Why You Should Add Moringa to Your Diet — and How to Grow it at Home

Moringa is the latest superfood, said to do everything from helping you to lose weight to prevent cancer. But it's important to separate the excitement from the facts.

Moringa is a tree native to India and goes by the names drumstick tree, horseradish tree and ben oil tree. "There are a lot of suggestions about its potential," says Seattle-based registered dietitian Ginger Hultin, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and owner of Champagne Nutrition. "People are especially using it for lowering cholesterol and managing diabetes."

Moringa is good for you, containing essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, potassium and iron, according to the USDA. One cup (21 grams) of chopped Moringa leaves contains 13 calories and 2 grams of protein as well as all nine essential amino acids. Almost the whole plant is edible including the seeds, leaves and flowers. Very low in calories and carbohydrates, Moringa can be eaten fresh or in a powdered supplement.

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According to a September 2017 study published in the International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition, both the leaves and the seeds contain important nutrients that have the potential to significantly improve health and combat malnutrition. Moringa grows in tropical and hot, dry climates, and is resistant to drought, making it even more valuable to regions where malnutrition is prevalent.

Moringa leaves contain an antioxidant called chlorogenic acid, which is also one of the antioxidants in coffee and green coffee bean extract. Chlorogenic acid could potentially support weight loss by balancing blood sugar and by acting as a fat burner, but comprehensive human studies are limited.

When laboratory mice were fed chlorogenic acid, they lost more weight, lowered their insulin levels as well as triglycerides and cholesterol compared to animals that didn't supplement with the antioxidant, reported a March 2010 study in Food and Chemical Toxicology.

In a very small human study of 12 participants published in 2007 in the Journal of International Medical Research, chlorogenic acid was able to reduce participants' glucose absorption, leading the researchers to conclude that long-term use of chlorogenic acid can aid in weight loss.

In a University of Bridgeport study, 140 overweight participants were given a supplement containing Moringa along with other plant compounds, in addition to walking 30 minutes a day and eating an 1,800-calorie diet. After 16 weeks, the supplemented group showed reductions in body weight compared to the placebo group. While promising, more research has to be done before the weight loss properties of Moringa are proven definitively.

You can use fresh leaves or buy Moringa powder, which is likely easier to find. "Anytime you have a concentrated source like powder, it will be more potent," Hultin notes. However, even though supplements are made from whole leaves, some of the vitamin C and vitamin B6 may be lost during processing.

Try adding a scoop of the dried powder to smoothies or mix it into soups and curries. The leaves can be steeped in hot water to make tea or added to a mixed greens salads. "The leaves would be great to add to guacamole or even as a garnish for a creamy soup," Hultin says, referring to their radish-like flavor.

Read more: How to Determine if a Vitamin or Supplement Is Actually Right for You

Despite being rare in the U.S., Moringa trees are fast-growing and easy for a home gardener. For folks who live in Hardiness Zones 9 to 10, the plants can be grown outside. For those in cooler climates, potted trees work best as long as you move them indoors when temperatures dip below 70° Fahrenheit.

Here's how to grow Moringa from seeds:

1. Germinate the seeds by soaking them in water for 24 hours. Place the seeds in damp paper towels in a plastic baggie.
2. Once the shoots break out of the seed, plant them one-inch deep in well-draining soil that is five percent sand, in a pot at least 18 inches deep. The seedlings are delicate at first, so try to get them in the soil before the shoots grow too long. Even if you plan to transfer them, it's best to start them in a pot for the first eight weeks.
3. Place the pot in direct sunlight and keep the soil moist, but do not overwater.
4. If you plan to keep the tree indoors, make sure to prune. Left to their own devices, Moringa trees will grow tall and less leafy.
   
5. If you live in a tropical climate, you can transplant outdoors once the tree is about two feet tall. Healthy trees will produce more than 400 seed pods per year, and a bounty of leaves.