Generic placeholder image

Current Traditional Medicine

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 2215-0838
ISSN (Online): 2215-0846

Review Article

A Review of the Therapeutic Benefits of Moringa oleifera in Controlling High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

Author(s): Chuku Okorie, Kola Ajibesin, Adekunle Sanyaolu*, Adeena Islam, Selciya Lamech, Kudakwashe Mupepi, Tatenda Mupepi, Akeem Oseni, Oluwayemisi Oyeleke and Amos Abioye

Volume 5, Issue 3, 2019

Page: [232 - 245] Pages: 14

DOI: 10.2174/2215083805666190208163441

Price: $65

Abstract

Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) is an angiosperm plant that is a member of the Moringaceae family. It is a natural plant that is native to the sub-Himalayan northern regions of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The plant grows abundantly throughout tropical and subtropical areas of the world. For several centuries, many cultures have utilized various parts of the moringa plant as traditional medicine to treat common illnesses and control life-threatening conditions such as hypertension (HTN), diabetes, hyperlipidemia, inflammation, etc. This article reviewed the current literature on the therapeutic benefits of M. oleifera on hypertension, primarily focusing on identifying the plant’s key components and its roles in hindering the common pathophysiological pathways associated with hypertension. The number of people living with HTN has been predicted to increase to 1.56 billion worldwide by 2025 in spite of the myriads of preventive and treatment strategies available today. Therefore, it would be of great value to explore alternative complementary ways of controlling high blood pressure. HTN is commonly defined as blood pressure equal to or higher than 140/90 mm Hg. HTN itself is not a disease condition and does not elicit specific symptoms, however, if left untreated for a long time, it can lead to complicated cardiovascular diseases such as angina, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction as well as stroke and chronic kidney diseases. Primary hypertension is diagnosed when there is no known identifiable underlying cause for the onset of the condition. Secondary hypertension is diagnosed when there is evidence of a disease or disorder triggering the onset of the condition. It is apparent that understanding the role of M. oleifera in the management of hypertension would expand the valuable strategies for the control of this condition.

Keywords: Moringa oleifera, herbal medication, hypertension, antihypertensive, vasodilator, diabetes.

Graphical Abstract
[1]
World Health Organization 2013. A global brief on hypertension: Silent killer, global public health crisis: World Health Day 2013 (No WHO/DCO/WHD/ 20132).
[2]
Abdull R, Ahmad F, Ibrahim MD, Kntayya SB. Health benefits of Moringa oleifera. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 2014 15(20): 8571-6.
[3]
Chanda D, Kumar R, Luqman S, Maurya AK, Srivastava S. Experimental assessment of Moringa oleifera leaf and fruit for its antistress, antioxidant, and scavenging potential using in vitro and in vivo assays. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med 2012 2012. Article ID 519084: 12.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/519084]
[4]
Fahey JW. Moringa oleifera: A review of the medical evidence for its nutritional, therapeutic, and prophylactic properties. Part 1. Trees for Life Journal 2005; 1: 5.
[5]
Adeoti OA, Ariyo O, Ijarotimi SO. Comparative study on nutrient composition, phytochemical, and functional characteristics of raw, germinated, and fermented Moringa oleifera seed flour. J Food Sci Nutr 2013; 1(6): 452-63.
[6]
Amaglo NK, Bennett RN, Curto RBL, et al. Profiling selected phytochemicals and nutrients in different tissues of the multipurpose tree Moringa oleifera L., grown in Ghana. Food Chem 2010; 122(4): 1047-54.
[7]
Asiedu GIJ, Frimpong MSAMUEL, Awortwe C, Antwi DA, Nyarko AK. Micro-and macroelemental composition and safety evaluation of the nutraceutical Moringa oleifera leaves. J Toxicol 2014; 2014(4): 1-13.
[8]
Waterman C, Cheng DM, Rojas SP, et al. Stable, water extractable isothiocyanates from Moringa oleifera leaves attenuate inflammation in vitro. Phytochemistry 2014; 103: 114-22.
[9]
Afolayan AJ, Kayode RMO. Cytotoxicity and effect of extraction methods on the chemical composition of essential oils of Moringa oleifera seeds. J Zhejiang Univ Sci 2015; 16(8): 680-9.
[10]
Araújo LCC, Aguiar JS, Napoleão TH, et al. Evaluation of cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory activities of extracts and lectins from Moringa oleifera seeds. PLoS One 2013; 8(12)e81973
[11]
Morton JF. The horse radish tree, moringa pterygosperma. A boon to arid lands? Econ Bot 1991; 45: 318-33.
[12]
Khawaja TM, Tahira M, Ikram UK. Moringa oleifera: A natural gift - A review. J Pharm Sci Res 2010; 2: 775-81.
[13]
Hsu R, Midcap S, Arbainsyah DWL. Moringa Oleifera. Medicinal and socio-economical uses. international course on economic botany, national herbarium leiden, the Netherlands 2006
[14]
Kasolo JN, Bimenya GS, Ojok L, Ochieng J, Ogwal-Okeng JW. Phytochemicals and uses of Moringa oleifera leaves in Ugandan rural communities. J Med Plants Res 2010; 4(9): 753-7.
[15]
Sreelatha S, Padma PR. Antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of Moringa oleifera leaves in two stages of maturity. Plant food Hum Nutr 2009; 64(4): 303-11
[16]
Al-Kharusi LM, Elmardi MO, Ali A, Al-Said FAJ, Abdelbasit KM, Al-Rawahi S. Effect of mineral and organic fertilizers on the chemical characteristics and quality of date fruits. Int J Agric Biol 2009; 11: 290-6.
[17]
Fuglie LJ. The Miracle Tree: Moringa oleifera: Natural Nutrition for the Tropics. Church World Service Dakar, Senegal 1999.
[18]
Guevara AP, Vargas C, Sakurai H, et al. An antitumor promoter from Moringa oleifera Lam. Mutat Res Genet Toxicol Environ Mutagen 1999; 440(2): 181-8.
[19]
Bennett RN, Mellon FA, Foidl N, et al. Profiling glucosinolates and phenolics in vegetative and reproductive tissues of the multi-purpose trees Moringa oleifera L. (Horseradish tree) and Moringa stenopetala L. J Agric Food Chem 2003; 51(12): 3546-53.
[20]
Tree for life International. Moringa oleifera book.
[21]
Siddhuraju P, Becker K. Antioxidant properties of various solvent extracts of total phenolic constituents from three different agroclimtic origins of drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera from three different agro climatic origins of drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera Lam) leaves. J Agr Food Chem 2003; 51: 2144-5.
[22]
Dahot MU. Vitamin contents of flowers and seeds of Moringa oleifera. Pak J Biochem 1988; 21: 1-24.
[23]
Ruckmani K, Kavimani S, Anandan R, Jaykar B. Effect of Moringa oleifera Lam on paracetamol-induced hepatoxicity. Indian J Pharm Sci 1998; 60: 33-5.
[24]
Babu R, Chaudhuri M. Home water treatment by direct filtration with natural coagulant. J Water Health 2005; 3: 27-30.
[25]
Faizi S, Siddiqui BS, Saleem R, Aftab K, Shaheen F, Gilani AH. Hypotensive constituents from the pods of Moringa oleifera. Planta Med 1998; 64: 225-8.
[26]
Mehta LK, Balaraman R, Amin AH, Bafna PA, Gulati OD. Effect of fruits of Moringa oleifera on the lipid profile of normal and hypercholesterolaemic rabbits. J Ethnopharmacol 2003; 86: 191-5.
[27]
Verma VK, Singh N, Saxena P, Singh R. Anti-ulcer and antioxidant activity of Moringa oleifera (Lam) leaves against aspirin and ethanol induced gastric ulcer in rats. Int Res J of Pharmaceuticals 2012; 2(2): 46-57.
[28]
Mbikay M. Therapeutic potential of Moringa oleifera Leaves in chronic hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia: A review. Front Pharmacol 2012; 3
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2012.00024]
[29]
Grosvenor PW, Supriono A, Gray DO. Medicinal plants from Riau Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. Part 2: Antibacterial and antifungal activity. J Ethnopharmacol 1995; 45(2): 97-111.
[30]
Kudi AC, Uhoh JU, Eduvie LO. Screening of some Nigerian medicinal plants for antibacterial activity. J Ethnopharmacol 1999; 67: 225-8.
[31]
Ali NA, Jülich WD, Kusnick C, Lindequist U. Screening of Yemeni medicinal plants for antibacterial and cytotoxic activities. J Ethnopharmacol 2001; 74(2): 173-9.
[32]
Francis JA, Jayaprakasam B, Olso LK, Nair MG. Insulin secretagogues from Moringa oleifera with cyclooxygenase enzyme and lipid peroxidation inhibitory activities. Helvetica Chimica Acta 2004; 87(2): 317-26.
[33]
Ragasa CY, Levida RM, Don M-J, Shen C-C. Cytotoxic isothiocyanates from Moringa oleifera Lam. Philippine Sci Lett 2012; 5(1): 46-52.
[34]
Tahir N, Qader K, Azeez H, Rashid J. Inhibitory Allelopathic effects of Moring oleifera Lamk plant extracts on wheat and Sinapis arvensis L. Allelopathy J 2018; 44(1): 35-48.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.26651/allelo.j./2018-44-1-1152]
[35]
Faizi S, Siddiqui BS, Saleem R, Siddiqui S, Aftab K. Isolation and structure elucidation of new nitrile and mustard oil glycosides from Moringa oleifera and their effect on blood pressure. J Nat Prod 1994; 57(9): 1256-61.
[36]
Faizi S, Siddiqui BS, Saleem R, Siddiqui S, Aftab K, Gilani AH. Fully acetylatedcarbamate and hypotensive thiocarbamate glycosides from Moringa oleifera. Phytochem 1995; 38(4): 957-63.
[37]
Leuck M, Kunz H. Synthesis of active principles from the leaves of Moringa oleifera using S-pent-4-enyl thioglycosides. Carbohydr Res 1998; 312(1-2): 33-44.
[38]
Saluja MP, Kapil RS, Popli SP. Studies in medicinal plants: Part VI chemical constituents of Moringa oleifera Lam. And isolation of 4-hydroxymellein. Indian J Chem 1978; 16B: 1044-5.
[39]
Guevara AP, Vargas C, Sakurai H, et al. An antitumor promoter from Moringa oleifera Lam. Mutat Res 1999; 44D(2): 181-8.
[40]
Eilert U, Wolters B, Nadrtedt A. The antibiotic principle of seeds of Moringa oleifera and Moringa atenopetula. Planta Med 1981; 42(1): 55-61.
[41]
Ragasa YC, Ng VAS, Shen C. Chemical constituents of Moringa oleifera Lam. Seeds. J Pharmacogn Phytochem Res 2016; 3: 495-8.
[42]
Amaglo NK, Bennett RN, Curto RBL, et al. Profiling selected phytochemicals and nutrients in different tissues of the multipurpose tree Moringa oleifera L., grown in Ghana. Food Chem 2010; 122(4): 1047-54. [CrossRef].
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2010.03.073]
[43]
Punia J, Singh R. Studies on phytoconstituents and biological potential of stem of Moringa Oleifera. Orient J Chem 2018; 34(3)
[44]
Pramanik A, Islam SS. Chemical investigation of aqueous extract of the mature and premature flowers of Moringa oleifera and structural studies of a polysaccharide isolated from its premature flowers. Indian J Chem 1998; 37B: 676-82.
[45]
Dahot MU, Memon AR. Nutritive significance of oil extracted from Moringa oleifera seeds. J Pharm Univ Karachi 1985; 3(2): 75-80.
[46]
Memon GM, Memon SA, Memon AR. Isolation and structure elucidation of moringyne, a new glycoside from the seeds of Moringa oleifera. Pak J Sci Ind Res 1985; 28(1): 7-9.
[47]
Upadhyay P, Yadav MK, Mishra S, Sharma P, Purohit S. Moringa oleifera A review of the medical evidence for its nutritional and pharmacological properties. Int J Res Pharm Sci 2015; 1(2).
[48]
Pandey A, Pandey RD, Tripathi P, et al. Moringa oleifera Lam. Sahijan)-A plant with a plethora of diverse therapeutic benefits: An updated retrospection. J Appl Res Med Aromat Plants 2012; 1(1): 1-8.
[49]
Stohs SJ, Hartman MJ. Review of the safety and efficacy of Moringa oleifera. Phytotherapy Res 2015; 29(6): 796-804.
[50]
Gupta S, Jain R, Kachhwaha S, Kothari SL. Nutritional and medicinal applications of Moringa oleifera Lam.-Review of current status and future possibilities. J Herbal Med 2018; 11: 1-11.
[51]
Gilani AH, Aftab K, Suria A, et al. Pharmacological studies on hypotensive and spasmolytic activities of pure compounds from Moringa oleifera. Phytotherapy Res 1994; 8(2): 87-91.
[52]
Caceres A, Saravia A, Rizzo S, Zabala L, Leon ED, Nave F. Pharmacologic properties of Moringa oleifera: 2: Screening for antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and diuretic activity. J Ethnopharmacol 1992; 36: 233-7.
[53]
Larson AJ, Symons JD, Jalili T. Therapeutic potential of quercetin to decrease blood pressure: Review of efficacy and mechanisms. Adv Nutr 2012; 3(1): 39-46.
[54]
Kawser HM, Abdal DA, Han J. Molecular mechanisms of the anti-obesity and anti-diabetic properties of flavonoids. Int J Mol Sci 2016; 17(4): 569.
[55]
Brüll V, Burak C, Stoffel WB. Effects of a quercetin-rich onion skin extract on 24 h ambulatory blood pressure and endothelial function in overweight-to-obese patients with (pre-) hypertension: A randomised double-blinded placebo-controlled cross-over trial. British J Nutr 2015; 114(8): 1263-77.
[56]
Carretero OA, Oparil S. Essential hypertension. Part I: Definition and etiology. Circ 2000; 101: 329-35.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/01.CIR.101.3.329]
[57]
Beevers G, Lip GYH, O’Brien E. The pathophysiology of hypertension. BMJ British Medical Journal 2001; 322(7291): 912-6.
[58]
Makris A, Seferou M, Papadopoulos DP. Resistant hypertension workup and approach to treatment. Int J Hypertens 2011; 2011598694
[59]
Tabassum N, Ahmad F. Role of natural herbs in the treatment of hypertension. Pharmacogn Rev 2011; 5(9): 30-40.
[60]
Pierdomenico SD, Ballone E, Lapenna D, et al. Prognostic value of different indices of blood pressure variability in hypertensive patients. Am J Hypertension 2009; 22: 842-7.
[61]
Chobanian AV, Bakris GL, Black HR, et al. Seventh report of the joint national committee on prevention, detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood pressure. Hypertension 2003; 42: 1206-52.
[62]
Khan NA, Hemmelgarn B, Herman RJ, et al. The 2009 Canadian hypertension education program recommendations for the management of hypertension: Part 2-therapy. Can J Cardiol 2009; 25(5): 287-98.
[63]
Anwar F, Latif S, Ashraf M, Gilani A. Moringa oleifera: a food plant with multiple medicinal uses. Phytother Res 2006; 21(1): 17-25.
[64]
Nambiar VS, Guin P, Parnami S, Daniel M. Impact of antioxidants from drumstick leaves on the lipid profile of hyperlipidemics. J Herb Med Toxicol 2010; 4: 165-72.
[65]
Vongsak B, Sithisarn P, Gritsanapan W. Bioactive contents and free radical scavenging activity of Moringa oleifera leaf extract under different storage conditions. Ind Crops Prod 2013; 49: 419-21.
[66]
Leone A, Spada A, Battezzati A, Schiraldi A, Aristil J, Bertoli S. Cultivation, Genetic, Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Moringa oleifera Leaves: An Overview. Int J Mol Sci 2015; 16(6): 12791-835.
[67]
Simaratanamongkol A, Umehara K, Noguchi H, Panichayupakaranant P. Identification of a new angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor from Thai edible plants. Food Chem 2014; 165: 92-7.
[68]
Chang W. Attenuation of the extract from Moringa Oleifera on monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension in rats. Chin J Physiol 2012; 55(1): 22-30.
[69]
Abrogoua D, Dano D, Manda P, et al. Effect on blood pressure of a dietary supplement containing traditional medicinal plants of Côte d’Ivoire. J Ethnopharmacol 2012; 141(3): 840-7.

Rights & Permissions Print Cite
© 2024 Bentham Science Publishers | Privacy Policy