Being a native Indian tree, the Moringa also grows in tropical countries, such as Nigeria. Although its leaves have long been eaten or brewed for health benefits, its effectiveness has not yet been recognized in other parts of the world. Often called the “miracle plant,” there has been a significant amount of research done on the therapeutic properties of the moringa, and this research will hopefully spread knowledge of its healing qualities.

The literature mentions its antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial properties. Its leaves contain high-quality protein, and the seeds have lipid (fat) in abundance [1]. That is why moringa has a great deal of calcium, potassium, sodium, and iron [2]. It is claimed that moringa has twelve times more vitamin C than oranges, ten times more vitamin A than carrots, seventeen times more calcium than milk, nine times more protein than yogurt, and twenty-five times more iron than spinach.

Moringa is used to treat more than 300 illnesses, especially in Africa. The ancient Egyptians used it as skin cream. Since then, more and more of its cosmetic benefits have been discovered, and it has found a unique place among health-care products today [3]. Moringa is used to accelerate hair growth; treat illnesses such as excessive hair oil, dandruff, and inflammation of the scalp; treat skin wrinkles, blackheads, and pimples in the skin; and to manage eczema and psoriasis. To determine the plant’s ultimate effectiveness, more research and lab work are needed.

After oil extraction, moringa’s seeds and leftovers are used as an organic fertilizer which increases farming efficiency [4]. The seeds, leaves, oil, sap, shells, roots, and flowers are also used for cooking and treatment. The leaves of the plant can be brewed as tea and can be eaten raw as a vegetable.

More than 400 studies carried out over many years have looked into moringa’s effects on illnesses [5]. The significant findings can be summarized as follows: it has been shown to strongly reduce [6] cholesterol and blood fat as well as the atherosclerotic plaques; this effect can even be achieved with the oral consumption of the plant. When peeled, the moringa fruit’s shell reveals a soft white seed, like a chickpea-sized cotton. The seed can be consumed by swallowing it. The moringa’s roots and branches can be grounded and used as powder.

The studies have also revealed that moringa’s usage can help with improving numerous conditions, including but not limited to liver infections such as hepatitis [7], lowering the glucose levels in blood in patients with Diabetes Type-2 [8], various gastrointestinal problems, increasing milk production in nursing mothers, regulating kidney functions, Parkinson’s disease [9], and atopic dermatitis [10].

Some of the studies carried out examine how safe moringa is. People have a general inclination towards consuming natural plants without paying attention to how much they intake. Unfortunately, there are many life threatening and poisonous plants – and other plants that can be dangerous when taken in large quantities. Trying to identify the safety range of moringa, a study that lasted for 14 days examined the effects of it on mice that had depression and used anti-depressants. Researchers found out that moringa does not cause toxicity, provided that the dose does not exceed 2 grams per 2.2 pounds of weight [11]. It would be wise to utilize this plant after the testing process has been completed on humans, and a guide is prepared to show the types of illnesses and the corresponding doses.

Illness is a fact of life. Thankfully, the universe has been created with plants like moringa, which can be used to ease our pains and illnesses. We owe it to ourselves, and to other humans, to study all facets of the universe, including the moringa plant.

References

1. Stohs SJ, Hartman MJ. Review of the Safety and Efficacy of Moringa oleifera. Phytother Res. 2015 Jun;29(6):796-804.
2. Raimunda S, Nogueira B, Jamille AS et al. Research advances on the multiple uses of Moringa oleifera: A sustainable alternative for socially neglected population. Asian Pac J Trop Med 2017;10:621-30.
3. Fahey J. Moringa oleifera: a review of the medical evidence for its nutritional, therapeutic, and prophylactic properties. Trees Life J 2005;1:1-33.
4. Emmanuel SA, Emmanuel BS, Zaku, SG, Thomas SA. Biodiversity and agricultural productivity enhancement in Nigeria: Application of processed Moringa oleifera seeds for improved organic farming. Biol J N Am 2011;2:867-71.
5. Matic I1, Guidi A2, Kenzo M3, Mattei M2, Galgani A2, Investigation of medicinal plants traditionally used as dietary supplements: A review on Moringa oleifera. J Public Health Afr. 2018 Dec 21;9(3):841. doi: 10.4081/jphia.2018.841. eCollection 2018 Dec 21.
6. Chumark P, Khunawat P, Sanvarinda Y, et al. The in vitro and ex vivo antioxidant properties, hypolipidaemic and antiatherosclerotic activities of water extract of Moringa oleifera Lam. leaves. J Ethnopharmacol 2008;116:439-46.
7. Almatrafi MM, Vergara-Jimenez M, Murillo AG, et al. Moringa Leaves Prevent Hepatic Lipid Accumulation and Inflammation in Guinea Pigs by Reducing the Expression of Genes Involved in Lipid Metabolism. Int J Mol Sci 2017;18:E1330.
8. Kumari DJ. Hypoglycaemic effect of Moringa oleifera and Azadirachta indica in type 2 diabees mellitus. Bioscan 2010;5:211-4.
9. Giacoppo S, Rajan TS, De Nicola GR, et al. The Isothiocyanate Isolated from Moringa oleifera Shows Potent Anti- Inflammatory Activity in the Treatment of Murine Subacute Parkinson’s Disease. Rejuvenation Res 2017;20:50-63.
10. Choi EJ, Debnath T, Tang Y, et al. Topical application of Moringa oleifera leaf extract ameliorates experimentally induced atopic dermatitis by the regulation of Th1/Th2/Th17 balance. Biomed Pharmacother 2016;84:870- 7.
11. Kaur G1, Invally M1, Sanzagiri R1, Buttar HS2. Evaluation of the antidepressant activity of Moringa oleifera alone and in combination with fluoxetine. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2015 Oct-Dec;6(4):273-9. doi: 10.4103/0975-9476.172384.

Fear of obesity may sometimes lead people to an extreme diet, and this may cause a deadly disease: anorexia nervosa. The sufferer initially tries to lose weight by going on a diet, but the illness soon reaches the point of no return as the result of extreme dieting. At this point, weight loss cannot be stopped; the person can no longer eat, even if he or she may want to. If they do manage to eat a little food, they throw it up. This disease and many other health conditions are connected with how our bodily functions like appetite are regulated with the secretions in our brain.

Discovered in 1998, orexin is a neuropeptide, or protein-like substance secreted by the brain. It is responsible for regulating states like wakefulness, appetite, and arousal. There are tens of thousands of neurons in the lateral hypothalamus of the human brain that secrete orexin. It was first discovered to increase appetite, but later other functions – especially in relation internal organs – were identified, including regulating the body’s energy use.

Orexins play very important roles in the development and maturation of the brown adipose tissue, which is especially important for infants. The fats in this tissue are directly converted into heat. It is the duty of the adipose tissue to protect the body from illnesses in cold weather. Experiments on lab rats have revealed that body temperature decreases in animals without orexin in their body, and they fail to consume fats. The conclusion is that orexins help boost energy consumption, protect the body from cold-related illnesses by raising the body temperature, and prevent obesity.

Orexins also help regulate metabolic activity and its speed. They are also responsible for regulating the circadian rhythm, or the daily sleep-wake cycle, especially by helping us stay awake. Orexins help increase the secretion of dopamine, norepinephrin, histamine, and acetylcholine hormones, which are in charge of the proper functioning of the daily sleep-wake cycle. All these hormones are substances that increase wakefulness.

The destruction of neurons responsible for producing orexin leads to a severe illness called narcolepsy, which is a serious sleep disorder. Patients suffer from sudden fits of involuntary and extreme sleepiness, irregular nighttime sleep, sleep apnea, various hallucinations, and muscular paralysis called cataplexy. They may suddenly fall into REM asleep while driving and watching television. The muscular paralysis accompanied by REM sleep makes sufferers collapse wherever they may be. They sometimes cannot move and remain motionless, even when they wake up. The fits of sleep strike with or without forewarning and make the need for sleep impossible to fight off. Since frequent uncontrollable collapses may cause injury, narcoleptics know they have to take precautions when they perform daily tasks. Generally appearing in a person’s twenties, the disorder may result from organic factors such as inflammation or a tumor in the brain or other underlying hostile causes.

Narcolepsy is untreatable. It can sever patients from real life and incapacitate them, leaving them unable to perform routine daily tasks. Treatments that are available can only make patients’ lives bearable.

Cataplexy is a condition in which muscles become dysfunctional, speech becomes incomprehensible, and the body collapses due to loss of strength in the neck or knees. Fits may also appear in the form of emotional responses such as excessive laughter, anger, or fear. The duration of cataplexy may last from a few seconds to a few minutes. Patients do not become unconscious during the attack; they just lose control of their physical functions. More often than not, people who have a cataplexy attack in public places seem to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They can see and hear others, but they cannot respond.

Sleep paralysis is a temporary state of inability to speak or move during sleep. Although it may look frightening, it is in fact not dangerous. Hypnotic hallucinations, on the other hand, are extremely vivid and frightening dream-like states experienced when falling asleep or waking. An extreme tendency for daytime sleep and hypnotic hallucinations are consequences suffered by people who have not had enough sleep, whereas cataplexy is unique to narcoleptic patients.

Orexins are also responsible for increasing the amount of nutrition a body consumes. This duty is not about meeting the body’s daily diet. Orexins tend to increase appetite, even when the body does not need feeding. They suppress the feeling of satiety, causing the person to continue eating. The willpower should kick in at this point, and the person should use it to stop eating.

The secretion of orexin is influenced by two opposite hormones. The first is leptin, secreted in obese people. Leptin’s duty is to prevent the person from overeating by reducing orexin secretion. The second is ghrelin, a digestive hormone secreted when the stomach is empty. Ghrelin increases orexin secretion, causing an increase in appetite.

It has also been discovered that orexins are connected with smoking and drug addiction. Medicines that reduce orexin secretion are used in addiction treatment. Orexins stimulate the neurons of pleasure in the brain, the reward centers, and impact a person’s happiness or sadness. A reduction in orexin secretion leads to unhappiness and sadness.

References

• Herring W. J. et al. “Orexin receptor antagonists for the treatment of insomnia and potential treatment of other neuropsychiatric indications”, J Sleep Res., 2018; e12782. doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12782.
• Kaushik, M. K. et al. “Continuous intrathecal orexin delivery inhibits cataplexy in a murine model of narcolepsy”, PNAS, June 5, 2018 115 (23) 6046–605.
• Zhou, W. et al. “Activation of orexin system facilitates anesthesia emergence and pain control”, PNAS, November 6, 2018 115 (45) E10740–E10747.