Moringa has been gaining a lot of popularity over the years which is as expected with the growing trend of natural healthy eating. But there are lots of nutritional fads out there that are focused around these new “super foods” and often times they become very popular and then slowly die off. We see this again and again, but does moringa fit in with the other fads? Is moringa a scam? Or is this the real deal?
In order to answer this question I first want to take you on a journey back in time, to the origins of moringa. But if you don’t feel like reading this entire article then I’ll get straight to the point… No moringa is not a scam. It has been around forever and has many scientifically proven benefits, some of which I’ll be going over.
The Origins of Moringa
If you were to jump in a time machine and travel back thousands of years ago to India, you would find moringa growing in areas around the foothills of the Himalayas. This is where it originated and even to this day moringa is very popular in India.
Over the years as popularity spread mostly into the neighboring areas, including Eastern Asia and Africa. It has been used as a folk medicine for tons of different illnesses and has even been described in writings from ancient Egypt, where its oils are thought to have been used for skin health.
The reason I am telling you the history of moringa is because if this is a scam, then it is one of the longest lasting scams of all time… But of course it is not.
Benefits of Moringa
Moringa is not called the miracle tree for no reason. Likewise, it is not called a “superfood” for no reason. It is jammed packed with nutrients and there are many benefits to consuming moringa on a regular basis or as a treatment for many different illnesses/conditions.
Some of the many reasons that moringa is consumed include the following…
Very Nutritious
Moringa has a lot of nutritional value per weight. When it comes to vitamins you get a good dose in your typical supplemental serving size, which is usually around 2 to 3 g if you are taking moringa powder.
Moringa contains vitamins A, C, D, E and several of the B vitamins including B1, 2, 6, & 12. And when I say it contains these vitamins I am not just talking about small trace amounts. We all know that oranges are good for vitamin C right? Well moringa happens to contain about five times the vitamin C per weight when compared to oranges and about double the vitamin E compared to sunflower seeds, which are known for having a good amount vitamin E.
Besides vitamins moringa is also a good source of minerals, some of which include zinc, potassium, iron and calcium.
Most of the nutritional value comes from its leaves and seedpods, and about 99% of the time when you see moringa supplements the moringa they are harvesting are the leaves.
Antioxidants
Everyone once more antioxidants in their diets. Antioxidants are what help fight body damaging free radicals, which are the main culprit of early aging. Moringa alone has 46 different antioxidants, including antioxidant activity from some of the vitamins discussed above.
Moringa also contains a phytohormone called Zeatin which has been proven to slow signs of early aging in the skin.
Good for Blood Sugar & Blood Pressure
Whether you are trying to lower your blood sugar or blood pressure, moringa can also help with both of these.
In one study where 30 woman talk 7 g of moringa per day for three months there was a blood sugar drop of 13.5% on avergage. Now 7 g is a fairly high daily dose, about twice that of most moringa supplements on the market, but it still shows that moringa can be effective at lowering blood sugar. In addition to the study there also have been a number of studies performed on diabetic animals that either approve or suggest that it is an effective natural treatment.
When it comes to reducing blood pressure there really isn’t much research evidence that shows it to be effective. However, moringa contains potassium, vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, calcium, and zinc, all of which have been tested and are proven to reduce blood sugar. So of course one could deduce that taking moringa and getting all of these in one would do the same.
Anti-Inflammatory
Inflammation isn’t entirely a bad thing. In fact it is a completely natural response that the body makes when stressed, infected, etc., but too much inflammation for too long can be bad.
In short, inflammation can be good and bad, and moringa’s anti-inflammatory properties help stop the bad inflammation.
Much of moringa’s anti-inflammatory properties can be attributed to the isothiocyanates and flavonoids that it contains. Flavonoids have been studied a lot in reducing inflammation and are well known to be effective.
Definitely Not a Scam
So would you say that moringa is a scam knowing that it has been around for thousands of years and has been consumed for thousands of years for various health benefits… And also now knowing that it is backed by science in a number of different ways? Absolutely not.
Moringa itself really is a “superfood”. Now of course there is no strict criteria that a food has to meet before being considered a superfood, but I do think you could realistically consider moringa a superfood when compared to normal foods. I would drink it right up there with spirulina, chlorella, wheat grass, and others.
Best Place To Buy
The one thing that you need to be somewhat careful of if you are looking to purchase moringa is the actual moringa that you purchase. When it comes to foods like this there can be a pretty big difference in nutritional value between high quality and low quality products. This has to do with the environment in which the moringa was grown and how it was harvested. Of course low-quality moringa isn’t going to benefit you as much as high-quality moringa.
What you also have to be somewhat careful with is falling for overpriced products. There are some moringa products out there that are, in my opinion, very overpriced and over-hyped. You know… The types of products where you are paying more for the brand than the actual value of the product (Example: Zija Moringa). So you want to avoid these also.
If you are looking for a good quality moringa at a fair price then I’d suggest taking a look at my recommendation below, also, feel free to leave any comments, questions, or concerns below in the comment section and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can 🙂
