When it comes to inflammation, there ain’t no holistic solution like turmeric. The active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, is a powerful antioxidant and is used to treat issues from acne to gut-imbalances and even as a supplement to cancer protocols.
But, there’s a new kid on the anti-inflammatory block that hails from Africa, Asia, South and Central America, and it’s rumoured to be even more powerful than turmeric. Here’s what you need to know about moringa:
It’s nutrient-dense AF
This hugely underrated member of the brassica family, alongside its more well-known cousins kale, cauli, and broccoli, produces high dietary levels of sulforaphane; a phytochemical that is renowned for its cancer-fighting, anti-ageing, anti-diabetes and anti-microbial benefits. It’s known as the “tree of immortality”, thanks to its high amino acid profile, and of course, it’s unrivaled as an anti-inflammatory.
Because moringa is only 80% water, there’s a whopping 20% left over for actual nutrients. While this might still sound a little meagre, bear in mind that the majority of greens are at least 90% water and only 10% nutrients, making moringa a nutritional little powerhouse that’ll pack a hefty punch to any meal.
And in case you needed more convincing, it contains 70% more vitamin C than an orange, 4 times more vitamin A than a carrot and 25 times more iron than spinach. What an MVP.
It’s easy to add into your diet
With its slightly bitter taste, moringa isn’t for everyone—but it’s usually subtle enough to not overpower what you choose to add it to.
Like most things these days, it’s pretty straight-forward to find a powder form of moringa that is an accessible, easy-to-use option for chucking in soups, smoothies or tea. It’s best to start small and see how well you tolerate, so start with half a teaspoon daily and work your way up to one to two tablespoons.
Whilst powdered is probably the easiest form to use, you can also use the leaves, flowers, seeds, and fruit in things like curries, pesto, stews and even sweet, chocolatey bounty balls. You’re welcome.
It’s a charm for balancing blood sugar
Moringa leaf powder has found to be super-effective at reducing lipid and glucose levels and regulating oxidative stress in diabetic patients. This means it helps to lower blood sugar levels, with this study claiming that women taking 1.5 teaspoons (around 7 grams) of moringa every day for three months reduced fasting blood sugar levels by 13.5% on average.
It’s an anti-inflammatory powerhouse
Moringa effectively reduces inflammation by suppressing inflammatory enzymes and proteins in the body, and moringa leaf concentrate can significantly lower inflammation in the cells.
It contains a host of compounds that are renowned for benefiting the reduction of inflammation, including vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin C, omega 3, arginine, omega 6, omega 9, fibre, magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc, zeatin, and more. What more could you need?
