Drumstick leaves: a dense green with thin human evidence

The best evidence on drumstick leaves, the leaves of the moringa tree, finds very little. A 2025 meta-analysis of 9 randomized trials in 649 adults found moringa supplements had no significant effect on most cardiometabolic markers. Diastolic blood pressure fell slightly (SMD -0.41, -0.75 to -0.07), and even that did not survive the sensitivity analyses. The authors rated certainty very low for every outcome, and the trials tested powders, capsules and extracts rather than the cooked vegetable. On paper the raw leaf is dense. UK tables list 165 mg of vitamin C, 8850 micrograms of carotene, 370 micrograms of folate and 300 mg of calcium per 3.5 oz (100 g). USDA gives 51.7 mg of vitamin C for the same raw leaf, 69 percent lower, so treat the vitamin C figure as uncertain.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• In the UK composition tables, raw drumstick leaves have 165 mg vitamin C, 8850 micrograms carotene, 370 micrograms folate and 300 mg calcium per 3.5 oz (100 g). — UK food composition entry for raw drumstick leaves Evidence E source
  Per 100 g raw: protein 7.4 g, calcium 300 mg, iron 3.6 mg, carotene 8850 ug, retinol equivalent 1470 ug, folate 370 ug, vitamin C 165 mg, 72 calories

What your body absorbs

• In 15 young Mexican children, beta-carotene from pureed moringa leaves converted to vitamin A at 3.3 to 1 by weight, a relative bioefficacy of 28%. — 15 well-nourished children aged 17 to 35 months (n = 15) Evidence C source
  Relative bioefficacy of beta-carotene 28%; vitamin A equivalence 3.3:1 by weight
• In a 3-month cluster-randomized trial of 50 breastfeeding Kenyan mothers, 20 g a day of moringa leaf powder did not raise vitamin A in breast milk. — 50 breastfeeding mother-infant pairs in western Kenya, infants under 30 days at entry (n = 50) Evidence B source
  No change in milk vitamin A; small rise in milk alpha-carotene

What cooking and storage change

• In the UK composition tables, boiling drumstick leaves cuts vitamin C from 165 to 37 mg, carotene from 8850 to 5370 micrograms and folate from 370 to 220 micrograms per 3.5 oz (100 g). — UK food composition entries for raw and boiled drumstick leaves Evidence E source
  Raw vs boiled per 3.5 oz (100 g): vitamin C 165 vs 37 mg, carotene 8850 vs 5370 ug, folate 370 vs 220 ug, iron 3.60 vs 2.70 mg
• USDA retention tables estimate that leafy greens boiled in water to cover and drained keep 55% of vitamin C and 60% of folate. — food group Vegetables and Vegetable Products, greens boiled and drained Evidence E source
  Retained: vitamin C 55%, folate 60%, thiamin 80%, potassium 85%, iron 95%

What it does to your health

• A 2025 meta-analysis of 9 randomized trials with 649 adults found moringa supplements had no significant effect on most cardiometabolic markers, with a small fall in diastolic blood pressure (SMD -0.41). — 341 intervention and 308 control adults in 9 RCTs of at least 2 weeks (n = 649) Evidence A source
  Diastolic BP SMD -0.41 (95% CI -0.75 to -0.07), not robust in sensitivity analyses; no effect on most other outcomes
• In a 12-week randomized trial, 65 adults with prediabetes took 2.4 g a day of moringa leaf powder in capsules or a placebo, and the abstract gives no effect size. — 65 adults aged 40 to 70 with prediabetes, 31 moringa and 34 placebo (n = 65) Evidence B source
  Effect size not given in abstract
• In a controlled study in 41 healthy adults, diastolic pressure 2 hours after one meal of 4.2 oz (120 g) of cooked moringa leaves was lower than at baseline. — 41 healthy participants, one meal of 4.2 oz (120 g) cooked Moringa oleifera leaves vs no moringa (n = 41) Evidence C source
  Diastolic BP lower at 2 h than baseline in the moringa group (p = 0.013)

Safety, limits and interactions

• A 2026 case report describes a fixed food eruption after eating Moringa oleifera leaf powder. — one patient (n = 1) Evidence D source
  Fixed drug-type skin eruption after ingestion
• A review of 22 trials and 9 case reports found moringa generally well tolerated but noted rare hypersensitivity and thrombotic events. — 22 clinical trials and 9 case reports, 2015 to 2025 (n = 31 reports) Evidence D source
  Rare hypersensitivity and thrombotic events reported
• The US FDA linked a 2026 Salmonella outbreak that sickened 131 people in 38 states to dietary supplements containing moringa leaf powder imported from India. — people in 38 US states (n = 131) Evidence E source
  131 infected, 36 of 121 with information hospitalized, no deaths
• Moringa (drumstick leaf) capsules and powders sold as dietary supplements in the US fall under DSHEA (1994), so the FDA does not approve them for safety or effectiveness before they are sold. — Dietary supplements sold in the United States Evidence E source
  No FDA premarket approval of safety, effectiveness or labeling

What people believe that the data does not support

• A Cochrane review of 41 trials in 3005 mothers found moringa may increase infant weight as a galactagogue, but the evidence was very low certainty. — breastfeeding mothers of healthy term infants in 41 RCTs (n = 3005) Evidence A source
  Moringa may increase infant weight vs placebo; very low certainty, not meta-analysable

Who this works differently for

• In 597 Ethiopian schoolchildren, eating the related leafy vegetable Moringa stenopetala more than twice a day was linked with goitre. — 597 elementary school children aged 6 to 18 and their parents, Gamo-Gofa, Ethiopia (n = 597) Evidence C source
  Association with goitre (p < 0.005); goitre prevalence 51.7%

What is still unknown

• The same 2025 meta-analysis of 9 trials rated the certainty of every cardiometabolic finding for moringa as very low. — randomized trials of moringa supplementation in adults, searched to 7 April 2025 (n = 9 trials) Evidence A source
  Certainty very low for all outcomes

The bottom line

Cooking takes a large share of what makes the raw leaf look good. Boiled drumstick leaves in the UK tables have 37 mg of vitamin C per 3.5 oz (100 g) instead of 165, 5370 micrograms of carotene instead of 8850 and 220 micrograms of folate instead of 370. Those are two separate table entries, not a paired cooking test. The USDA factor for boiled, drained greens, set for the whole group in 1975, keeps 55 percent of vitamin C and 60 percent of folate. In 15 well-nourished Mexican children aged 17 to 35 months, beta-carotene from pureed moringa leaves converted to vitamin A at 3.3 to 1 by weight. That was a non-randomized isotope study, and conversion is often lower in children whose stores are already full, as theirs were. For breastfeeding the evidence is weak. A Cochrane review of 41 trials in 3005 mothers found moringa may increase infant weight as a galactagogue, at very low certainty. In a 3-month pilot trial of 50 Kenyan mothers, moringa leaf powder did not raise vitamin A in breast milk, and the women managed about 12 to 15 g a day of the planned 20 g. That was a study amount, not a tested safe dose. In 41 healthy adults given one meal of 4.2 oz (120 g) of cooked leaves, diastolic pressure 2 hours later was lower than at baseline. That is a within-group result from a single meal. Who should be careful. In 597 Ethiopian schoolchildren surveyed in 1999, eating a related species, Moringa stenopetala, more than twice a day was linked with goitre. That study did not look at the drumstick tree itself. A 2026 case report describes a fixed skin eruption after eating moringa leaf powder. A narrative review of 22 trials and 9 case reports calls moringa generally well tolerated and notes rare hypersensitivity and thrombotic events. In 2026 the US FDA linked a Salmonella outbreak in 38 states, with 131 people ill and 36 of 121 with information hospitalized, to supplements containing moringa leaf powder. The contamination was in a powder, and fresh leaves were not implicated. We have no card that sets a safe upper intake for leaf powder or covers infants exposed through breast milk. We found no study of drug interactions, and that is not evidence that there are none. Some trials here enrolled people with prediabetes or looked at blood pressure, and people in those groups often take medicines for them. No card covers pregnancy, so this page cannot say moringa is safe while pregnant. If you take any prescription medicine, are pregnant or are breastfeeding, talk to your doctor before taking moringa powder or capsules.

Sources

1. dsl-r1-01 · reference dataset
   CoFID 13-236 Drumstick leaves, raw | Protein 7.4 g | Calcium 300 mg | Iron 3.60 mg | Carotene 8850 ug | Retinol Equivalent 1470 ug | Folate 370 ug | Vitamin C 165 mg
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England, OGL v3.0 · checked 2026-09-28
2. dsl-r1-04 · isotope feeding study
   The relative bioefficacy of β-carotene retinol activity equivalents from MO was 28%; VA equivalence was 3.3:1 by weight (0.56 μmol retinol:1 μmol β-carotene).
   J Nutr, 2017 · checked 2026-09-28
3. dsl-r1-09 · cluster-randomized trial
   Conclusions: Maternal moringa consumption did not impact concentration of milk vitamin A and resulted in limited increase in milk carotenoids in this cohort.
   Nutrients, 2024 · checked 2026-09-28
4. dsl-r1-02 · reference dataset
   CoFID 13-236 Drumstick leaves, raw | Vitamin C 165 mg | Carotene 8850 ug | Folate 370 ug | Iron 3.60 mg || CoFID 13-237 Drumstick leaves, boiled in unsalted water | Vitamin C 37 mg | Carotene 5370 ug | Folate 220 ug | Iron 2.70 mg
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England, OGL v3.0 · checked 2026-09-28
5. dsl-r1-03 · reference dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:3005 VEG,GREENS,BOILED,WATER COVER DRAIN | vitamin_c_mg 55% | folate_total_ug 60% | thiamin_mg 80% | potassium_mg 85% | iron_mg 95%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007) · checked 2026-09-28
6. dsl-r1-05 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   Nine RCTs (12 study arms) involving 341 participants in the intervention and 308 in the control groups met inclusion criteria. Moringa supplementation showed no significant effects on most considered outcomes. A modest reduction in diastolic blood pressure (SMD: -0.41; 95% CI: -0.75 to -0.07; p = 0.02; I2 = 19%) was observed; however, this effect was not robust in sensitivity analyses.
   Nutrients, 2025 · checked 2026-09-28
7. dsl-r1-07 · randomized controlled trial
   They consumed six daily capsules of MO dry leaf powder (2400 mg/day) (MO, n = 31) or placebo (PLC, n = 34) over 12 weeks.
   Nutrients, 2021 · checked 2026-09-28
8. dsl-r1-08 · controlled clinical study
   A significant difference was observed between DBP at baseline and two hours postprandial (T2) for the case group (p = 0.013).
   J Am Coll Nutr, 2020 · checked 2026-09-28
9. dsl-r1-12 · case report
   We report a new case of fixed eruption following the ingestion of Moringa oleifera leaf powder.
   Contact Dermatitis, 2026 · checked 2026-09-28
10. dsl-r1-13 · narrative review
    Although it is generally well tolerated, rare hypersensitivity and thrombotic events have been reported.
    Drug Des Devel Ther, 2026 · checked 2026-09-28
11. dsl-r1-14 · agency outbreak report
    As of July 22, 2026, a total of 131 people infected with one of the outbreak strains of Salmonella have been reported from 38 states. ... Of 121 people with information available, 36 were hospitalized, and no deaths were reported.
    US FDA, Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Moringa Leaf Powder (January 2026), update of July 22, 2026 · checked 2026-09-28
12. sf-dshea-7 · agency advice
    The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act was amended in 1994 by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, often referred to as DSHEA, which defined “dietary supplement” and set out the FDA’s authority regarding such products....The FDA does NOT have the authority to approve dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness, or to approve their labeling, before the supplements are sold to the public.
    FDA, FDA 101: Dietary Supplements · checked 2026-10-08
13. dsl-r1-10 · Cochrane systematic review
    Subgroup analysis shows we are very uncertain whether fennel or fenugreek improves infant weight, whereas moringa and mixed botanical tea may increase infant weight compared to placebo.
    Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2020 · checked 2026-09-28
14. dsl-r1-11 · cross-sectional study
    Consumption of halleko (Moringa stenopetala), a leafy vegetable common in the study area, of more than two times per day was significantly (p < 0.005) associated with causation of goitre.
    East Afr Med J, 1999 · checked 2026-09-28
15. dsl-r1-06 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    Nevertheless, risk of bias, substantial heterogeneity (I2 frequently >80% for anthropometric and lipid parameters), indirectness, and methodological limitations reduced the overall certainty of evidence to very low for all the evaluated outcomes.
    Nutrients, 2025 · checked 2026-09-28