Moringa
Moringa oleifera Lam.Moringaceae // leaf · seed · root/bark traditionally
Overview
Plant parts
leaf, seed, root/bark traditionally
Known constituents
isothiocyanates, flavonoids, chlorogenic acid
Research corpus coverage
Chemistry notes
- CHEMISTRY: Relevant reported constituents include isothiocyanates; flavonoids; chlorogenic acid; constituent presence alone does not establish clinical efficacy.
Uses & Evidence
Traditional / historical use
Documented traditional use — not a claim of established efficacy.
TRADITIONAL: Moringa has been used for nutrition; glucose control; inflammation; this records historical/traditional use and does not establish efficacy.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Modern evidence
EVIDENCE: For the major use set (nutrition; glucose control; inflammation), the evidence assessment is insufficient: Insufficient clinical evidence for disease treatment; nutritional value does not establish therapeutic efficacy.
LOW · regulatory monograph and mixed scientific literature · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Preparation
Forms used traditionally
A listed form does not imply it suits every plant part, or that one preparation is interchangeable with another — see the plant’s own notes below.
PREPARATION: The medicinal material is leaf; seed; root/bark traditionally; traditional and modern forms include decoction, tincture, powder/capsule, standardized extract, infusion/tea, extract. No dose or potency is specified.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Preparation-specific evidence should not be generalized across extracts, teas, oils, or whole herb.
Safety
Additional safety notes (general, unstructured)
Free-text safety notes carried from their source — not broken out by species, route, or hazard type, and not equivalent to the structured records above. Each note names the kind of source it came from.
SAFETY: Major issues include GI effects; root/bark may be uterotonic or toxic. Contraindications/cautions include Pregnancy; use of root/bark.
HIGH · observational/case series and expert review · LiverTox: Herbal and Dietary Supplements
SAFETY: Clinically relevant interaction concerns include Potential additive glucose/BP lowering and CYP effects.
MODERATE · observational/case series and expert review · LiverTox: Herbal and Dietary Supplements
Some interactions are theoretical or based on case reports/pharmacokinetics rather than outcome trials.
SAFETY: Pregnancy/lactation reference: Avoid root/bark in pregnancy; medicinal lactation data are limited.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph or evidence synthesis · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Absence of evidence is not evidence of safety.
Preparation × species risk matrix
Unknown means insufficient evidence was located — not that a form is safe.
Cats
- tinctureCaution
- concentrated extractUnknown
- essential oilUnknown
- glyceriteUnknown
- infused oilUnknown
- salveUnknown
- smoke/combustionUnknown
- tea/infusionUnknown
- whole herbUnknown
Dogs
- tinctureCaution
- concentrated extractUnknown
- essential oilUnknown
- glyceriteUnknown
- infused oilUnknown
- salveUnknown
- smoke/combustionUnknown
- tea/infusionUnknown
- whole herbUnknown
Identity
- Synonym
GBIF resolves Moringa pterygosperma Gaertn. as a synonym of Moringa oleifera. The older name still appears in herbal and taxonomic literature.
HIGH · GBIF Species Match API
Botanical synonym
Moringa pterygosperma Gaertn.
Taxonomic identity note
- Moringa is treated here as Moringa oleifera Lam. in the family Moringaceae; recorded older names include Moringa pterygosperma Gaertn..
Sources
Research records are source-linked but may not yet be editorially reviewed.
EMA monograph
NIH LiverTox monograph
- Plants of the World Online1 claim
botanical taxonomy database
WHO monograph
- GBIF Species Match API1 claim
authoritative taxonomic database