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What Is Moringa, and Who Should Not Take It? The Trials
In this article
- What is moringa?
- What are the benefits of moringa, according to the trials?
- Is "seven times the vitamin C of oranges" true?
- How much moringa did the trials use, and what does a capsule give?
- Can you take moringa every day, and for how long?
- Who should not take moringa?
- Is moringa better than ashwagandha or turmeric?
- What we don't know
- Frequently asked questions
Moringa is the leaf of Moringa oleifera, the drumstick tree of north India, eaten as a vegetable across South Asia and Africa and sold in the UK as powder, tea and capsules. Its best human evidence is one trial: 2.4 g of leaf powder a day for 12 weeks improved fasting glucose and HbA1c in 65 adults with prediabetes against placebo, with no change in cholesterol, blood pressure or inflammatory markers; a 2025 meta-analysis of nine trials in 649 people found no consistent cardiometabolic benefit overall and rated the certainty very low.1, 2, 3 A typical capsule serving is 800 mg, a third of that trial dose. Three groups should not take it without asking: pregnant women (a leaf extract ended pregnancies in rats, and no trial has tested the leaf in pregnancy), anyone on diabetes medicines, whose effect the trial result may add to, and anyone with a thyroid condition or on levothyroxine, because a leaf extract lowered active thyroid hormone in rats.4, 5, 15
Sources checked on 30 October 2026.
What is moringa?
A fast-growing tree native to the sub-Himalayan foothills of north India and now grown throughout the tropics.7 Its seed pods are the "drumsticks" of South Indian cooking and its leaves are cooked like spinach; the leaf is the part in supplements and in the trials. It is sold as a food in the UK; we found no regulatory source for the "banned in some countries" line.
What are the benefits of moringa, according to the trials?
| Outcome | Trial | Dose and length | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fasting glucose and HbA1c, prediabetes | 65 adults, Spain, placebo-controlled | 2.4 g leaf powder a day (six 400 mg capsules), 12 weeks | Both improved on moringa and worsened on placebo; liver and kidney markers unchanged1 |
| Cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammation | Same 65 adults | 2.4 g a day, 12 weeks | No difference from placebo2 |
| Glucose after a meal | 17 adults with diabetes and 10 healthy adults | 20 g leaf powder in one meal | Lower, earlier glucose peak in the diabetic group only; taste limited the dose8 |
| Weight, lipids, glucose, blood pressure pooled | Meta-analysis of nine trials, 649 people | Various | No consistent effect overall; a small diastolic fall that did not survive sensitivity analysis; subgroups suggested possible benefit under 10 g a day and at 12 weeks or more; very low certainty3 |
| Breast-milk volume | Review of eight trials; one 2022 trial of 88 women | 900 mg a day in the 2022 trial; 3 to 10 days across the review | The review's trials reported more milk, by up to 400 ml a day; the 2022 trial found 73.5 ml against 50 ml on day three, not significant9, 10 |
| Arthritis, belly fat, liver, energy | Waist: four pooled trials, 260 people; arthritis, liver and energy: no human efficacy trial found | Varied | Waist unchanged3; the others rest on animal and cell studies |
So "how do I know if it is working", "how long until results" and "what organ is it good for" have one answer: the only measured change took 12 weeks and showed up in a blood test for glucose, while liver and kidney values were checked for safety and did not move.1
Is "seven times the vitamin C of oranges" true?
Not quite: an Indian analysis found 271 mg of vitamin C per 100 g of fresh leaves, about five times the 52 mg in 100 g of orange flesh.12, 17 Freeze-drying kept 98% of it in that study.12 The comparison is also by weight of fresh leaf, a plateful rather than a spoonful of powder; the UK recommended intake for adults is 40 mg of vitamin C a day.13
How much moringa did the trials use, and what does a capsule give?
The glucose trial used 2.4 g a day as six capsules; the meal study used 20 g, which the authors said was hard to eat; the 2022 lactation trial used 900 mg a day.1, 8, 10 A two-capsule serving of a few hundred milligrams each sits well below the trial's 2.4 g; where a capsule adds vitamin E, vitamin E contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
Can you take moringa every day, and for how long?
The trials gave it daily for two weeks to six months; the 12-week glucose trial found liver and kidney markers unchanged, and the 2015 safety review found no adverse effects reported in any human study of the leaf.1, 3, 11 Beyond six months there is no data, so "every day for years" is untested rather than unsafe. Stop if your stomach objects.
Who should not take moringa?
Pregnancy. In a study of plants Indian women used to end pregnancies, a leaf extract given to pregnant rats for ten days ended every pregnancy; a 2021 review of herbs in pregnancy lists moringa among those to avoid.15, 16 Fresh leaf is eaten as a vegetable by pregnant women in southern Ethiopia, where an observational study of 460 women linked it with slightly higher haemoglobin, but no trial has tested capsules in pregnancy.14 So: not in pregnancy without your GP or midwife. Breastfeeding has only the short lactation trials above.9, 10
Diabetes medicines. The one positive trial lowered fasting glucose, an effect that may add to metformin, a sulfonylurea or insulin. Ask your pharmacist or diabetes nurse first.1 With high blood pressure, note the meta-analysis found at most a small, unstable fall in diastolic pressure, and tell your GP.3
Thyroid conditions and levothyroxine. In rats, a water extract of the leaf at 175 and 350 mg per kilogram for ten days cut the active hormone T3 by about 30% in females while T4 rose, which the authors read as blocked conversion of T4 to T3.4 No human study exists, so on levothyroxine the prescriber decides.
Other medicines. Leaf compounds inhibited the liver enzyme CYP3A4 in a test tube; that enzyme clears many medicines, the relevance in people is unknown, so ask a pharmacist.5 Kidney disease: the trial's kidney markers came from people with normal kidneys; ask.
Is moringa better than ashwagandha or turmeric?
No trial compares or combines them: ashwagandha's trials are on stress and sleep, turmeric's on joint pain, moringa's on glucose. Take one at a time and ask a pharmacist if you take medicines. See the Wellgard ashwagandha guide and how to take turmeric for inflammation.
What we don't know
- Whether the glucose result holds: it rests on one 12-week trial of 65 adults, and the meta-analysis rated every outcome very low certainty.1, 3
- Whether moringa is safe in pregnancy or alters thyroid hormones in people: the signals come from rats.4, 15
Frequently asked questions
Does moringa reduce belly fat?
In the nine-trial meta-analysis, four trials measured waist and found no significant change, and weight showed no consistent effect either.3
Does moringa help arthritis?
No human trial has tested it for joint pain. The supplements with joint trials are on what is the best joint supplement.
What is moringa called in India, and what is malunggay?
Sahjan, sahijan or drumstick in Hindi and English, murungai in Tamil; malunggay is the Filipino name, and in the USA it is simply moringa.
Is moringa legal in the UK?
Yes, as a food and a food supplement; no health claim for moringa is authorised, so a pack may describe it but not promise anything.6
Sources
- Gómez-Martínez S, et al. Moringa oleifera leaf supplementation as a glycemic control strategy in subjects with prediabetes. Nutrients, 2021. Randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial, 65 adults, 12 weeks; Spanish government funding; no conflicts declared. PubMed 35010932.
- Díaz-Prieto LE, et al. Effects of Moringa oleifera Lam. supplementation on inflammatory and cardiometabolic markers in subjects with prediabetes. Nutrients, 2022. Secondary analysis of the same trial, 65 adults; Spanish government funding; no conflicts declared. PubMed 35565903.
- Crișan D, et al. Effects of Moringa oleifera Lam. supplementation on cardiometabolic outcomes: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials with GRADE assessment. Nutrients, 2025. Meta-analysis, 9 randomised trials, 649 people; no external funding. PubMed 41305552.
- Tahiliani P, Kar A. Role of Moringa oleifera leaf extract in the regulation of thyroid hormone status in adult male and female rats. Pharmacological Research, 2000. Animal study, rats, 10 days; public or charity funding listed on PubMed. PubMed 10675284.
- Fantoukh OI, et al. Isolation, synthesis, and drug interaction potential of secondary metabolites derived from the leaves of miracle tree (Moringa oleifera) against CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 isozymes. Phytomedicine, 2019. Laboratory study, isolated leaf compounds; funding not stated on PubMed. PubMed 31301970.
- Department of Health and Social Care. Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register. Updated 19 May 2026. gov.uk.
- Leone A, et al. Cultivation, genetic, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Moringa oleifera leaves: an overview. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2015. Narrative review; funding not stated on PubMed. PubMed 26057747.
- Leone A, et al. Effect of Moringa oleifera leaf powder on postprandial blood glucose response: in vivo study on Saharawi people living in refugee camps. Nutrients, 2018. Randomised crossover meal study, 27 adults, single meals; Italian government funding; no conflicts declared. PubMed 30322091.
- Ammar M, et al. Moringa oleifera supplementation as a natural galactagogue: a systematic review on its role in supporting milk volume and prolactin levels. Foods, 2025. Systematic review, 8 randomised trials, 3 to 10 days; no conflicts declared. PubMed 40724308.
- Fungtammasan S, Phupong V. The effect of Moringa oleifera capsule in increasing breast milk volume in early postpartum patients: a double-blind, randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology: X, 2022. Randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial, 88 women; funding not stated on PubMed; no conflicts declared. PubMed 36440058.
- Stohs SJ, Hartman MJ. Review of the safety and efficacy of Moringa oleifera. Phytotherapy Research, 2015. Narrative review; no conflicts declared. PubMed 25808883.
- Saini RK, et al. Effect of dehydration methods on retention of carotenoids, tocopherols, ascorbic acid and antioxidant activity in Moringa oleifera leaves and preparation of a RTE product. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 2014. Laboratory analysis of fresh and dried leaves; funding not stated on PubMed. PubMed 25190880.
- Public Health England. Government dietary recommendations: energy and nutrients for males and females aged 1 to 18 years and 19+ years, 2016. Official dietary recommendations. gov.uk.
- Derbo ZD, et al. The effect of fresh moringa leaf consumption during pregnancy on maternal hemoglobin level in southern Ethiopia: multilevel analysis of a comparative cross-sectional study. International Journal of Women's Health, 2023. Cross-sectional study, 460 pregnant women; no competing interests declared. PubMed 37489178.
- Nath D, et al. Commonly used Indian abortifacient plants with special reference to their teratologic effects in rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 1992. Animal study, rats, 10 days after mating; public or charity funding listed on PubMed. PubMed 1608272.
- Bernstein N, et al. Is it safe to consume traditional medicinal plants during pregnancy? Phytotherapy Research, 2021. Narrative review of animal studies; funding not stated on PubMed. PubMed 33164294.
- Public Health England. Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID) 2021. Food composition dataset. gov.uk.
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This article is general information, not medical advice.
