Moringa, also known as drumstick plant or horse-radish tree, was used as a dietary substance since ancient times. But we can see the references regarding the therapeutic usage of moringa in several Ayurvedic treatises. We can find the reference of moringa in Rigveda, Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, Ashtanga Hrudayam, Bhavaprakasha and Dhanvantari Nighantu.
Parts useful in moringa for medicinal purposes are root, root bark, stem bark, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds and oil.
Master Charaka, in his ancient Ayurvedic textbook Charaka Samhita, has categorized Moringa into following groups:
Charaka advises to use this herb for powder massage in case of pruritus, acne and urticaria.
In Sushruta Samhita and Ashtanga Hrudaya, moringa is included under the Varunadi Group of herbs. The Varunadi group of herbs are used for the treatment of obesity, water retention, PCOS, and kidney disorders associated with difficulty in urination.
The roots contain Moringin (alkaloids), Pterygospermin (Antibiotic element), Volatile oil. Also, pure stable oil can be extracted from the seeds.
Herb extract: 10-20 ml
Seed powder: 1-3 grams
Take the juice of moringa root and add jaggery to it. Mix it well and administer a drop of it to each nostril.
Take one whole drumstick and cut into small pieces. Prepare decoction by adding 16 parts of water, boil and reduce it to 1/4th part. Add a pinch of salt if required. Consume at night before food.
This is also beneficial in treating hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, lethargy, sexual debility etc.
Take 50 grams of the leaves, crush it and extract the juice. Instil 2 drops of juice into both the eyes.
Make a paste out of the leaves and apply it over the swollen part around the eyes.
Prepare a decoction out of the leaves and consume 60 ml twice daily. This helps in relieving dysmenorrhea and back ache.
Take 50 grams of Moringa flower. Cook well by adding salt and black pepper. Consume this curry along with lunch.
Root bark is made into a paste with water and applied over the affected area.
Grind the above three ingredients with water. Prepare tablets of 1 gram each with the mixture. Dosage: consume 1 tablet 2-3 times a day.
Prepare a decoction with roots of moringa and this decoction can be used for gargling.
Juice of moringa root and ginger root.
Dosage: 10-15 ml, morning and evening.
Prepare a paste of moringa root and apply it externally. This relieves pain and swelling.
Make a leaf paste and add lemon juice. This mixture should be applied all over the face. This face pack is useful in treating acne and black heads.
The soup prepared from drumstick pods is very much useful in treating the diseases of liver, spleen, pancreas etc. It is an aphrodisiac and also strengthens the bones and joints.
Ayurvedic books mentioned three varieties of Moringa. They are,
Qualities of black variety:
Qualities of white variety:
Qualities of red variety:
Moringa has analgesic action. That is why it is used in pain relieving oils like Murivenna oil and Kottamchukkadi oil.
As it is a good anti-inflammatory herb, Shothaghna lepa contains moringa. This medicine is useful in treating swelling, pain and redness.
Aragwadhadi kashayam contains moringa as it has a wound healing effect. Aragwadhadi kashayam is useful in abscess etc.
It is safe to consume moringa fruit during pregnancy. But its leaves, root bark and flowers should be avoided.
Also, it should not be consumed soon after delivery.
Moringa leaf powder can be readily consumed. In a research, 100 grams of powder was administered over a week. That is about 15 grams per day. The study was for the purpose of testing iron status of Senegalese lactating women.
However, for a healthy person, Moringa can be consumed in a dose of 3-5 grams, once or twice a day, before food.
It can be administered along with water or sesame oil for Vata balance, along with ghee for Pitta balance and with honey for Kapha balance.
Moringa powder can also be consumed in the form of decoction. To prepare the water decoction, a tablespoon of powder can be added to two cups of water, boil it till the water reduces to half a cup and then consume it. Here, the dose is half a cup per day.
Divya Sree M S. et al. / International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical and Nano Sciences. 4(1), 2015, 1- 9.
IJCRT1803240.pdf- Bhavaprakasha, Poorvakhanda, Mishra Prakarana, Guduchyadi Varga
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