MALUNGGAY (Moringa oleifera)

Ethnobotanical and Pharmacological Activities of Indigenous Plants in Ilocos Sur

ABSTRACT

Moringa oleifera commonly known as malunggay in Philippines or Horse radish in English, is

a plant that has been praised for its health benefits for thousands of years. It is a multipurpose
tropical tree that known for high nutritional value as well as an herbal medicine. Malunggay is a
plant that grows in the tropical climates such as the Philippines, India and Africa. It is a small to
medium evergreen or deciduous tree that can grow to a height of 10-12 m. It has a spreading open
crown, typically umbrella-shaped. Malunggay is widely used as vegetable ingredient in cooking, as
herbal medicine for a number of illness and other practical uses. This plant is widely used as
nutritional herb and contains valuable pharmacological action like anti-asthmatic, anti-diabetic,
hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti- fertility, anti-cancer, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant,
cardiovascular, anti-ulcer, CNS activity, anti-allergic, wound healing, analgesic, and antipyretic
activity. It contains rich source of the vitamin A, vitamin C and milk protein. It is mainly used for food
and has numerous industrial, medicinal and agricultural uses, including animal feeding. In
Philippines, due to their high iron content, moringa leaves are used in the treatment of anemia.
Moringa roots and bark are used in cardiac and circulatory problems.

Keywords: malunggay, Horse radish, Moringa oleifera, vegetable, anemia, nutrional herb, anti-
asthmatic, anti-diabetic, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti- fertility, anti-cancer, anti-
microbial, anti-oxidant, cardiovascular, anti-ulcer, CNS activity, anti-allergic, wound healing,
analgesic, antipyretic activity.

Introduction to Ethnobotanical and Pharmacological Activities of Plants

Malunggay (Moringa Oleifera), is a popular plant known for high nutritional value as well as
an herbal medicine. Malunggay is a plant that grows in the tropical climates such as the Philippines,
India and Africa. Malunggay is widely used as vegetable ingredient in cooking, as herbal medicine for
a number of illness and other practical uses. Malunggay (Moringa Oleifera) has been used as herbal
medicine in many cultures for hundreds of years. Malunggay is known as a very nutritious plant
where it is used to combat malnutrition in third world countries especially for infants and nursing
mothers. The malunggay pods are the most valued and widely used part of the plant. Malunggay
pods contains essential amino acids, vitamins and other nutrients. Malunggay pods may be eaten
raw or may be prepared or cooked. Malunggay pods may be fried and may produce a clear, odorless
and sweet oil mostly called - Ben Oil. Malunggay leaves may be eaten as greens, in salads and as
vegetable ingredients for soups and other tropical viands. Malunggay flowers are cooked and eaten
either mixed with other foods or fried in batter.

This plant is widely used as nutritional herb and contains valuable pharmacological action
like anti-asthmatic, anti-diabetic, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti- fertility, anti-cancer,
anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, cardiovascular, anti-ulcer, CNS activity, anti-allergic, wound healing,
analgesic, and antipyretic activity, Moringa oleifera Lam. The plant is also known as Horse - radish
tree, Drumstick tree. Every part of this plant contains a valuable medicinal feature. It contains rich
source of the vitamin A, vitamin C and milk protein. Different types of active phytoconstituents like
alkaloids, protein, quinine, saponins, flavonoids, tannin, steroids, glycosides, fixed oil and fats are
present. 
Description of the Study Area

The malunggay (Moringa Oleifera) utilized for this study was found in Dadalaquiten Sur,
Sinait, Ilocos Sur. Specifically in the front of our home. The 9 meters malunggay stoods in the soil
along with different kinds of grass and plants. There are also different kinds of insects roaming
around the soil where the malunggay is planted like ants, bugs and even earthworm are present in
the soil. There are no tribes in this study area. The people living in here are pure Ilokanos.

Interview and Sampling (Overview of the Plant, Discussion on the plant parts utilized and
how it is used as medicine, methods of preparation and mode of application)

Moringa oleifera is a plant that has been praised for its health benefits for thousands
of years. It is a multipurpose tropical tree. It is mainly used for food and has numerous
industrial, medicinal and agricultural uses, including animal feeding. Nutritious, fast-growing
and drought-tolerant, this traditional plant was rediscovered in the 1990s and its cultivation
has since become increasingly popular in Asia and Africa, where it is among the most
economically valuable crops. It has been dubbed the "miracle tree" or "tree of life" by the
media.

Moringa is a small to medium evergreen or deciduous tree that can grow to a height
of 10-12 m. It has a spreading open crown, typically umbrella-shaped. The roots are deep.
The bole is crooked, generally one-stemmed but sometimes forked from the base. The bark
is corky and grey. The branches are fragile and drooping, with a feathery foliage. Young
twigs and shoots are covered in short dense hairs, purplish or greenish white in colour.
Moringa leaves are alternate, 7-60 cm long, tripinnately compound with each pinnate
bearing 4-6 pairs of leaflets that are dark green, elliptical to obovate, and 1-2 cm in length.
The inflorescences are 10-20 cm long, spreading panicles bearing many fragrant flowers.
Moringa flowers are pentamerous, zygomorphic, 7-14 mm long and white to cream in
colour. The fruit is a typically 3-valved capsule, 10 to 60 cm in length, often referred to as a
“pod” and looking like a drumstick (hence the name "drumstick tree"). The fruit is green
when young and turns brown at maturity. The mature fruit splits open along each angle to
expose the seeds. The capsule contains 15-20 rounded oily seeds, 1-1.5 cm in diameter
surrounded by 3 papery wings, up to 2.5 cm long. Moringa seeds contain a large amount of
oil.

All parts of moringa are consumed as food. The plant produces leaves during the dry
season and during times of drought, and is an excellent source of green vegetable when
little other food is available Moringa is mainly grown for its leaves in Africa, and much
appreciated for its pods in Asia. Leaves, pods, roots and flowers can be cooked as
vegetables. The roots have been used as a substitute for horseradish but may be slightly
toxic. The leaves are very nutritious and rich in protein, vitamins A, B and C, and minerals.
They are highly recommended for pregnant and nursing mothers as well as young children
They are generally cooked (boiled, pan-fried) and eaten like spinach or put in soups and
sauces. Moringa leaves are also eaten as a salad or dried and ground to make a very
nutritious leaf powder. Moringa leaf powder is used to aid the restoration of infants
suffering from malnutrition. Moringa flowers are used to make tea, added into sauces or
made into a paste and fried. The young pods are prepared, and taste like asparagus. Older
pods can be added to sauces and curries in which their bitterness is appreciated The
immature seeds can be cooked in many different ways while the mature seeds are roasted
and eaten like peanuts. Moringa seeds contain about 30-40% of an edible oil (ben oil), which
is used for salad dressing and cooking, and can replace olive oil. Ben oil is resistant to
rancidity and provides substantial amounts of oleic acid, sterols and tocopherols

Moringa leaves are a valuable source of protein for ruminants but they have a
moderate palatability. They are used in smallholder rabbit farming in several African
countries. Using moringa leaves for feeding poultry, pigs and fish is feasible but only in
limited amounts due to the presence of fibre and antinutritional factors. Moringa oil seed
cake, the by-product of oil extraction, is not very palatable to livestock and mainly used as
green manure or a flocculating agent in water purification. Moringa seeds appear to be toxic
to rabbits.

Moringa oil has various industrial applications. It is used in the perfume industry, as
it readily retains its fragrance and is not prone to rancidity, and in the manufacture of paints
and lubricants (Bosch, 2004; Foidl et al., 2001). Moringa oil has qualities needed for a
biodiesel feedstock (Rashid et al., 2008). At the time of writing (December 2014), several
projects to produce biodiesel from moringa seeds were under way in Asia and Africa.

For medicinal uses, moringa seeds contain pterygospermin, a potent antibiotic and
fungicide effective against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In the
Philippines, due to their high iron content, moringa leaves are used in the treatment of
aenemia. Moringa roots and bark are used in cardiac and circulatory problems.

respiratory disease, and vascular

disorders
Review of Related Literature (Support the use of the plant by making an RRL to establish
its scientific basis)

Based on the research of Luqman, S. et al. (December 14, 2011), the ethanolic and
aqueous extract of Moringa fruit and leaf significantly maintains the basal levels of
Glutathione (GSH) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) content in a concentration- and dose-
dependent manner. The ethanolic extract of fruit showed highest phenolic content along
with strong reducing power and free radical scavenging capacity. Safety evaluation studies
showed that ethanolic and aqueous extract of both fruit and leaf was well tolerated by
experimental animals. A high positive correlation was observed among the in vitro and in
vivo assays for antioxidative properties. In addition, our results support the potent
antioxidant activity of aqueous and ethanolic extract of Moringa which adds one more
positive attribute to its known pharmacological properties and hence its use in traditional
system of medicine. Further investigations on isolation, characterization, and identification
of active phytoconstituents responsible for the protection of oxidative stress and
antioxidant activity are warranted for future work.
 Based on the study of Nakdeve, M. (October 08, 2020), Moringa possesses
antibacterial and antimicrobial properties and is effective against the growth of disease
causing microbes. Scientific research has proven that moringa extracts exert a wide
spectrum of protective activity against food-borne microorganisms such as Salmonella,
Rhizopus species, E. coli, Enterobacter aerogenus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and
Staphylococcus aureus. This defensive activity makes moringa extracts perfect for sanitation
and preservation purposes. Also, aqueous leaves extract of moringa oleifera possesses
significant wound-healing properties. Research studies have provided supporting evidence
regarding the healing effects of moringa in the treatment of wounds with respect to skin
breaking strength, would closure rate and reduction in the scar area.

References

Agoyi, E. E. et al., (2014). Ethnobotanical Assessment of Moringa oleifera Lam. In Southern Benin
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Heuzé V., Tran G., Hassoun P., Bastianelli D., Lebas F., (2019) Moringa (Moringa oleifera). Feedipedia,
a programme by INRAE, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO. https://www.feedipedia.org/node/124 11:10

Luqman, S. et al. (2011, December 14). Experimental Assessment of Moringa oleifera Leaf
and Fruit for Its Antistress, Antioxidant, and Scavenging Potential Using In Vitro and
In Vivo Assays. Retrieved August 05, 2022 from
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2012/519084/
Medical Health Guide. (n.d.). Malunggay (Moringa oleifera) Herbal Medicine. Retrieved from
http://www.medicalhealthguide.com/articles/malunggay.htm

Nakdeve, M. (2020, October 08). Science-Based Benefits & Uses Of Moringa Oleifera.
Retrieved August 05, 2022 from https://www.organicfacts.net/health-
benefits/vegetable/moringa.html
Paikra, B. K. et al., (2017). Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Moringa oleifera Lam. Retrieved
September 30, 2017, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5633671/#:~:text=This%20plant%20is
%20widely%20used,%2C%20wound%20healing%2C%20analgesic%2C%20and