There was a media report by the Premium Times, February 12, 2019, in which Professor Adefolarin Malomo, Consultant Neurosurgeon, University College Hospital, Ibadan highlighted the findings of a group of researchers from the Department of Anatomy, University of Ibadan on Moringa oleifera leaves.

Moringa oleifera is a tree with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Also known as the drumstick tree, the miracle tree, the ben oil tree, or the horseradish tree, people have used moringa for centuries due to its health benefits.

Professor Malomo was quoted as saying “I conducted the study with other doctors, including Dr Foluso Atiba and Dr Innocent Imosemi, on the title: “Noxious effect of Moringa oleifera leave extract on the developing brain, morphology and behaviour of Wistar rat.”

Dr Foluso Atiba, the lead author of the research article published with the Italian Journal of Anatomy and Embryology in 2017, in a chat with our correspondent provided insights on the benefit of Moringa oleifera leave but warned against its consumption during pregnancy based on findings from their work on the leave extract.

According to Atiba, Moringa Oleifera is a short, slender, deciduous, perennial tree of about 10 meter in height. The plant is one of the best known and most widely distributed species of the monogeneric family Moringaceae. She explained further that the plant has many uses, including antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory and diuretic activities. “It reduces arthritis, aids digestion and combats malnutrition, since it has seven times the vitamin C content of oranges, four times the calcium content of milk, three times the potassium content of banana, four times the vitamin A content of carrot and two times the protein content of milk,” Atiba said.

Atiba maintained that the benefits of Moringa oleifera leaves notwithstanding, our results indicate that maternal consumption of Moringa oleifera significantly affected the general morphology as well as behaviour of their pups, therefore it should be consumed with caution in pregnancy until better knowledge on humans is available.