Moringa (Moringa oleifera L.): An underutilized and traditionally valued tree holding remarkable potential
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24154/jhs.v16i1.1073Keywords:
Antioxidants, Fodder, Livestock, Malnutrition, Moringa, Nutrients, PharmaceuticalAbstract
Moringa (Moringa oleifera L.) commonly known as “drumstick tree” belongs to the family Moringaceae. It is now grown worldwide but its native region is India. It is a fast-growing tree that responds to low inputs and has high regeneration potential after cutting. Its nutritional value and capacity to grow economically in different soils and environmental conditions make it a wonder tree. It is highly nutritious and each part is being utilized in various forms. It is widely cultivated for its young pods, flowers, and leaves for use as traditional herbal medicine and vegetable. It is also used by indigenous people in the tropics and sub-tropics as a source of remedies. The leaves are also used as a source of fodder in many countries of the world as they can sustain green fodder availability around the year without extra efforts. Various parts of this tree are good sources of ascorbic acid, calcium, iron, protein, and antioxidant compounds. Hence, its remarkable properties help to fight nutritional deficiency, human diseases and improve the performance of livestock.
References
Abalaka, M. E., Olonitola, O. S., Onaolapo, J. A. and Inabo, H. I. 2009. Evaluation of acute toxicity of Momordica charantia extract, using wistar rats to determine safety levels and usefulness of the plant in ethnochemotherapy. Int. J. App. Sci., 3: 1-6.
Abubakar, B. Y., Wusirika, R., Muazu, S., Khan, A. U. and Adamu, A. K. 2011. Detection of variability using RAPD markers in some accessions of Moringa oleifera lam. In northern Nigeria. Int. J. Botany, 7:237-242.
Aharwal, B., Roy, B., Lakhani, G. P., Baghel, R. P. S., Saini, K. P. S. and Yadav, A. 2018. Effect of Moringa oleifera Leaf Meal on Feed Intake and Growth Performance of Murrah Buffalo Calves. Int J Curr Microbiol Appl Sci., 7: 1960-1973.
Ahn, J. H., Robertson, B. M., Elliott, R., Gutteridge, R. C. and Ford, C. W. 1989. Quality assessment of tropical browse legumes: Tannin content and protein degradation. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol., 27: 147-156.
Alam, M., Alam, M., Hakim, M., Abdul Huq, A., Obidul Moktadir, S. and Golam. 2014. Development of fiber enriched herbal biscuits: a preliminary study on sensory evaluation and chemical composition. Int. J. Nutr. Food Sci., 3:246-250.
Anjorin, T. S., Ikokoh, P. and Okolo, S. 2010. Mineral composition of Moringa oleifera leaves, pods and seeds from two regions in Abuja, Nigeria. Int. J. Agric. Biol., 12: 431-434.
Anwar, F. S., Latif, M., Ashraf and Gilani, A. H. 2007. Moringa oleifera: A food plant with multiple medicinal uses. Phytother. Res., 21: 17-25.
Arise, A. K., Arise, R. O., Sanusi, M. O., Esan, O.T. and Oyeyinka, S. A. 2014. Effect of Moringa oleifera flower fortification on the nutritional quality and sensory properties of weaning food. Croat. J. Food Sci. Technol., 6: 65-71.
Babayeju, A., Gbadebo, C., Obalowu, M., Otunola, G., Nmom, I., Kayode, R., Toye, A. and Ojo, F. 2014. Comparison of organoleptic properties of egusi and eforiro soup blends produced with Moringa and spinach leaves. Food Sci. and Qual. Manage., 28: 15-18.
Bennett, R. N., Mellon, F. A., Foidl, N., Pratt, J. H., DuPont, M. S. and Perkins L. 2003. Profiling glucosinolates and phenolics in vegetative and reproductive tissues of the multi-purpose trees Moringa oleifera L. (Horseradish tree) and Moringa stenopetala. J Agric Food Chem, 51: 3546-3553.
Brisibe, E. A., Umoren, U. E., Brisibe, F., Magalhaes, P. M., Ferreira, J. F. S., Luthria, D., Wu, X. and Prior, R. L. 2009. Nutritional characterization and antioxidant capacity of different tissues of Artemisia annua L. Food Chem., 115:1240- 1246.
Chandan, R. C. 2006. History and consumption trends, In: Manufacturing Yogurt and Fermented Milks, edited by RC Chandan, (Blackwell Publishing, Ames, IA, USA), 3-15.
Cheenpracha, S., Park, E. J., Yoshida, W. Y., Barit, C., Wall, M., Pezzuto, J. M. and Chang, L. C. 2010. Potential anti inflammatory phenolic glycosides from the medicinal plant Moringa oleifera fruits. Bioorg. Med. Chem., 18: 6598-6602.
Chinma, C., Abu, J. and Akoma, S. 2014. Effect of germinated tiger nut and Moringa flour blends on the quality of wheat-based bread. J. Food Process. Preserv., 38: 721-727.
Chumark, P., Khunawat, P., Sanvarinda, Y., Phornchirasilp, S., Morales, N. P., Phivthongngam, L., Ratanachamnong, P., Srisawat, S. and Pongrapeeporn, K. U. 2008. The in vitro and ex vivo antioxidant properties, hypolipidaemic and anti-atherosclerotic activities of water extract of Moringa oleifera Lam. Leaves. J. Ethnopharmacol., 116: 439-446.
Da Silva, A. V. C., Dos Santos, A. R. F., Ledo, A. D. S., Feitosa, R. B., Almeida, C. S., Da Silva, G. M. and Rangel, M. S. A. 2012. Moringa genetic diversity from germplasm bank using RAPD markers. Trop. Subtrop. Agroecosystems, 15: 31-39.
Dan Malam, H., Abubakar, Z. and Katsayal, U. 2001. Pharmacognosostic studies on the leaves of Moringa Oleifera. Niger J. Nat. Prod. Med., 5: 45-49.
Dania, S. O., Akpansubi, P. and Eghagara, O. O. 2014. Comparative Effects of different fertilizer sources on the growth and nutrient content of moringa (Moringa oleifera) seedling in a greenhouse trial. Adv Agric., 5: 67-72.
Fahey, J.W. 2005. Moringa oleifera: A review of the medicinal evidence for its nutritional, therapeutic, and prophylactic properties, Part 1. Trees Life J, 1: 5.
Ferrao, A. M. B. C. and Mendez, F. J. E. 1970. Acidos gordos em oleo de Moringueiro (Moringa oleifera Lam.). Agronomia Angolana, 8: 3-16.
Ferreira, P. M. P., Davi, F. F., Jose, T. A. O. and Ana, F. U. C. 2008. Moringa oleifera: bioactive compounds and nutritional potential. Annu. Rev. Nutr., 21: 431-437.
Foidl, N., Harinder, P. S., Markar, P. and Becker, K. 2001. The potential of Moringa oleifera for agricultural and Industrial uses. In: The miracle tree: The multiple attributes of moringa, edited by LJ Fuglie, (Dakar Senegal: Church World Service), 45-76.
Folkard, G. and Sutherland, J. 1996. Moringa oleifera: a tree and a litany of potential. Agrofor. today, 8:5-8.
Fuglie, L. J. 2000. New uses of Moringa studied in Nicaragua. ECHO Development Notes-68.
Fuglie, L. J. 2005. The Moringa Tree: A local solution to malnutrition. Church World Service in Senegal, 5:75.
Fujihara, T., Kakengi, A., Shem, M. and Sarwatt, S. 2005. Can Moringa oleifera be used as a protein supplement for ruminants? Asian- Australas J Anim Sci., 18:42.
Ganesan, S. K., Singh, R., Debjani, R. C., Jyoti, B., Veena, G. and Avinash, S. 2014. Genetic diversity and population structure study of drumstick (Moringa oleifera Lam.) using morphological and SSR markers. Ind Crops Prod, 60:316-325.
Ghasi, S., Nwobodo, E. and Ofili, J.O. 2000. Hypocholesterolemic effects of crude extract of leaf of Moringa oleifera Lam. In high-fat diet fed wistar rats. J. Ethnopharmacol, 69: 2-5.
Hekmat, S., Morgan, K., Soltani, M. and Gough, R. 2015. Sensory evaluation of locally-grown fruit purees and inulin fibre on probiotic yogurt in Mwanza, Tanzania and the microbial analysis of probiotic yogurt fortified with Moringa oleifera. J Health Popul Nutr, 33: 60-67.
Hermogenes, M. P., Rina, Q. P., Christian, B. and Rudy, C. 2014. Utilization and evaluation of Moringa oleifera L. as poultry feeds. APCBEE Procedia, 8: 343-347.
Jung, I. L. 2014. Soluble extract from Moringa oleifera leaves with a new anticancer activity, PloS One, 9: 1-10.
Kader, M. M. and Shanmugavelu, K. G. 1982. Studies on the performance of annual drumstick (Moringa pterygosperma Gaertn.) at Coimbatore conditions. South Indian Hortic., 30:95-99.
Kantharajah, A. S. and Dodd, W. A. 1991. Rapid clonal propagation of Moringa oleifera. South Indian Hortic., 39: 224-228.
Kasolo, J. N., Bimenya, G. S., Ojok, L., Ochieng, J. and Ogwal-okeng, J. W. 2010. Phytochemicals and uses of Moringa oleifera leaves in Ugandan rural communities. J. Med. Plant Res., 4: 753-757.
Kolawole, F., Balogun, M., Opaleke, D. and Amali, H. 2013. An evaluation of nutritional and sensory qualities of wheat- Moringa cake. Agrosearch, 13: 87-94.
Kumar, A. R., Prabhu, M., Ponnuswami, V., Lakshmanan, V. and Nithyadevi, A. 2014. Scientific seed production techniques in moringa. Agric. Rev., 35: 69-73.
Kumar, R. 1992. Antinutritional factors. The potential risks of toxicity and the methods to alleviate them. In: Legume Trees and Other Fodder Trees as Protein Source for Livestock, edited by AW Speedy & PL Pugliese, (FAO, Rome), 1992, 145-160.
Da Silva, A. V. C., Dos Santos, A. R. F., Ledo, A. D. S., Feitosa, R. B., Almeida, C. S., Da Silva, G. M. and Rangel, M. S. A. 2012. Moringa genetic diversity from germplasm bank using RAPD markers. Trop. Subtrop. Agroecosystems, 15: 31-39.
Dan Malam, H., Abubakar, Z. and Katsayal, U. 2001. Pharmacognosostic studies on the leaves of Moringa Oleifera. Niger J. Nat. Prod. Med., 5: 45-49.
Dania, S. O., Akpansubi, P. and Eghagara, O. O. 2014. Comparative Effects of different fertilizer sources on the growth and nutrient content of moringa (Moringa oleifera) seedling in a greenhouse trial. Adv Agric., 5: 67-72.
Fahey, J.W. 2005. Moringa oleifera: A review of the medicinal evidence for its nutritional, therapeutic, and prophylactic properties, Part 1. Trees Life J, 1: 5.
Ferrao, A. M. B. C. and Mendez, F. J. E. 1970. Acidos gordos em oleo de Moringueiro (Moringa oleifera Lam.). Agronomia Angolana, 8: 3-16.
Ferreira, P. M. P., Davi, F. F., Jose, T. A. O. and Ana, F. U. C. 2008. Moringa oleifera: bioactive compounds and nutritional potential. Annu. Rev. Nutr., 21: 431-437.
Foidl, N., Harinder, P. S., Markar, P. and Becker, K. 2001. The potential of Moringa oleifera for agricultural and Industrial uses. In: The miracle tree: The multiple attributes of moringa, edited by LJ Fuglie, (Dakar Senegal: Church World Service), 45-76.
Folkard, G. and Sutherland, J. 1996. Moringa oleifera: a tree and a litany of potential. Agrofor. today, 8:5-8.
Fuglie, L. J. 2000. New uses of Moringa studied in Nicaragua. ECHO Development Notes-68.
Fuglie, L. J. 2005. The Moringa Tree: A local solution to malnutrition. Church World Service in Senegal, 5:75.
Fujihara, T., Kakengi, A., Shem, M. and Sarwatt, S. 2005. Can Moringa oleifera be used as a protein supplement for ruminants? Asian-Australas J Anim Sci., 18:42.
Ganesan, S. K., Singh, R., Debjani, R. C., Jyoti, B., Veena, G. and Avinash, S. 2014. Genetic diversity and population structure study of drumstick (Moringa oleifera Lam.) using morphological and SSR markers. Ind Crops Prod, 60:316-325.
Ghasi, S., Nwobodo, E. and Ofili, J.O. 2000. Hypocholesterolemic effects of crude extract of leaf of Moringa oleifera Lam. In high-fat diet fed wistar rats. J. Ethnopharmacol, 69: 2-5.
Hekmat, S., Morgan, K., Soltani, M. and Gough, R. 2015. Sensory evaluation of locally-grown fruit purees and inulin fibre on probiotic yogurt in Mwanza, Tanzania and the microbial analysis of probiotic yogurt fortified with Moringa oleifera. J Health Popul Nutr, 33: 60-67.
Hermogenes, M. P., Rina, Q. P., Christian, B. and Rudy, C. 2014. Utilization and evaluation of Moringa oleifera L. as poultry feeds. APCBEE Procedia, 8: 343-347.
Jung, I. L. 2014. Soluble extract from Moringa oleifera leaves with a new anticancer activity, PloS One, 9: 1-10.
Kader, M. M. and Shanmugavelu, K. G. 1982. Studies on the performance of annual drumstick (Moringa pterygosperma Gaertn.) at Coimbatore conditions. South Indian Hortic., 30:95-99.
Kantharajah, A. S. and Dodd, W. A. 1991. Rapid clonal propagation of Moringa oleifera. South Indian Hortic., 39: 224-228.
Kasolo, J. N., Bimenya, G. S., Ojok, L., Ochieng, J. and Ogwal-okeng, J. W. 2010. Phytochemicals and uses of Moringa oleifera leaves in Ugandan rural communities. J. Med. Plant Res., 4: 753-757.
Kolawole, F., Balogun, M., Opaleke, D. and Amali, H. 2013. An evaluation of nutritional and sensory qualities of wheat- Moringa cake. Agrosearch, 13: 87-94.
Kumar, A. R., Prabhu, M., Ponnuswami, V., Lakshmanan, V. and Nithyadevi, A. 2014. Scientific seed production techniques in moringa. Agric. Rev., 35: 69-73.
Kumar, R. 1992. Antinutritional factors. The potential risks of toxicity and the methods to alleviate them. In: Legume Trees and Other Fodder Trees as Protein Source for Livestock, edited by AW Speedy & PL Pugliese, (FAO, Rome), 1992, 145-160.
NRC. 1996. Nutrient requirements of beef cattle. 7th Revised edition. National Research Council, (National Academy Press, Washington DC, USA).
Oliveira, J. T. A., Silvana, B. S., Ilka, M. V., Benildo, S. C. and Renato, A. M. 1999. Compositional and nutritional attributes of seeds from the multiple purpose tree Moringa oleifera Lam. J. Sci . Food Agric., 79: 815-820.
Otsyina, R. and Dzowela, B. 1995. Importance of Leucaena in Africa. In: Leucaena psyllid: A Threat to Agroforestry in Africa, edited by Ciesla WM & Nshubemuki L, (FAO, Rome).
Padulosi, S., Thompson, J. and Rudebjer, P. 2013. Fighting poverty, hunger and malnutrition with neglected and underutilized species (NUS): needs, challenges and the way forward, Bioversity International, Rome.
Palada, M. C., Chang, L. C., Yang, R. Y. and Engle, L. M. 2007. Introduction and varietal screening of drumstick tree (Moringa spp.) for horticultural traits and adaptation in Taiwan, Acta Horticulturae, 752: 249-253.
Patwardhan, B. 2000. Ayurveda: the designer medicine. Indian Drugs, 37: 213-227.
Peter, K.V. 1978. Drumstick-A rare Indian tree. Indian Farmers Digest, 11: 12.
Price, M. L. 2000. The Moringa tree. ECHO Technical Note, http://www.echonet.org.
Radek, M. and Savage, G. P. 2008. Oxalates in some Indian green leafy vegetables. Int. J. Food Sci. Nutr., 59: 246-260.
Raja, S., Bagle, B. G. and More, T. A. 2013. Drumst ick (Moringa oleifera Lam.) improvement for semiarid and arid ecosystem: Analysis of environmental stability for yield. J. Plant Breed. Crop Sci., 5: 164-170.
Rajangam, J., Azahakia Manavalan, R. S., Thangaraj, T., Vijayakuma r, A. and Muthukrishan, N. 2001. Status of production and utilisation of moringa in southern India. In: Proceedings of the 2001 Workshop on Developmental Potential for Moringa Products, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, October 20-November 2, 2001, 33-42.
Ramachandran, C., Peter, K. and Gopalakrishnan, P. 1980. Drumstick (Moringa oleifera)- a multipurpose Indian vegetable. Econ. Bot., 34: 276-283.
Richter, N., Siddhuraju, P. and Becker, K. 2003. Evaluation of nutritional quality of Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) leaves as an alternative protein source for Nile tilapia. Aquaculture, 217: 599-611.
Rockwood, J. L., Anderson, B. G., Casamatta, D. A. 2013. Potential uses of Moringa oleifera and an examination of antibiotic efficacy conferred by M. oleifera seed and leaf extracts using crude extraction techniques available to under served indigenous populations. Indian J Phytotherapy Res., 3: 61-71.
Rodrigo, R., Gonzalez, J. and Paoletto, F. 2011. The role of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of hypertension. Hypertens. Res., 34: 431-440.
Rollof, H. , Lang, U. and Stimm, B. 2009. Enzyklopadie der Holzgewachse, Handbuchund Atlas der Dendrologie, 1: 8.
Rufai, S., Hanafi, M. M., Rafii, M. Y., Ahmad, S., Arolu, I. W. and Ferdous, J. 2013. Genetic dissection of new genotypes of drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera Lam.) using random amplified polymorphic DNA marker. Biomed Res. Int., 1-6.
Sachan, A., Meena, A. K., Kaur, R., Pal, B. and Singh, B. 2010. Moringa oleifera: A Review. J Pharmacy Res., 3:-842.
Saini, R., Prashanth, K. H., Shetty, N. and Giridhar, P. 2014a. Elicitors, SA and MJ enhance carotenoids and tocopherol biosynthesis and expression of antioxidant related genes in Moringa oleifera Lam. Leaves. Acta Physiol. Plant., 36: 2695-2704.
Saini, R., Shetty, N., Prakash, M. and Giridhar, P. 2014b. Effect of dehydration methods on retention of carotenoids, tocopherols, ascorbic acid and antioxidant activity in Moringa oleifera leaves and preparation of a RTE product. J. Food Sci. Technol., 51: 2176-2182.
Saini, R. K., Saad, K. R., Ravishankar, G. A., Giridhar, P. and Shetty, N. P. 2013. Genetic diversity of commercially grown Moringa oleifera Lam. cultivars from India by RAPD, ISSR and cytochrome P450-based markers. Plant Syst. Evol., 299: 1205-1213.
Salem, H. B., Nefzaoui Salem, L. B. and Tisserand, J. L. 1999. Different means of administering polyethylene glycol to sheep: effect on the nutritive value of Acacia cyanophylla Lindl. Foliage. Anim. Sci., 68: 809-818.
Sanchez, N. R., Stig, L. and Inger, L. 2006. Biomass production and chemical composition of Moringa oleifera under different management regimes in Nicaragua. Agrofor. Syst., 66: 231-242.
Shahzad, U., Khan, M. A., Jaskani, M. J., Khan, I. A. and Korban, S. S. 2013. Genetic diversity and population structure of Moringa oleifera. Conserv. Genet., 14: 1161-1172.
Sharma, V., Paliwal, R., Janmeda, P. and Sharma, S. 2012. Chemopreventive efficacy of Moringa oleifera pods against 7, 12- dimethylbenz [a] anthracene induced hepatic carcinogenesis in mice. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 13: 2563-2569.
Siddhuraju, P. and Becker, K. 2003. Antioxidant properties of various solvent extracts of total phenolic constituents from three different agroclimatic origins of drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera Lam.) leaves. J. Agric. Food Chem., 51: 2144-2155.
Soliva, C. R., Kreuzer, M., Foidl, N., Foidl, G., Machmuller, A. and Hess, H. D. 2005. Feeding value of whole and extracted Moringa oleifera leaves for ruminants and their effects on ruminal fermentation in vitro. Anim. Feed Sci. Tech., 118: 47-62.
Stelwagen, K. 2003. Milk secretion and biosynthesis/lactose, In: Encyclopedia of Dairy Sciences, edited by Roginski H, Fuquay JW& Fox PF, (Academic Press, New York), 1842-1847.
Sultana, N., Alimon, A. R., Huque, K. S., Baba, M. and Hossain, J. 2015. Evaluation of Moringa Foliage (Moringa oleifera) as Goat Feed. Iran. J. Appl. Anim. Sci., 5:865-871.
Sutalangka , C. J., Wattanathorn, S. and Muchimapura, W. 2013. Thukham-mee, Moringa oleifera mitigates memory impairment and neuro-degeneration in animal model of age-related dementia. Oxid. Med. Cell Longev., 1-9.
Suthanthirapandian, I. R., Sambandamurthy, S. and Irulappan, I. 1989. Variations in seedling populations of annual moringa (Moringa pterygosperma Gaertn.). South Indian Hortic. 37: 301-302.
Teixeira, E. M., Carvalho, M. R., Neves, V. A., Silva, M. A. and Arantes-Pereira, L. 2014. Chemical characteristics and fractionation of proteins from Moringa oleifera Lam. Leaves. Food Chem., 15: 147-151.
Thurber, M. D. and Fahey, J. W. 2009. Adoption of Moringa oleifera to combat undernutrition viewed through the lens of the Diffusion of Innovations theory. Ecol Food Nutr, 48: 212-225.
Tiloke, C., Phulukdaree, A. and Chuturgoon, A. A. 2013. The antiproliferative effect of Moringa oleifera crude aqueous leaf extract on cancerous human alveolar epithelial cells. BMC Complement Altern. Med., 13: 226-233.
Waterman, C., Rojas-Silva, P., Tumer, T. B., Kuhn, P., Richard, A. J., Wicks, S., Stephens, J. M., Wang, Z., Mynatt, R., Cefalu, W. and Raskin, I. 2015. Isothiocyanate-rich Moringa oleifera extract reduces weight gain, insulin resistance, and hepatic gluconeogenesis in mice. Mol Nutr Food Res, 59: 1013-1024.
Yu, L., Parry, J. W. and Zhou, K. 2005. Oils from Herbs, Spices, and Fruit Seeds. In: Bailey’s Industrial Oil and Fat Products, Sixth Edition (John Wiley and Sons, Inc).
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Minakshi Jattan, N Kumari, Raj Kumar, A Kumar, B Rani, D S Phogat, S Kumar, P Kumar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright. Articles published are made available as open access articles, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. 
This journal permits and encourages authors to share their submitted versions (preprints), accepted versions (postprints) and/or published versions (publisher versions) freely under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license while providing bibliographic details that credit, if applicable.
How to Cite
. 
