THE MEDICINAL USES OF MORINGA OLEIFERA LEAVES

PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH
Phytother. Res. 21, 17–25 (2007)
Published online 6 November 2006 in Wiley InterScience
MORINGA OLEIFERA
(www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI: 10.1002/ptr.2023

17

REVIEW ARTICLE

Moringa oleifera: A Food Plant with
Multiple Medicinal Uses
Farooq Anwar1, Sajid Latif 1, Muhammad Ashraf 2 and Anwarul Hassan Gilani3*
1

Department of Chemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan
Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan
3
Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University Medical College, Karachi-74800, Pakistan
2

Moringa oleifera Lam (Moringaceae) is a highly valued plant, distributed in many countries of the tropics and subtropics. It has an impressive range of medicinal uses with high nutritional value. Different parts of this plant contain a profile of important minerals, and are a good source of protein, vitamins, β -carotene, amino acids and various phenolics. The Moringa plant provides a rich and rare combination of zeatin, quercetin, β sitosterol, caffeoylquinic acid and kaempferol. In addition to its compelling water purifying powers and high nutritional value, M. oleifera is very important for its medicinal value. Various parts of this plant such as the leaves, roots, seed, bark, fruit, flowers and immature pods act as cardiac and circulatory stimulants, possess antitumor, antipyretic, antiepileptic, antiinflammatory, antiulcer, antispasmodic, diuretic, antihypertensive, cholesterol lowering, antioxidant, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, antibacterial and antifungal activities, and are being employed for the treatment of different ailments in the indigenous system of medicine, particularly in South Asia. This review focuses on the detailed phytochemical composition, medicinal uses, along with pharmacological properties of different parts of this multipurpose tree. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons,
Ltd.
Keywords: Moringa oleifera;

References: The Wealth of India, 1962; Padmarao et al., 1996; Dahot, 1988; Ruckmani et al., 1998 Leave glandular swelling Morton, 1991; Fuglie, 2001; Makonnen et al., 1997; The Wealth of India, 1962; Dahot, 1988 Stem bark Bhatnagar et al., 1961; Siddhuraju and Becker, rheumatism Fuglie, 2001 1962; Bhattacharya et al., 1982; Dahot, 1998; Siddhuraju and Becker, 2003; Mehta et al., 2003 acetate phase of the ethanolic extract of Moringa pods Faizi et al., 1998; Lalas and Tsaknis, 2002 (The Wealth of India, 1962; Singh and Kumar, 1999; Morimitsu et al., 2000; Siddhuraju and Becker, 2003). The seeds of Moringa are considered to be antipyretic, acrid, bitter (Oliveira et al., 1999) and reported to show antimicrobial activity (The Wealth of India, 1962). Narasiah, 1998).