Moringa is considered a superfood because of its abundant nutrient profile. Because of this it has been consumed for centuries for its many benefits. Much of its usage was/is as a folk medicine that has no scientific backing, yet it has been proven scientifically to actually be a legitimate treatment for problems, illnesses, diseases in many cases.
Moringa is claimed to help treat, prevent, or even cure over 300 diseases. I don’t know how accurate this number actually is but I do know that it is proven to help with quite a bit. Of the many benefits moringa has for health problems, the moringa benefits for cancer are some of the most remarkable.
Everyone is familiar with what cancer is. It is the worst of the worst and can potentially effect all of us. In fact, according to cancer.gov, 38.5% of all men and women in the US will be affected with some form of cancer at some point in their lives.
And while there may be no perfect medicine out there for curing or preventing cancer, there are steps that one can take to strengthen their chances of winning the battle. Taking moringa is one potential step that people can take to do exactly this.
Proof Of Moringa’s Effectiveness Against Cancer
There is no better proof for moringa’s effectiveness against cancer than a scientific study that looks into exactly this.
One study I found titled Moringa oleifera as an Anti-Cancer Agent… had some pretty incredible findings when it comes to the anti-cancer power moringa has.
In this study the effect moringa extract has on breast and colorectal cancer lines was looked at. These are both major forms of cancer that take the lives of many each and every year. For women breast cancer is the most deadly with colorectal cancer rated as the second most. And for men colorectal is the second deadliest as well.
The results showed that moringa leaves and bark extracts had “remarkable” positive effects while the seeds extract did not. Most moringa supplements are made from moringa leaves, so this is good news.
Of course you are probably wondering how much of an effect moringa had on the cancer lines… well it is significant to say the least. Colony formation and cell motility decreased by 70-90%, which is a massive amount and is almost hard to believe. Along with this decrease there was an increase in the amount of apoptotic cells observed, which means the body was able to kill off more harmful cells than normal.
It is also notable that the ability that moringa has to inhibit proliferation of cancer cells is comparable to that of Cisplatin, which is actually a common drug used during Chemotherapy.
Why Moringa Is Effective
In the study mentioned above the researchers analyzed the moringa extracts to see why it was so effective. They found eugenol, isopropyl isothiocynate, D-allose, and hexadeconoic acid ethyl ester. And for all the science lovers out there you might want to know that these compounds have long chain hydrocarbons, sugar moiety and an aromatic ring in their structures.
So basically what all of this means is that moringa’s anti-cancer effects are probably due to bioactive compounds that it contains.
Does Moringa Cure Cancer?
While moringa helps to slow down and even kill off cancer cells, it probably isn’t all that likely that it would cure a patient from cancer.
There really needs to be more research done on this topic for me to give a good answer on this. It is possible that it could, but that would likely only be in cases where the cancer isn’t too far along yet.
Should You Take Moringa for Cancer?
You should always consult with your doctor before taking anything nowadays, although I personally thing moringa is a harmless natural plant.
I would absolutely suggest trying moringa but how effective it will actually be will depend on many variables, one of which being how advanced the cancer actually is. It is an amazing superfood with many benefits but it is no miracle plant.
Taking moringa as a cancer preventative and/or retardant I think is a smart choice. It is proven to reduce the proliferation of cancer cells while at the same time increase the number of bad cells being killed off.
Just remember to take moringa leaves or bark supplements, not supplements made from the seeds, as they were proven ineffective in the study I went over. Luckily, as I said earlier, pretty much all of the supplements out there are from moringa leaves.
WOW! As someone who is passioned about healthy eating and living a long life… like up to 1000 years, I should consider adding Moringa to my everyday diet. Do you know about other benefits of Moringa, or its content of vitamins maybe? Usually these kind of superfoods are good for us in so man ways!!!
And, what kind of taste it has, tho? Is it okay inside smoothies? Or it would be better to find a quality supplement of the leaves?
Thanks,
Melissa
Hi Melissa. Yest it is packed with vitamins & minerals. However, I have yet to write a post specifically on this.
As for the taste it isn’t too bad. You can mix it in with a fruit smoothie (I use bananas) and it works great.
I’ve never heard of this before. Where exactly does it come from. Is it a herb that you can get in a store? I guess I have to go through the rest of the site to find out about it. Good stuff, glad you cited your source of information.
I’m definitely looking more into it. I thought I knew all of the popular health foods, this one passed me.k
Hi Dave. Moringa is a tree and its leaves are usually harvested for consumption. You can buy moringa powder supplements at stores like GNC, Vitamin World, etc.
Hi Kyle,
This was an interesting read.
I have never actually heard of moringa before reading this so it’s great to now be aware of another potential cancer preventative/retardant that I can add to my diet.
How often do you have to take moringa and are there any other benefits to taking it other than anti-cancer? Can you consume it as a tea or strictly as a supplement?
Thanks for the great article!
All the best,
Geno
I take about 3g of moringa powder daily, but yes, you can make moringa tea with its leaves. There are numerous other benefits other than cancer treatment. This is just one of many.
My Mom had Cancer twice. The first time she survived, but not when it came the second time around. She did, however, have about three years in between though.
From reading your article, I think that Moringa would have given her an extra six months or so. Once I get married, I will recommend Moringa to my own wife, so she does not have to go through the same thing my Mom went through. It sounds very beneficial.
Thank you for sharing and I hope you have a great day!
I had no idea what moringa was before this. Is it a food or a supplement that you take and do you take it/eat it daily? I saw that they are made from the extract of the leaves and bark, so I assume it’s a supplement. Do you think if someone were to start taking this supplement early in their life and continued with it, that it would prevent cancer? Also, what are the other health benefits from Moringa?
I am using moringa always and it gives apetite.What % tells that you have cancer.