Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Jun 5;16(6):12791-835.
doi: 10.3390/ijms160612791.

Cultivation, Genetic, Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Moringa oleifera Leaves: An Overview

Alessandro Leone  1   2 , Alberto Spada  3 , Alberto Battezzati  4   5 , Alberto Schiraldi  6 , Junior Aristil  7 , Simona Bertoli  8   9
Affiliations
Review

Cultivation, Genetic, Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Moringa oleifera Leaves: An Overview

Alessandro Leone et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Moringa oleifera is an interesting plant for its use in bioactive compounds. In this manuscript, we review studies concerning the cultivation and production of moringa along with genetic diversity among different accessions and populations. Different methods of propagation, establishment and cultivation are discussed. Moringa oleifera shows diversity in many characters and extensive morphological variability, which may provide a resource for its improvement. Great genetic variability is present in the natural and cultivated accessions, but no collection of cultivated and wild accessions currently exists. A germplasm bank encompassing the genetic variability present in Moringa is needed to perform breeding programmes and develop elite varieties adapted to local conditions. Alimentary and medicinal uses of moringa are reviewed, alongside the production of biodiesel. Finally, being that the leaves are the most used part of the plant, their contents in terms of bioactive compounds and their pharmacological properties are discussed. Many studies conducted on cell lines and animals seem concordant in their support for these properties. However, there are still too few studies on humans to recommend Moringa leaves as medication in the prevention or treatment of diseases. Therefore, further studies on humans are recommended.

Keywords: Moringa oleifera; breeding; cancer; diabetes; dislipidemia; ethnopharmacology; genetic variability; molecular markers; pharmacology; phytochemistry.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) A tree of Moringa oleifera; (b) Moringa flowers and leaves.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structure of bioactive compounds found in Moringa oleifera leaves.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structure of bioactive compounds found in Moringa oleifera leaves.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Paliwal R., Sharma V. A review on horse radish tree (Moringa oleifera): A multipurpose tree with high economic and commercial importance. Asian J. Biotechnol. 2011;3:317–328. doi: 10.3923/ajbkr.2011.317.328. - DOI
    1. Sharma V., Paliwal R., Sharma P., Sharma S. Phytochemical analysis and evaluation of antioxidant activities of hydro-ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera Lam. pods. J. Pharm. Res. 2011;4:554–557.
    1. Roloff A., Weisgerber H., Lang U., Stimm B. Enzyklopädie der Holzgewächse, Handbuch und Atlas der Dendrologie. WILEY-VCH; Weinheim, Germany: 2009.
    1. Ganguly S. Indian ayurvedic and traditional medicinal implications of indigenously available plants, herbs and fruits: A review. Int. J. Res. Ayurveda Pharm. 2013;4:623–625. doi: 10.7897/2277-4343.04435. - DOI
    1. Mutheeswaran S., Pandikumar P., Chellappandian M., Ignacimuthu S. Documentation and quantitative analysis of the local knowledge on medicinal plants among traditional Siddha healers in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu, India. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2011;137:523–533. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.06.003. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms