Advantages of Moringa Oil

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Moringa oil is yielded from the seeds of the moringa oleifera tree, which is also known as the drumstick tree. It is grown mainly in semi-arid, tropical, and subtropical areas. Its seeds are capable of producing about 38-40% edible oil.

Moringa oil, also known as 'Ben oil', is known to be the most stable oil product found in nature. The refined version of this product is clear, odorless, and does not go rancid. Apart from having numerous applications in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry, this product is also used for cooking. In several countries, its bark, sap, roots, leaves, seeds, flowers, and everything else except the seed oil, is used to manufacture traditional medicines.

Health Benefits

This product possesses the properties of an: Antipyretic Antiepileptic Anti-inflammatory Ant ulcer Antispasmodic Diuretic Antihypertensive Antioxidant Antibacterial Antifungal

It helps in building collagen fibers within the skin, as it is rich in vitamin A, and also serves as a beneficial exfoliating element for the skin. It is known that the vitamin A content in the moringa oleifera oil, is 4 times the amount that is found in carrots.

Apart from being rich in vitamin A, this product has 0.5 times more vitamin C than an orange. This product acts as a potent antioxidant in the body and aids in healing wounds, maintaining skin tissue and replacing the damaged ones. Although, the product is fatty, it is easily absorbed by the skin, and helps in maintaining the moisture. Further, when it's added to lip gloss, face oil, and creams, it makes the skin soft and leaves it glowing.

In many countries, there is a practice of using drumstick seeds for water purification. Surveys conducted on the usefulness of this technique reveal that it does not only get rid of solid contaminants from the water, but also reduces the amount of harmful bacteria present in it.

The leaves of the drumstick tree contain more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, and more potassium than bananas. This is not all, some reports vouch for the protein quality of the leaves which may leave milk and eggs' behind. Due to all such properties, this tree has helped societies combat malnutrition in many parts of the world. Indian curries and pickles contain drumstick pods as one of their key ingredients, mainly because of their nutritional benefits.

The oil, leaves, and other parts of this tree have been considered as an aid in childbirth, and an antibiotic for the treatment of liver disorders, stomach problems, cold, and diarrhea.

How is it Extracted?

Modern extraction methods of the moringa oil is carried by the means of a screw press. The seeds are crushed and water is added (10% by volume). Further, the mixture is heated gently on low heat for about 10-15 minutes. The final product that one can expect using this method is about 2.6 liters, from 11 kg of seed kernels.

This extraction process can provides an efficiency of 65%. Traditional methods which were used for the extraction, do not prove to be as efficient as this process.

The drumstick tree has been attributed with the name, 'Miracle tree' due to the myriad of benefits that it offers. As it has been cited already, nearly every part of this tree finds its application in pharmacological and nutritional aspects.