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Moringa Capsules : antioxidants for your everyday wellbeing

 

Our Moringa Capsules contain 500 mg of Moringa Oleifera Leaf Extract, a nutrient-rich material which can significantly increase lifestyle health when ingested. This article focuses on some of the antioxidants found in Moringa, and how they can enhance your well-being, particularly when taken as a dietary supplement.

What are Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are substances that protect cells in the body from damage caused by free radicals (oxidising agents). 

Free radicals are naturally occurring molecules that form due to metabolic processes in the body, but they can also increase due to environmental stress (such as radiation, air-pollution, smoking, poor diet and chemicals).

These unstable molecules have the potential to cause major chain reactions within the body, leading to oxidative stress and eventually cell damage. This damage can further manifest, commonly resulting in cancer and heart disease, among other illnesses. 

Antioxidants, like those found in Moringa Oleifera Leaf Extract, protect our bodies by neutralising these unstable free radicals, preventing damage to the body. 

In total, there are 46 antioxidants found in leaf and oil extracts from the miracle tree. This article looks at four types of compounds that are naturally found in Moringa oleifera and how they work as reducing agents (antioxidants) to improve your well-being. These are Beta-Carotene, Quercetin, Chlorogenic Acid, and Zeatin.

Beta-Carotene - Eye Health and Immunity

Beta-Carotene is a precursor carotenoid that the body converts to Vitamin A, an essential nutrient. The name comes from the Greek “beta” and Latin “carota” (carrot) due to its nature as an orange-yellow pigment that lends fruits and vegetables their vibrant colours.

As an antioxidant, beta-carotene combats oxidative stress, a precursor to many chronic illnesses, resulting from a chemical imbalance caused by the uncontrolled generation of reactive oxygen species. Beta-carotene is particularly effective as a pre-retinol compound in promoting skin and eye health and protecting against eye-related diseases (Fiedor & Burda, 2014). Moringa leaves have an exceptionally high concentration of beta-carotene, ten times more than carrots, the antioxidant’s most famed source (Glover-Amengor et al., 2016)

Quercetin - Cardiovascular Health

Quercetin (Que) is an antioxidant flavonol with the primary benefit of promoting cardiovascular health. As one of the most prominent dietary antioxidants, quercetin has been found to have anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine effects (Lakhanpal & Rai, 2008).

Studies also suggest that quercetin may protect against plaque build-up in arteries, reducing the effects of harmful cholesterol (Parasuraman et al., 2016). As with all antioxidants, quercetin stabilises free radicals, protecting cell membranes and stopping reactions that could interfere with DNA and cause cell mutations (such as cancer). The versatile compound can protect against tissue injuries caused by drug toxicity (Parasuraman et al., 2016). Que has also been shown to have decreased blood pressure in placebo-controlled trials significantly (Salehi et al., 2020).

Chlorogenic Acid - Anticancer and Antidiabetic 

Chlorogenic Acid (CGA) is a polyphenol compound with vast health benefits for your body. Widely accepted as a compound with antioxidant attributes and function, it has been found to enhance the defence of cells in the body, preventing mutation, reducing viral infections and combatting the effects of carcinogens, or ‘cancer-causing substances’ (Tajik et al., 2017). CGA donates hydrogen to reduce free radicals, protecting against the effects of oxidative stress. 

Chlorogenic acid may also have anti-diabetic properties. CGA is an insulin sensitiser, strengthening insulin’s function within the body and assisting with regulating blood sugar levels. It is also considered anti-inflammatory, reducing inflammation, a primary source of disease (Liang & Kitts, 2015).

Zeatin - Growth, Healing, and Neural Defence

Zeatin is a cytokinin, a naturally occurring plant hormone responsible for growth and healing (Schäfer et al., 2015). It is instrumental in protecting our bodies from free radicals and functions to improve cell growth and healing. By stabilising free radicals, zeatin and other antioxidants reduce cell oxidation, a significant contributor to ageing. 

The benefits of zeatin can be applied across many areas of health. Zeatin functions to protect against environmental damage to the skin, repair the skin barrier, improve hydration, and delay the ageing process (Rattan & Sodagam, 2005). Zeatin also works as a powerful neuro-protective, defending against neural deterioration and diseases (Gonzalez et al., 2021).

Antioxidants in Moringa and our Products

Moringa Oleifera has a high quantity and concentration of antioxidants. While antioxidant content can vary heavily between natural sources and extraction methods, Moringa has an exceptionally high concentration of antioxidants compared to other plant sources. For example, Moringa contains the following (on average):

  • 5-200 micrograms of zeatin per gram of leaves, 1000 times that of other plant species (Mashamaite et al., 2022)

  • 200 micrograms of beta-carotene per gram of leaves, 10 times that of carrots. (Glover-Amengor et al., 2016)

  • With 46 antioxidants in its oil and leaf extracts, Moringa is exceptionally versatile in providing the antioxidants required for the body’s defence systems, increasing immune function and preventing the early onset of numerous illnesses. If you are interested in these benefits, consider trying our capsules with Moringa leaf powder extract. 



    References:
    Vergara-Jimenez, M., Almatrafi, M., & Fernandez, M. (2017). Bioactive Components in Moringa Oleifera Leaves Protect against Chronic Disease. Antioxidants, 6(4), 91. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox6040091
    Glover-Amengor, M., Aryeetey, R., Afari, E., & Nyarko, A. (2016). Micronutrient composition and acceptability of Moringa oleifera leaf-fortified dishes by children in Ada-East district, Ghana. Food Science &Amp; Nutrition, 5(2), 317–323. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.395
    Mashamaite, C. V., Ngcobo, B. L., Manyevere, A., Bertling, I., & Fawole, O. A. (2022). Assessing the Usefulness of Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract as a Biostimulant to Supplement Synthetic Fertilizers: A Review. Plants, 11(17), 2214. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11172214
    Rattan, S. I., & Sodagam, L. (2005). Gerontomodulatory and Youth-Preserving Effects of Zeatin on Human Skin Fibroblasts Undergoing Aging In Vitro. Rejuvenation Research, 8(1), 46–57. https://doi.org/10.1089/rej.2005.8.46
    Gonzalez, G., Grúz, J., D’Acunto, C. W., Kaňovský, P., & Strnad, M. (2021). Cytokinin Plant Hormones Have Neuroprotective Activity in In Vitro Models of Parkinson’s Disease. Molecules, 26(2), 361. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26020361
    Fiedor, J., & Burda, K. (2014). Potential Role of Carotenoids as Antioxidants in Human Health and Disease. Nutrients, 6(2), 466–488. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu6020466
    Tajik, N., Tajik, M., Mack, I., & Enck, P. (2017). The potential effects of chlorogenic acid, the main phenolic components in coffee, on health: a comprehensive review of the literature. European Journal of Nutrition, 56(7), 2215–2244. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-017-1379-1
    Salehi, B., Machin, L., Monzote, L., Sharifi-Rad, J., Ezzat, S. M., Salem, M. A., Merghany, R. M., El Mahdy, N. M., Kılıç, C. S., Sytar, O., Sharifi-Rad, M., Sharopov, F., Martins, N., Martorell, M., & Cho, W. C. (2020). Therapeutic Potential of Quercetin: New Insights and Perspectives for Human Health. ACS Omega, 5(20), 11849–11872. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.0c01818
    Liang, N., & Kitts, D. (2015). Role of Chlorogenic Acids in Controlling Oxidative and Inflammatory Stress Conditions. Nutrients, 8(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8010016
    Schäfer, M., Brütting, C., Meza-Canales, I. D., Großkinsky, D. K., Vankova, R., Baldwin, I. T., & Meldau, S. (2015). The role of cis-zeatin-type cytokinins in plant growth regulation and mediating responses to environmental interactions. Journal of Experimental Botany, 66(16), 4873–4884. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erv214
    Lakhanpal, P., & Rai, D. K. (2008). Role of quercetin in cardiovascular diseases. Internet Journal of Medical Update - EJOURNAL, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.4314/ijmu.v3i1.39858
    Parasuraman, S., Anand David, A., & Arulmoli, R. (2016). Overviews of biological importance of quercetin: A bioactive flavonoid. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 10(20), 84. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-7847.194044