POTENTIAL OF MORINGA OLEIFERA LEAVES IN INCREASING THE IMMUNITY SYSTEM IN DEALING WITH PANDEMIC COVID-19

POTENTIAL OF MORINGA OLEIFERA LEAVES

IN INCREASING THE IMMUNITY SYSTEM IN DEALING WITH PANDEMIC COVID-19

                                                                                  Dr. dr. Agung Wiwiek Indrayani, S.Ked. M.Kes

Pharmacology and Therapy,  Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University

               Moringa is a plant from the Moringaceae tribe which is also known as Merunggai, Limaran, Ben-oil, Drumstick, Horseradish tree and Malunggay. Moringa is actually a plant native to India, which can grow in both the tropics and subtropics area. In some countries this plant has been used for medicinal purposes and to improve nutrition, especially in children. Moringa is increasingly known by the general public because it has a lot of nutrients and vitamins that are beneficial to our body. Moringa leaves are consumed in Indonesia mainly processed into vegetables, meatball or consumed directly in the form of juice or Moringa powder.

               Many studies have been carried out both in laboratory and in animal experiments to prove the effectiveness of Moringa leaves for various purposes. This plant is known as the miracle tree because it contains various essential phytochemical ingredients in the leaves, stems and seeds. Some studies say dried Moringa leaves contain vitamin C four times higher than oranges, contain vitamin A ten times higher than carrots, contain calcium 17 times higher than milk, contain 9 times higher protein than yogurt, contain 15 times more potassium than bananas and contain iron 25 times higher than spinach. Moringa leaves also contain phytosterols such as stigmasterol, sitosterol and cholesterol which are hormone precursors. Moringa leaves also contain phytochemicals such as tannins, sterols, terpenoids, flavonoids, saponins, anthraquinones, alkaloids. In addition, Moringa seeds are very rich in unsaturated fatty acids which are very beneficial for the body such as linoleic acid, linolenic acid and oleic acid.

               Moringa leaves contain various vitamins that can function as antioxidants namely retinol, β-Carotene (vitamin A), L-Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C), α-Tocopherol (vitamin E) and vitamins that help the body's metabolic processes such as Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin (vitamin B). Moringa contains various flavonoids ranging from myricetin, quercetin, kaempherol, isorhamnetin and routines that can function as strong antioxidants and anti-inflammatory. Moringa also contains phenolic acids such as caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid, phenullic acid, gallic acid. Comparison of the composition of nutrient composition of Moringa leaves, Moringa leaf powder, seeds and Moringa leaf stems according to research conducted by Gopalakrisnan (2016) can be seen below (100 gr material) :