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Don’t despair if you haven’t heard of moringa leaf powder before- the majority of the world hasn’t. However, those that have had the opportunity to be exposed to this wonder tree know that it truly delivers something special in the world of health and nutrition.
As a small tree that’s native to India, the moringa tree goes by dozens of different names across the globe. While the entire tree is edible, it’s most known for its leaves and long twisted pods, from which it got its name.
What are the Environmental Benefits of the Moringa Tree?
Not only is the moringa tree good for human health, it’s also surprisingly beneficial for the planet as well. This hardy tree grows well in dry, depleted soils where other plants don’t thrive, making it an ideal food source for much of the developing world that experiences regular famines.
In the same way, the moringa tree naturally replenishes soil by restoring its fertility, which improves the surrounding land’s effectiveness for retaining water and growing other crops. Even as it breaks down, the moringa tree provides viable habitat space for other organisms that might not otherwise be able to survive in the conditions. While moringa trees are especially beneficial in subtropical climates, they have successfully been grown around the world and have the ability to offer increased nutrition to a large number of people.
The research into the health benefits of moringa leaves is revealing impressive results. In 2008, the National Institute of Health named moringa the plant of the year to celebrate its impressive achievements for providing a valuable nutritional source in places where malnutrition is particularly relevant. Though moringa trees have used for their nutritional benefits for thousands of years, they only recently reached mainstream awareness, and now there are many options for trying moringa leaf powder for yourself.
What is Moringa Leaf Powder?
Though the entire tree is edible, one of the most valuable parts of most moringa trees are the leaves. Today, the best way to try moringa leaves for yourself is through moringa leaf powder. Considered to be a superfood, this powder is made from naturally-dried moringa leaves and has a mild, spinach like flavor. These bright green leaves are dried at low temperatures and ground into a fine consistency. This powder is screened to remove impurities before being packaged into capsules or sealed for transport across the world. Surprisingly, moringa leaf powder remains fresh and retains most of its health benefits, even after sitting on store shelves for several months. In fact, dried moringa leaf powder is actually more valuable than fresh because of how concentrated the nutrients are.
Though it’s been used in natural medicine for thousands of years, modern nutrition science is only starting to catch up on everything that dried moringa leaf powder can do for your body.
The 20 Best Benefits of Moringa Leaf Powder
Those that have tried moringa leaf powder know what difference it makes for their overall diet. This soft, fluffy powder has a host of positive health benefits that make it well worth adding to your cooking repertoire.
Below are our 14 biggest benefits of using moringa leaf powder in your daily life.
1. Lots of Nutrition: Ounce for ounce, moringa leaf powder has an impressive nutritional profile. Each serving has:
- All nine essential amino acids for building protein (2 grams)
- 31% daily fiber requirements
- 19% vitamin B6
- 12% vitamin C
- 11% iron
- 11% riboflavin (vitamin B2)
- 9% vitamin A (from beta-carotene)
- 8% magnesium
Unlike synthetic combinations of these nutrients, moringa leaf powder makes them bioavailable, meaning that your body will be able to absorb the majority of them.
2. Boosts Stamina: Because dried moringa powder provides your body with a complete blend of nutrients that include vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants, it works well as a supplement to improve your energy levels and increase concentration. Whether you want to improve your focus before a big test or dig deeper before a sports competition, moringa powder can help you get there physically and mentally.
The stamina improvement properties of moringa comes from its iron, calcium and magnesium content, which are all essential for reducing physical fatigue and preventing your body from suffering from anemia.
3. Controls Diabetes: Thanks to its nutritional properties and low sugar content, moringa leaf powder is great for people with diabetes and makes for a cost-effective home remedy to keep blood sugar counts low.
4. High in Antioxidants: Because it is rich in catechin polyphenols, moringa leaf power has power antioxidant properties to keep free radicals at bay and prevent cells from undergoing cancerous mutations. These antioxidants also stave off cell damage due to inflammation and oxidative stress, which keeps your skin looking younger and healthier over time. Best of all, moringa leaves seem to be the best place to take advantage of its antioxidant content, as a study found that they had higher antioxidant activity than the flowers and seeds.
5. Lowers Cholesterol: By inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots, moringa leaf powder is effective for lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol levels throughout your blood stream.
6. Natural Insomnia Remedy: A few servings of moringa powder can relax your body, lower your blood pressure and soothe your mind, making it a smart choice for relieving insomnia and treating sleeping disorders.
7. Detoxifies Your Body: Because moringa leaf powder is a natural coagulant agent, it can easily attach itself to dangerous bacteria in your body in order to remove it and prevent it from compromising your immune system.
8. Treats Depression: If you suffer from bouts of depression, moringa leaf powder can ease your symptoms and treat anxiety as well. Simply supplement the powder into your diet and you’ll notice changes after a few weeks.
9. Good for Pregnant Women And Lactating Mothers: Thanks to its impressive nutritional profile, moringa leaf powder is a smart supplement for pregnant or lactating mothers. In fact, six daily spoonful’s can easily satisfy their iron and calcium needs.
10. Treats Minor Infections: Surprisingly enough, moringa leaf powder can also be used topically to treat bacterial and fungal infections to stop them from spreading and getting out of control.
11. Improves Immunity: By providing your body with what it needs to thrive, moringa leaf powder supports the functioning of your immune system to help it keep invaders from coming in.
12. Delays Ageing Process: Do you want to look younger for longer? Moringa powder can make a difference when taken both internally and topically. You can smooth some powder directly on your face for a smooth complexion or mix it into your favorite facial cream for extra benefits. Used externally, moringa powder may help pack antioxidant benefits directly into your skin cells.
13. Heals Wounds: Due to its antimicrobial properties, moringa leaf power can heal cuts and wounds quickly while fighting off infections, making it effective against strains of bacteria that thrive inside your bloodstream. In the same way, the moringa tree’s leaves, seeds and roots all have blood clotting properties, making it easier for you to seal up wounds for good.
14. Keeps Hair Beautiful: Odds are good that you’re relying on a wide variety of products to keep your hair beautiful every day, but adding moringa leaf powder to your routine might make a major difference. Health problems are often first noticed in the hair, but by providing your body with total nutrition you can keep your locks looking their best. The vitamins and minerals within this leaf are important for the formation of keratin protein, an essential component of healthy hair.
15. Improves Hair Growth: Getting the right amount of oxygenated nutrients to your hair is critically important for its overall growth, and moringa powder is equipped to provide your bloodstream with what your hair most needs. Its high levels of vitamin A mean that moringa powder works to prevent dry s, dandruff and general scalp thickening, while vitamins E and C work to improve scalp circulation.
16. Protects the Liver: Due to its high concentrations of polyphenols, moringa leaf powder is a strong protection for the liver against toxicity and general damage. By reducing and reversing oxidation, moringa can minimize liver damage and fibrosis, making it easier for the liver to get the protein content it needs.
17. Filled with Fiber: Because each serving of moringa contains 30% fiber, eating some regularly will help support a healthy digestive system while letting you feel fuller for longer, helping you lose weight in the process.
18. Better Eyesight: It’s easy to take your eyesight for granted, but you’re sure to notice the second it gets compromised. Moringa leaves have plenty of vitamin A for keeping your eyes working as well as they can.
19. Stronger Teeth: Because it’s such a rich source of magnesium, moringa powder is an excellent daily supplement for maintaining healthy teeth.
20. Sturdier Bones: Keeping your bones in top shape is an essential part of overall health, and moringa leaves provide the nutrition you need to support and maintain their structure.
How to Use Moringa Leaf Powder: 7 Ways
There are as many ways to use moringa leaf powder as there are benefits from using it, but this list is designed to help you know how to get started putting this powerful powder to use. While there’s no recommended dosage of moringa powder at this time, it’s important to remember how concentrated the nutrients are in dried and powdered form, so sticking to a tablespoon or two is a smart idea.
- Tea: The simplest way to take moringa is by drinking it seeped in tea. Moringa powder has an earthy taste that’s similar to matcha tea (with a slightly horseradishesque undertone), and it can be drunk on its own or mixed into a variety of drinks. As your body adjusts to the flavor and impacts, it’s smart to start out slow and take the powder just a few times a week. You can then increase your intake over several months.
- Smoothies: To increase the nutritional quality of your smoothies, add a scoop or two of moringa leaf powder to the mix.
- Honey Coconut Tea: You can mix the powder with honey and coconut milk to get a powerful dosage throughout the week.
- Mixed in eggs: Add a scoop to your scramble for superfood benefits!
- Meatloaf: Incorporate some moringa into your recipe and you’ll never even notice it.
- Pasta sauce: Moringa powder blends well into tomato-based sauces, though be sure to add it near the end of the cooking period so that you don’t cook out the nutrients.
- Salad dressing: Add some zest to your fresh greens by adding in moringa powder
Possible Negative Side Effects of Moringa Leaf Powder
Moringa might be a superfood, but that doesn’t mean that everyone responds well to it. There are some side effects that are common for certain people, meaning that it’s important to start slowly with moringa so that you have a chance to see how your body responds to it.
Moringa leaves are generally considered safe to eat, but cheap powder mixes might contain bits of the stems and roots, which have been found to occasionally have harmful effects for women. In some cases, overexposure to moringa has acted as a contraceptive and even led to miscarriages.
For some people, moringa can have laxative effects and mess with the comfort of their digestive systems. There’s also some evidence that moringa might contain high levels of antinutrients, which are substances that reduce the absorption rate or minerals and protein in the powder.
Sometimes, cheap forms of moringa powder are cut with synthetic ingredients that are largely unregulated and can lead to allergies and other health problems. However, buying a pure, high grade form of moringa leaf powder and building up your tolerance slowly is an almost foolproof way to add it to your life, though nursing or pregnant mothers might still want to stay away. Just make sure you follow proper dosage recommendations before you begin.
Where to Buy Moringa Leaf Powder
It’s easier than ever to get a supply of high quality moringa, as this super tree has never been more popular. However, it’s important to check out your supplier carefully, as not all moringa is created equally.
We investigated the following five suppliers and found that they met our standards for high quality, pure moringa leaf powder, so you can feel confident checking them out.