Moringa has an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor and protective action on all our organs, but how should it be consumed?
La Moringa (Moringa oleifera) is a plant belonging to the family of Brassicaceae, the same as broccoli, cabbage, turnip, horseradish and mustard.
Moringa is a plant edible in all its parts and, throughout the world, moringa leaves, flowers, fruits and roots are commonly consumed, both raw and cooked.
From a nutritional point of view, moringa is an excellent food as it is rich in proteins and essential amino acids and also contains fatty acids, carotenoids and flavonoids, as well as vitamins and minerals.
The most interesting properties of moringa are probably those for health and well-being.
Thanks to the substances contained in the plant, in fact, moringa can be consumed as food o taken as a supplement to enjoy her antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action.
It does not end here: moringa and its derivatives can also be used in treatment of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders.
The Brassicaceae or Cruciferae to which the moringa belongs are in fact plants united by the presence in every part of sulfur compounds responsible for the characteristic odor emanating from the leaves and fruits of these species.
The sulfur compounds are present in the form of glycosides which, in contact with the enzyme myrosinase, give products called isothiocyanates.
To the isothiocyanates, in addition to the smell, we also owe the properties of these plants to which it has been recognized a preventive role on the development of some tumors.
As for i broccoli therefore, moringa also plays a key role in the prevention ofonset of cancer.
Chemical compounds that derive from sulfur molecules such as the sulforaphane present in moringa also provide benefits to the heart and brain and help prevent the onset of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.
Moringa can also help support the activity of the liver, kidneys, lungs,reproductive system and immune system.
Since the action of Brassicaceae is given by the isothiocyanates produced by the activity of myrosinase and given that myrosinase is thermolabile, to obtain the maximum benefit from the consumption of moringa and other plants of this family it is necessary cook these vegetables for a few minutes or, alternatively, they can be consumed with other raw foods rich in myrosinase such as mustard seeds or horseradish.
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Tatiana Maselli
