What Is Moringa Tea Good For? Benefits for Women, Blood Sugar and More

Strong = multiple human trials or a meta-analysis. Moderate = a few small trials. Preliminary = early, traditional or animal data.

1. 1

   Lowers blood sugar after meals

   Moderate evidence

   In a 2018 crossover study in Saharawi refugee camps, 20 g of moringa leaf powder eaten with a standard meal reduced the post-meal glucose rise in 17 people with type 2 diabetes, while healthy volunteers saw no change. An earlier Indian study found 50 g of fresh leaves in a meal cut post-meal glucose by about 21% in diabetics, and a Thai study of 10 healthy adults showed a single 4 g capsule increased insulin secretion within hours. Chlorogenic acid, quercetin and isothiocyanates slow glucose absorption and improve insulin signalling. The doses are higher than a cup of tea provides, so a steady, meal-time habit is more likely to help than an occasional mug.

   Key evidenceLeone et al., Nutrients 2018; Anthanont et al., J Med Assoc Thai 2016

2. 2

   Increases breast milk supply

   Moderate evidence

   Moringa (malunggay) is the traditional galactagogue of the Philippines, and it has been tested in several small randomised trials there. In the most cited, mothers of preterm infants took 250 mg moringa leaf capsules twice daily from day 3 postpartum; by day 5 their milk volume averaged roughly 320 mL a day against about 120 mL on placebo. A 2014 pooled analysis of five trials concluded moringa increases milk volume but rated the studies low quality and short. The dose used is small, and the leaf's iron, calcium and vitamin A content is a bonus for a nursing mother, but talk to your midwife or lactation consultant before relying on it.

   Key evidenceEstrella et al., Philippine Journal of Pediatrics 2000; Raguindin et al., Breastfeeding Medicine 2014 (review)

3. 3

   Improves antioxidant status and fasting glucose in postmenopausal women

   Moderate evidence

   In a 3-month Indian trial, 90 postmenopausal women took 7 g of moringa leaf powder daily, amaranth leaf powder or nothing. The moringa group showed significantly higher blood levels of the antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, lower malondialdehyde (a marker of oxidative damage) and a fall in fasting blood glucose of around 13%. The study was not blinded and used powder in food rather than tea, but it is the best direct evidence behind 'moringa benefits for women' and points to real metabolic and antioxidant effects at a realistic daily dose.

   Key evidenceKushwaha, Chawla & Kochhar, Journal of Food Science and Technology 2014; 90 women, 3 months

4. 4

   Supplies iron, calcium and vitamins A and C

   Moderate evidence

   Dried moringa leaf powder contains roughly 17 to 28 mg of iron, 1,500 to 2,000 mg of calcium and 25 g of protein per 100 g, plus high beta-carotene, so a 10 g daily serving of powder is a meaningful nutritional supplement, and feeding programmes use it for that reason. Tea is a different matter: water pulls out some iron, magnesium and vitamin C but almost none of the protein or carotenoids, and the leaf's tannins and oxalate limit iron absorption. Small studies in Indonesian and Nigerian women and children show haemoglobin rising with leaf powder, not tea.

5. 5

   May improve cholesterol

   Preliminary evidence

   Rabbits fed a high-fat diet with moringa leaf extract showed total cholesterol roughly halved and less plaque in their arteries. In a small Indian study, 8 g of leaf powder a day for about seven weeks lowered total and LDL cholesterol in adults with high lipids, and a 2020 meta-analysis of animal and limited human data concluded moringa lowers lipids but called the human evidence insufficient. No trial has tested moringa tea for cholesterol, so this is a reason to use the leaf as a food, not a treatment.

6. 6

   Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects

   Preliminary evidence

   Moringa leaf is unusually rich in quercetin, chlorogenic acid and glucosinolates that convert to isothiocyanates when the leaf is chewed or steeped. In cell and rodent studies these compounds lower TNF-alpha, IL-6 and NF-kB activity and reduce markers of oxidative stress, and the postmenopausal trial above confirmed better antioxidant enzyme levels in people. Whether a daily cup reduces inflammatory markers such as CRP in healthy adults has not been tested; the plausible benefit is modest and long term rather than something you feel.

7. 7

   May lower blood pressure

   Preliminary evidence

   Moringa leaf is high in potassium and contains niazinin and niaziminin, compounds that relaxed blood vessels and lowered blood pressure in animal studies. A 2017 pilot in 41 adults found 120 g of cooked moringa leaf lowered blood pressure for two hours after the meal, and a 2023 crossover study reported small drops in systolic pressure with daily leaf powder. The effect in people drinking tea is unmeasured, so the practical note is additive caution for anyone already on antihypertensives.

   Key evidenceChan Sun et al., Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2020 (acute pilot)

Is moringa tea good for you?

• Yes, moringa leaf tea is a safe, caffeine-free drink for most adults, with plausible benefits for post-meal blood sugar and antioxidant status and a long history as a food.
• The strongest 'moringa for women' evidence is for milk supply and for metabolic markers after menopause, both at powder doses of 0.5 to 7 g a day, so eating the leaf gives you more than steeping it.
• Limit it if you take diabetes or blood pressure medicines (additive lowering), levothyroxine (possible interference), or drugs cleared by CYP3A4 such as some statins, calcium-channel blockers and immunosuppressants.
• Use only the leaf. Moringa root and bark contain compounds that caused uterine contractions in animal studies and are unsafe in pregnancy; the leaf is eaten by pregnant women in many countries but has not been formally tested.
• Stop and seek advice if you get persistent diarrhoea, nausea or heartburn, which are the most common complaints at higher doses.

• Powder in water gives you the full leaf, which is what the studies used; loose-leaf tea tastes cleaner but delivers less nutrition.
• Lemon or a squeeze of lime adds vitamin C, which helps you absorb moringa's non-haem iron.
• Buy leaf that is bright green and smells like fresh hay; brown, musty powder has lost most of its vitamins and may have been poorly dried.

Frequently asked questions

1. Leone A, Bertoli S, Di Lello S, 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)
2. Anthanont P, Lumlerdkij N, Akarasereenont P, Vannasaeng S, Sriwijitkamol A. Moringa oleifera leaf increases insulin secretion after single dose administration: a preliminary study in healthy subjects. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand (2016)
3. William F, Lakshminarayanan S, Chegu H. Effect of some Indian vegetables on the glucose and insulin response in diabetic subjects. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition (1993)
4. Estrella MCP, Mantaring JBV, David GZ, Taup MA. A double-blind, randomized controlled trial on the use of malunggay (Moringa oleifera) for augmentation of the volume of breastmilk among non-nursing mothers of preterm infants. Philippine Journal of Pediatrics (2000)
5. Raguindin PF, Dans LF, King JF. Moringa oleifera as a galactagogue. Breastfeeding Medicine (2014)
6. Kushwaha S, Chawla P, Kochhar A. Effect of supplementation of drumstick (Moringa oleifera) and amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor) leaves powder on antioxidant profile and oxidative status among postmenopausal women. Journal of Food Science and Technology (2014)
7. Monera TG, Wolfe AR, Maponga CC, Benet LZ, Guglielmo J. Moringa oleifera leaf extracts inhibit 6beta-hydroxylation of testosterone by CYP3A4. Journal of Infection in Developing Countries (2008)
8. Leone A, Spada A, Battezzati A, Schiraldi A, Aristil J, Bertoli S. Cultivation, Genetic, Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Moringa oleifera Leaves: An Overview. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2015)
9. Gopalakrishnan L, Doriya K, Kumar DS. Moringa oleifera: A Review on Nutritive Importance and its Medicinal Application. Food Science and Human Wellness (2016)
10. Chan Sun M, Ruhomally ZB, Boojhawon R, Neergheen-Bhujun VS. Antihypertensive effects of Moringa oleifera leaves: an acute pilot study in healthy volunteers. Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2020)