in Moringa.

Should You Give Moringa a Try?

Some people look to moringa as a treatment for some illness, condition, disease, etc, which others look to take it to supplement their overall health.

Overall it is a great choice for many reasons. One of which being, as you now know, that side effects are minimal to nothing when taken at recommended dosages. This is a great alternative to many man-made medications that moringa is able to substitute in for.

This potent superfood isn’t called a superfood for no reason. It is jammed packed with antioxidants, vitamins, anti-inflammatory agents, and more. There are a thousand reasons to give it a try and as long as it is safe for you, it is one of my top recommended superfoods out there.