Moringa for Liver Health – Yay or Nay?

If you are considering taking moringa for liver health then you are going to want to read this. Most articles that you see online only tell you the good things that you want to hear. But here at Operation Wellness I’m going over the bad things as well.

Moringa has been found to be both good and bad for your liver, mainly good but nonetheless it can have a negative impact and lead to liver damage in some cases.

Since the good is what everyone wants to hear lets start with that….

Moringa Protects Your Liver

Moringa isn’t just some herbal folk medicine. It has been used for thousands of years for treatment of all kinds of conditions, illnesses, and diseases from acne to cancer, many of which it is being scientifically proven to be a good treatment for.

Liver damage happens to be one of these conditions that it is proven to treat.

In one study I came across scientists tested moringa leaf extract supplementation on rats with liver damage from being fed and extremely high fat diet (yes this can cause liver damage). The rats had developed fatty liver disease by the time of the testing.

Results from these fatty liver diseased rats showed that moringa supplementation reduced indicators for liver damage.

Why Moringa Protects The Liver

In the study above, moringa’s liver protecting effect was partly attributed to its antioxidant activity. This is also backed up by other sources on this subject.

Moringa is packed with antioxidants and, according to NaturalSociety.com, has over 46. The antioxidant activity that moringa contains has been well documented in all sorts of studies and is partly the reason it is effective for helping with everything from acne to immune system health.

Antioxidants are responsible for fighting off free-radicals, which are unstable and highly-reactive atoms that go throughout the body wreaking havoc and leading to destruction. They are often associated with early aging due to the damaging effects that they have.

Stress caused by high levels of free-radicals leads to liver damage and disease. The liver works to metabolize free-radical producing compounds but it still needs the help of antioxidants. Without a healthy balance of antioxidants the liver will likely become damaged which could lead to a number of other health problems.

Chronic Moringa Consumption Could Lead to Liver Damage

There really isn’t much information out there on how moringa could be bad for your liver so I think its important to bring to your attention this study that I found on the matter.

Moringa is proven to help but it can also hurt.

In a moringa toxicology evaluation study from 2013 rats were given insanely high doses of moringa leaf extract for 8 week. They were given 50, 100, 200, and up to 400mg of moringa extract per kilogram of body weight. The results?… The rats showed significant increases in serum ALT, AST, BUN and creatinine. Now you don’t need to know what these are. The take away here is that this could lead to both liver and kidney damage.

However, its also important to note that these dosages were extremely high. At even just 50mg per kg of bodyweight that would be like a 200lb person taking 4,536mg of moringa extract (4.536g), which is higher than any recommended dose you will find out there. Also the extract would be more concentrated than the moringa powders available.

Usually moringa products are dosed at 1-3g per serving.

If Moringa Bad or Good for Your Liver?

There is more information out there saying that it is good than bad. And the study mentioned above isn’t all that realistic when it comes to normal human consumption of moringa.

Personally I think it does more good than bad. Its also worth knowing that moringa has been consumed for heath benefits for literally thousands of years, so its not like its some new herb that hasn’t been put to the test much.

Overall the leaves are considered very safe to consume, even on very reputable health sites like WebMD.

There are even more ways that I didn’t bother discussing as to why moringa is good for your liver. These include its ability to help restore liver enzymes (which are needed for the liver to function) and reduce inflammation among others.