Moringa Gateway

Author(s): Schapansky S, C Moravec, Dr. E Laca
Published in: .   Oct 22, 2008

Moringa oleifera trees are known for their many nutritional and medicinal uses. Farmers and agriculturists have been searching for the most effective way in which to store Moringa seeds as well as to plant and grow the trees.

Researchers have studied this topic using two groups of sixty-six seeds each in an experiment concerning the level of water within the seeds. The first group of seeds was put in a container with a relative humidity of twenty-five percent for three days. The second group was put into de-ionized water for twelve hours at one hundred percent water potential. Each group was then weighed. This weight was then compared to the original weight of the seeds.

The effects of the environment and its level of humidity on the Moringa seeds is useful knowledge for Moringa farmers. This information can help them in the future to store the seeds at a particular humidity level, aiding in the services the plants provide.

Author(s): Fahey J
Published in: Trees for Life Journal.   Dec 1, 2005
Volume: 1 Article number: 5
Free Article: http://www.tfljournal.org/article.php/20051201124931586

In the last 20 years, there have been numerous reports in mainstream scientific journals and popular literature describing Moringa oleifera’s nutritional, therapeutic and prophylactic properties. Some of these findings are anecdotal, while others arrive via the routes of indigenous tribal medicine and non-peer reviewed sources. In order to determine the integrity of these claims, the author, a dedicated Moringa researcher, has initiated and called for a thorough scientific investigation. In this way the much needed, cost effective and validated nutritional/phytochemical information may be made accessible to the researcher, field worker and lay communities.

This article is the first of a series of four planned papers on this topic. Citations of moringa’s health effects are summarized at the end of the article in a tabular format and the strength of evidence discussed in very general terms. Based on literature survey, 169 collated references are categorized by the disease treated and/or the major health effects that are prevented; for e.g. asthma treatment, cancer therapy / protection, circulatory/endocrine disorders, etc. Each reference is also correlated with the associated moringa plant part that effects these benefits.

Author(s): Jahey FW
Published in: Trees for Life Journal.   Dec 1, 2005
Volume: n/a
Free Article: http://www.tfljournal.org/article.php/20051201124931586

Moringa oleifera has many touted uses in folk medicine. There has been some research accomplished to attempt to back up these claims, but they prove inadequate for two reasons. The author calls to stop this problem by doing human test and having control groups in studies in order to have something with which to compare the results.

Author(s): Fletcher, Dr Rob
Published in: Australian New Crops.   Sep 26, 2005
Issue: Listing of Useful Plants in the World

This is a chart depicting the amount of papers, articles and mentions that Moringa oleifera has received from the years 1960 to 1996. Also compiled in this document is a long list of authors of articles and papers from which these statistics were gathered. Overall, the chart shows a total of 43 papers/mentions on M. oleifera.

Author(s): Sharma, S.K., H.O. Agarwal, Dharam Pal, Dr Bikhchandani
Published in: The Himalaya Drug Co..   Sep 19, 2005

A study was performed on the effects of septilin, an antibiotic tablet containing extracts from various plants, including Moringa pterygosperma (full list included in article), known for their antibiotical and nutritional properties, on various dermatological conditions. Septilin was used as an experimental substitute for other antibiotics that are much more costly and have side effects, which septilin has yet to show. Of the seven conditions tested, only one (chronic folliculitis) showed a significant amount of improvement in the subjects, while second was the disease acne vulgaris, in which half of the conditions improved. It was concluded that septilin only proves effective on chronic dermatological conditions.

Author(s): Dass, M.R.
Published in: The Himalaya Drug Co..   Sep 19, 2005

This study explores the antibiotic properties of septilin, a tablet containing extracts and concentrations of several plants, including Moringa pterygosperma, known for their medicinal and nutritional uses (full list of composition of septilin is present in the article). In this study, the effects of septilin on chronic tonsillitis were examined, compared with the results of the antibiotic co-trimozaxole. Study results showed that in treating tonsillitis, the septilin tablet was more effective than the antibiotic, though it did not prove neither a cure for tonsillitis or an effective means of avoiding tonsillectomy, and did not show any adverse effects for prolonged used.

Author(s): Reyes Sanchez, Nadir, Eva Sporndly, Inger Ledin
Published in: Livestock Science.   Sep 9, 2005
Free Article: http://www.moringanews.org/documents/LivestProd.pdf

From a long-term perspective, traditional systems of milk and beef production in Nicaragua are often economically marginal and unsustainable. In the six months of dry period, each year, grass yield is generally insufficient to satisfy the nutritional requirements of animals. The nutritional stress of this consequently decreases animal productivity. Supplementation with concentrates during the dry season is not generally profitable because it is expensive. Moringa grows in all types of soil from acidic to alkaline, and at altitudes from sea level to 1800 m.
This study, conducted in Nicaragua, tests the effect of feeding varying amounts of Moringa. Six cows were used and were fed as follows: hay only, hay with 2 kg dry mass of Moringa, and hay with 3 kg dry mass of Moringa. Hay and Moringa were offered in separate troughs to individual cows. The cows that ate the most Moringa had higher total intake, higher milk production, and higher dietary digestibility. Milk production increased although quality of the milk remained unchanged.

Author(s): Reyes Sanchez, Nadir
Published in: Doctoral Thesis-Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.   Sep 9, 2005
Free Article: http://www.moringanews.org/documents/LivestProd.pdf

Two things were studied in this thesis: 1. the effects of feeding Moringa to cattle as a supplement on their milk production, weight, milk quality, and digestibility, and 2. the best way to grow Moringa for maximum biomass and nutritional yield. The results indicated that when fed to cows as a supplement to their regular feed, Moringa resulted in higher food intake, weight gain, and higher milk production. The milk quality remained the same. The best way to grow Moringa for maximum biomass and nutrition was in high densities at 50-75 plants per square meter, and harvested at 75 day intervals.

Author(s): Johnson BC
Published in: KOS Health Publications.   Aug 15, 2005

Moringa oleifera contains significant amounts of nutrients that have potential benefits for various populations. The articles describes in what cases the plant can be used to replace vitamins and nutrients lost when taking medications. It also has the ability of being a low-calorie nutritional supplement for those on a diet.

Author(s): Costa-Lotufo, LV, MTH Khan, A Ather, D V Wilke, P C Jimenez, C. Pessoa, ME Amaral de Moraes, M Odorico de Moraes
Published in: Journal of Ethno-Pharmacology.   Jan 1, 2005
Volume: 99 Pages: 21-30
Free Abstract: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T8D-4FNW4NR-2&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=d1c4fce4508a322be73a87cfa9b39643

Studies of the Anticancer Potential of Plants used in Bangladeshi Folk Medicine by Costa-Lotufo, et al, focuses on the potential of 11 natural extracts from Bangladeshi plants and their potential use as anti-cancer drugs. Extracts from the plants were tested against murine melanoma, human colon carcinoma, and tumor cell lines (leukemia in children).
Extracts obtained from Moringa oleifera possessed moderate inhibitory activity on sea urchin egg development. They also possessed cytotoxic activity, especially against drug-sensitive lines in leukemia and melanoma. Eight of the eleven tested species of plants in Bangladeshi folk medicine presented some activity. However, according to the criteria of the American Cancer Institute, out of the eleven natural extracts only those from Moringa oleifera and Aegles marmelos can be considered as potential sources of anti-cancer compounds. The article calls for further studies.