Moringa Tea for Weight Loss – and More

1 serving

Moringa tea is becoming increasingly popular as a natural weight loss aid, both in North America and the UK. Pure moringa tea has a very "green" and earthy flavor, similar to the taste of nettle tea. Because of its leaf-like flavor, it is often sweetened with honey; however, if you are drinking moringa tea mainly because you want to lose weight, adding honey or any other high-calorie sweetener is not a smart move. Luckily, there are tons of flavors that pair well with moringa, so those dieters who find the taste of pure moringa tea too earthy can still reap the potential weight loss benefits of moringa while keeping your taste buds happy.

But before we learn more about flavors that pair well with moringa, let's have a look at how pure moringa tea is made.

There are actually a couple of different ways to make moringa tea. If you are using moringa powder, here's how to make a cup of moringa tea:

Ingredients

• 1 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon of moringa powder

Directions

• Place a teaspoon of pure moringa powder in the bottom of your favorite tea mug.
• Pour hot (but not boiling) water into the mug, and stir well to dissolve the powder.
• Let your moringa tea cool a bit, and enjoy!

It is also possible to brew moringa tea by steeping tea bags that contain dried, crushed moringa leaves in hot water for 5 minutes. You can buy bagged moringa tea through Amazon.

Yet another way to make moringa tea is to put some loose moringa leaves in a teapot, add hot water and let the tea steep for 5 minutes, and then strain the leaves as you pour the tea into a cup or mug. If you live in the US or Canada, you can buy dried moringa leaves from Starwest Botanicals, a leading supplier of organic herbs and spices in North America.

Pure Moringa Tea as a Weight Loss Aid – Does it Work?

Now that we know how to brew a cup of pure moringa tea, let's explore the efficacy of this increasingly popular slimming tea.

To date, there have been no large clinicals trials investigating the efficacy of moringa tea as a weight loss aid in humans, so it is impossible to say for sure whether drinking moringa tea can help you lose weight. However, there have been a couple of animal studies that have produced promising results. One such study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, demonstrated that a moringa extract rich in isothiocyanates reduced weight gain, insulin resistance, and hepatic gluconeogenesis in mice.

For those who missed the memo, isothiocyanates are biologically active breakdown products of glucosinolates, compounds that are abundant in Brassica vegetables like broccoli, kale and cauliflower. As moringa is distantly related to this group of plants, it is not surprising that glucosinolates have also been found in moringa leaves.

In another study, published the journal Advances in Biology, oral administration of an extract derived from moringa powder resulted in a significant reduction in body weight, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL levels in obese rats that were fed a high fat diet. The rats that were given the moringa extract also showed a significant decrease in the level of liver biomarkers, organ weight and blood glucose levels.

Other Reasons to Drink Moringa Tea

Potential weight loss benefits aside, moringa also has many other potential benefits. A number of animal and test tube studies suggest that the potential health benefits of moringa may include everything from anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effects to anti-cancer and anti-diabetic properties.