Can Moringa Help Arthritis? – Dr Justine Answers this Question
Question: Good morning family. I need help. My mother has antritis which has affected her blood levels (she is anemic) due to the degeneration of bones. Because of this, she gets a blood transfusion every 8 months. Can taking moringa help? If so, what is the dosage?
Answer: Yes, Moringa can prove to be very useful in arthritis owing to the strong anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and analgesic properties of its bioactive components. These properties can tackle some of the key biological processes involved in the arthritis development.
1. Moringa can suppress inflammation in arthritis.
Inflammation plays a key role in the development and manifestation of the symptoms of most of the arthritis types such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, etc. The inflammatory conditions are brought about by various risk factors for the disease such as physical inactivity, old age, obesity, and others.
Suppression of the inflammation is, therefore, adopted as a primary treatment response in arthritis.
Moringa oleifera (leaves, fruit, seeds, and root) is known for a strong anti-inflammatory action and can be very useful against inflammation in this disease.
The leaf-extract of Moringa has been found to markedly suppress the pro-inflammatory molecules such as TNF-α, interleukins (IL-10, IL-1β), cyclooxygenase-2, prostaglandin-2, etc. and the inflammatory pathway, NF-kappa B.
In arthritis, the seed extract of Moringa has been found to be effective as well.
What does it mean?
It means Moringa oleifera can be effective in suppressing the inflammation in arthritis and ameliorating it. The different parts (leaves, fruit, seeds, roots) of this plant have a significant anti-inflammatory action which is comparable to some commonly used drugs in the arthritis treatment.
2. Moringa can reduce arthritis pain
Pain is one of the most common and most distressing aspects of arthritis. It results from the effect of inflammation in the joint tissues.
The inflammation leads to an increased nociception, i.e., an increased sensitivity of the neurons that transmit pain-signals, thus causing the pain.
Add ginger to the moringa for same effect as above.
3. Moringa can decrease heart risks in arthritis:
The risk of heart disease is prevalent in many types of arthritis, especially in the ones where inflammation has a crucial role in the disease development.
The inflammation promotes the process of atherosclerosis (deposition of plaque in the arteries) and harms the endothelium (inner lining of the blood vessels), which eventually impedes the cardiovascular function.
It further increases the risk of heart diseases such as hypertension, strokes, heart attack, etc.
Moringa oleifera has anti-atherosclerotic potential due to the presence of flavonoids like kaempferol, myricetin, etc. These compounds reduce the risk of developing heart diseases by preventing endothelial damage, and atherosclerosis.
The administration of seed powder of Moringa in a hypertension model has shown heart-protective effects. The upregulation of PPAR-γ pathway (a biochemical pathway that can be regulated to deliver anti-inflammatory effect) improved various aspects of the heart function.
The leaf powder of Moringa has also shown to improve the lipid profile to decrease the risk of heart diseases through the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions of its constituents.
What does it mean?
It means Moringa oleifera can reduce the risk of heart problems in arthritis. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of its components help in the prevention of atherosclerosis and endothelial damage that eventually cause heart diseases.
Dosage of Moringa for Arthritis:
The dosage of Moringa in arthritis has not been specified.
However, most of the studies have been conducted in the animal models. The dosages up to 1000 mg/ kg body weight of different extracts (leaves, roots, & seeds) of the plant have shown to be efficacious and safe.
- 500-1000mg of standardized leaf extract can help.
- A dose of 150-200mg per kg body weight is deemed to be safe by authority resources.
- However, due to toxicity issues at the very high dosage, it is better to restrict the dosage at around 2000-3000 mg of the bioactive extracts depending on the body weight.
This plant is versatile in terms of the utility. There are many options available for its intake.
There is a variety of supplements available in the form of powders, extracts or tablets (of leaves, roots, seeds, fruit, and flowers separately or mixed).
