Moringa: What It Is, What's Been Studied and Who Should Avoid It (UK Guide)

Moringa is the drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera), a fast-growing tree native to the Himalayan foothills of northern India, Pakistan and Nepal, whose leaves and young pods are eaten as vegetables. Dried moringa leaf is sold as a powder and in supplements, but it has no authorised health claims in the UK, and some people, including anyone pregnant or breastfeeding, should not take it.

Key takeaways

• Eaten as a vegetable. The leaves are eaten fresh, cooked or dried, and the young pods, called drumsticks, are cooked in curries.
• No authorised health claims. None is authorised for moringa in Great Britain.
• The human research is small. A 2025 review of nine randomised trials (649 adults) rated the certainty of the evidence as very low for every outcome.
• Some people should not take it. Severe allergic and skin reactions to the leaf have been reported, and leaf extract caused abortion in pregnant rats.
• Check first. Our Saffron Gummies are not for use in pregnancy, while trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding, or by under-18s, anyone with phenylketonuria (PKU) or prone to allergies, or anyone allergic to any ingredient, and not with an autoimmune condition or immunosuppressants unless your doctor agrees. With bipolar disorder, a thyroid, liver, kidney or hormone-sensitive condition, high calcium, an operation coming up or another long-term condition, or on any regular medicine, including antidepressants, blood thinners, blood pressure medication and prescribed vitamin D, ask your GP or pharmacist first.

From us: Our Saffron Gummies contain 2,000mg of moringa leaf (from a 10:1 extract) per two gummies. They also contain 300mg of saffron (from a 10:1 extract standardised to 3.5% crocin and safranal), 2,000mg of maca, 200mg of rhodiola, 100mg of L-theanine, 100mg of magnesium, 50 micrograms of vitamin D3 (2,000 IU), 50mg of spirulina extract and 5mg of black pepper extract. Vegan, £18.99 for 60 gummies (30 days), third-party lab tested.

Moringa at a glance

What is moringa?

Moringa oleifera is a fast-growing tree that can reach 12 metres. It is native to the Himalayan foothills of northern India, Pakistan and Nepal, and is now planted across the tropics.

The leaves are the most used part, eaten raw, cooked like spinach or dried, or made into a tea. The long young pods are called drumsticks and are often cooked in curries: India harvests 1.1 to 1.3 million tonnes a year. The seeds give an oil, and the leaves, roots and bark have all been used in folk medicine in South Asia and Africa.

What has been studied?

Most moringa research has been in cells and animals. Human trials are small and short, and many were in people with raised blood sugar or type 2 diabetes.

• Review, 2025. Researchers in Romania pooled nine randomised trials, 649 adults in all, each lasting at least two weeks and measuring weight, blood fats, blood sugar or blood pressure. They rated the certainty of the evidence as very low for every outcome. No conflicts of interest declared.
• Spain, 2022. 65 adults with prediabetes took 2.4g a day of dried leaf powder (six capsules) or a placebo for 12 weeks, double-blind. The researchers measured markers of inflammation, blood fats and blood pressure. Publicly funded.
• Thailand, 2017. 32 adults with type 2 diabetes, not yet on medicine for it, took 8g a day of leaf capsules or a placebo for four weeks. The researchers measured blood sugar control and side effects. Funding not stated.
• Nigeria, 2025. 40 adults with type 2 diabetes added 20g, 40g or 60g of moringa leaves a day to their meals, or none, for 14 days, and the researchers measured blood sugar, blood pressure and blood fats. No conflicts of interest declared.

Other small trials have been in groups such as breastfeeding mothers and adults living with HIV. None tested our gummies, and this is too little to support a health claim.

How much do people take?

Moringa is not a vitamin or mineral, so it has no Nutrient Reference Value (NRV), and no official upper level has been set for it. In trials:

• Capsules: about 2g to 8g of dried leaf powder a day, for two to 12 weeks.
• As food: 20g to 60g of leaves or leaf powder a day added to meals, for two weeks to three months.
• Longest: six months, the longest trial we found.

Leaf powder is dried, ground leaf. A 10:1 extract is made from ten times its weight in leaf, using a solvent such as water or alcohol (more in How to Read a Supplement Label). Our Saffron Gummies contain 2,000mg of moringa leaf (from a 10:1 extract) per two gummies. No trial has used our gummies, and leaves, powders and extracts are made differently, so their weights cannot be compared like for like.

Side effects and who should avoid it

Allergy and skin reactions. Doctors in Tunisia reported anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, after a person ate moringa leaves. Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a serious skin reaction, followed eating moringa leaf in Sri Lanka, and two reports from France described a rash that returns in the same place (a fixed food eruption) after eating moringa. If your lips, mouth or throat suddenly swell, or you struggle to breathe, call 999.

Pregnancy. In a 1988 study, leaf extract given to rats early in pregnancy caused abortion, and root extract affected fertility in rats. Do not take it if you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant.

Breastfeeding. A 2020 Cochrane review of 41 trials in breastfeeding mothers, with moringa among the substances tested, found too little data on side effects to say whether any of them had concerning ones. Do not take it while breastfeeding.

Thyroid. In female rats, leaf extract lowered the thyroid hormone T3 by about 30% and raised T4. We found no controlled human trial. With a thyroid condition or thyroid medicine, ask your doctor first.

A blood clot case. A 2022 US report described blood clots in both lungs in a 63-year-old woman after about five months of moringa leaf extract. Her doctors linked them to the supplement; one case cannot prove the cause.

Contamination. Three moringa products tested in Zimbabwe all contained E. coli and Salmonella, and arsenic, nickel and cadmium above permitted limits. A 2021 review reported worrying levels of heavy metals and mould toxins in moringa products.

Medicines. We found one published human study of moringa with a medicine (the HIV medicine nevirapine, in 11 adults) and a study with the diabetes medicine metformin, completed in 2016, with no results posted. That is too little to know how moringa behaves with other medicines.

If a new symptom appears, stop and speak to your GP or a pharmacist.

Do not take our Saffron Gummies if you:

• are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, breastfeeding or under 18
• are allergic to any ingredient, including moringa, rhodiola and spirulina
• have phenylketonuria (PKU) or are prone to allergies (for the spirulina)
• have an autoimmune condition or take immunosuppressants, unless your doctor agrees (for the spirulina)

Ask your GP or pharmacist first if you:

• have bipolar disorder, or take antidepressants or other mood medication (for the saffron and rhodiola)
• take blood thinners such as warfarin, aspirin or clopidogrel, blood pressure medication or diabetes medicine
• take digoxin, water tablets or epilepsy medicine such as phenytoin (for the vitamin D3 and rhodiola)
• have a thyroid condition or take thyroid medicine (for the moringa)
• have a liver condition (for the rhodiola)
• have, or have had, a hormone-sensitive condition, such as breast or womb cancer (for the maca)
• are having hormone blood tests: tell your doctor you take maca
• have high calcium in your blood or urine, high vitamin D levels, kidney problems or kidney stones, or sarcoidosis (for the vitamin D3)
• are prescribed vitamin D: the NHS says not to add other vitamin D or calcium supplements without your doctor's advice
• have an operation coming up or another long-term condition, or take any other regular medicine

Take no more than two gummies a day, and keep the bottle out of reach of children. More in Saffron Side Effects and Safety: What to Check First. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet and a healthy lifestyle.

List prices, before any discount code, correct on 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is moringa?

Moringa is Moringa oleifera, also called the drumstick tree or horseradish tree, a fast-growing tree native to the Himalayan foothills of northern India, Pakistan and Nepal. Its leaves are eaten fresh, cooked or dried, and its young pods, called drumsticks, are cooked in curries. Moringa has no authorised health claims in Great Britain, and we advise against moringa supplements in pregnancy, if you are trying to get pregnant and while breastfeeding.

What are the benefits of moringa?

Moringa has no authorised health claims in Great Britain. Its human trials are small and short, many in people with a particular medical condition, and a 2025 review of nine randomised trials, 649 adults in all, rated the certainty of the evidence as very low for every outcome. None tested our gummies. That is too little to support a health claim.

Is moringa safe?

Some people should not take it. Anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, and Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a serious skin reaction, have been reported after eating moringa leaf, and a 2022 US case report described blood clots in the lungs of a woman after about five months of moringa leaf extract, which her doctors linked to the supplement. Leaf extract caused abortion in pregnant rats. Three moringa products tested in Zimbabwe contained E. coli, Salmonella and heavy metals above permitted limits. We advise against moringa supplements in pregnancy, if you are trying to get pregnant and while breastfeeding. Our Saffron Gummies are not for use in pregnancy, while trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding, or by under-18s, anyone with phenylketonuria (PKU) or prone to allergies, or anyone allergic to any ingredient, and not with an autoimmune condition or immunosuppressants unless your doctor agrees. With bipolar disorder, a thyroid, liver, kidney or hormone-sensitive condition, high calcium, an operation coming up or another long-term condition, or on any regular medicine, including antidepressants, blood thinners, blood pressure medication and prescribed vitamin D, ask your GP or pharmacist first. If your lips, mouth or throat suddenly swell, or you struggle to breathe, call 999. For any other new symptom, stop and speak to a GP or pharmacist.

Can you take moringa when pregnant or breastfeeding?

No. We advise against moringa supplements, including our Saffron Gummies, in pregnancy, if you are trying to get pregnant and while breastfeeding. In a 1988 study, moringa leaf extract given to rats early in pregnancy caused abortion. A 2020 Cochrane review of trials in breastfeeding mothers, moringa among the substances tested, found too little data on side effects to say whether any had concerning ones. Ask your midwife, GP or pharmacist which supplements suit you.

Can you take moringa with medication?

Ask your GP or pharmacist first, especially if you take diabetes, blood pressure or thyroid medicine. We found one published human study of moringa with a medicine, in 11 adults, which is too little to know how moringa behaves with others. Our Saffron Gummies are not for use in pregnancy, while trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding, or by under-18s, anyone with phenylketonuria (PKU) or prone to allergies, or anyone allergic to any ingredient, and not with an autoimmune condition or immunosuppressants unless your doctor agrees. With bipolar disorder, a thyroid, liver, kidney or hormone-sensitive condition, high calcium, an operation coming up or another long-term condition, or on any regular medicine, including antidepressants, blood thinners, blood pressure medication and prescribed vitamin D, ask your GP or pharmacist first.

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References

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Food supplements are not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult a healthcare professional before use.