Moringa oleifera : a food plant with multiple medicinal uses
Farooq Anwara b, Sajid Latifb c, Muhammad Ashrafd e, Anwarul Hassan Gilanif g✉
- aDepartment of Chemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan. anwar.gilani@aku.edu
- bDepartment of Chemistry , University of Agriculture , Faisalabad 38040 , Pakistan
- cDepartment of Chemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan
- dDepartment of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan
- eDepartment of Botany, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, 38040, Pakistan
- fDepartment of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University Medical College, Karachi-74800, Pakistan
- gDepartment of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University Medical College, Karachi‐74800, Pakistan
- ✉Corresponding author
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Abstract
Moringa oleifera Lam (Moringaceae) is a highly valued plant, distributed in many countries of the tropics and subtropics. It has an impressive range of medicinal uses with high nutritional value. Different parts of this plant contain a profile of important minerals, and are a good source of protein, vitamins, beta-carotene, amino acids and various phenolics. The Moringa plant provides a rich and rare combination of zeatin, quercetin, beta-sitosterol, caffeoylquinic acid and kaempferol. In addition to its compelling water purifying powers and high nutritional value, M. oleifera is very important for its medicinal value. Various parts of this plant such as the leaves, roots, seed, bark, fruit, flowers and immature pods act as cardiac and circulatory stimulants, possess antitumor, antipyretic, antiepileptic, antiinflammatory, antiulcer, antispasmodic, diuretic, antihypertensive, cholesterol lowering, antioxidant, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, antibacterial and antifungal activities, and are being employed for the treatment of different ailments in the indigenous system of medicine, particularly in South Asia. This review focuses on the detailed phytochemical composition, medicinal uses, along with pharmacological properties of different parts of this multipurpose tree.
TL;DRVarious parts of this multipurpose tree possess antitumor, antipyretic, antiepileptic, antiinflammatory, antiulcer, diuretic, antihypertensive, cholesterol lowering, antioxidant, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, antibacterial and antifungal activities, and are being employed for the treatment of different ailments in the indigenous system of medicine, particularly in South Asia. (Semantic Scholar)