Moringa Nutrition Facts: What's Actually in the Leaf
Written by Aanya Joshi · Reviewed by: pending (BAMS practitioner review required before publish) · Last updated 2026-08-14 · 5-min read · Cites 7 sources
Quick answer. Per 100 g of fresh leaf, USDA's FoodData Central lists moringa at 9.4 g protein, 185 mg calcium, 4 mg iron, 337 mg potassium, 51.7 mg vitamin C and 378 µg RAE vitamin A: genuinely dense for a green vegetable. The famous multipliers, like "7 times the vitamin C of oranges", compare dried powder with fresh food. Gram for gram against fresh oranges, bananas and carrots, moringa comes out lower on three of the four.
In this article
- What is actually in a moringa leaf
- The "7 times the vitamin C of oranges" problem
- Why the leaf earned its reputation anyway
- What a 20-tablet tube actually delivers
- When moringa is not for you
- Frequently asked questions
Article essentials - Primary topic: moringa nutrition facts - Best for: anyone who has seen the viral moringa graphic and wants the real numbers - Time to read: 5 min - Updated: 2026-08-14 - Sources: 7 cited - KayaSuddhi products mentioned: Moringa Effervescent
Most people meet the graphic before they meet the leaf. Six numbers on a green background: 7 times the vitamin C of oranges, 17 times the calcium of milk, 15 times the potassium of bananas.
So what does a moringa leaf actually contain, and do those multipliers survive contact with a nutrient database?
You will leave with the real per-100 g figures, the arithmetic trick hiding inside the viral version, and a better reason to eat sahjan than any of the six. Both sides of every comparison below come from the same database, so you can check us.
What is actually in a moringa leaf
Moringa (sahjan or drumstick leaf, Moringa oleifera, Shigru in Ayurveda) is a nutrient-dense green vegetable. Here is what USDA's FoodData Central lists for 100 g of fresh, raw leaves [1].
| Per 100 g, fresh raw leaves | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 64 kcal |
| Protein | 9.4 g |
| Dietary fibre | 2.0 g |
| Calcium | 185 mg |
| Iron | 4.0 mg |
| Potassium | 337 mg |
| Magnesium | 42 mg |
| Vitamin C | 51.7 mg |
| Vitamin A | 378 µg RAE |
Two numbers stand out for a leaf: 9.4 g of protein, high for any green vegetable, and 378 µg RAE of vitamin A. The rest is solid rather than spectacular. This entry reports no beta-carotene separately, so beta-carotene figures you meet elsewhere came from a different analysis.
Indian kitchens worked most of this out without a database. Sahjan leaves have gone into dal, sambar and bhaji for generations, cooked as food rather than measured as a supplement.
The "7 times the vitamin C of oranges" problem
The multipliers are not invented so much as rigged: each compares dried moringa leaf powder with a fresh, water-heavy food. Remove the water from anything and its per-gram numbers rise. That is dehydration, not nutrition.
Compare fresh with fresh, both sides taken from USDA's database [1][2].
| Nutrient, per 100 g | Fresh moringa leaf | The food it gets compared with | What the numbers say |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin C | 51.7 mg | Orange, raw: 53.2 mg | Slightly less. Not 7 times more |
| Potassium | 337 mg | Banana, raw: 358 mg | Slightly less. Not 15 times more |
| Vitamin A | 378 µg RAE | Carrot, raw: 835 µg RAE | Under half. Not 10 times more |
| Calcium | 185 mg | Whole milk: 113 mg | About 1.6 times. Not 17 times |
Only calcium comes out ahead, and modestly.
The drying step is where the illusion gets made. A 2021 review in the International Journal of Food Science compiles analyses in which calcium climbs from 440 mg/100 g in fresh leaves to 2,003 mg/100 g in leaf powder, while vitamin C falls from 220 mg/100 g to 17.3 mg/100 g [3]. Minerals concentrate; most of the vitamin C does not survive. That same review repeats the viral multipliers in its own introduction, quoting a secondary source, while its tables show the picture above.
One honest complication: the review's fresh-leaf vitamin C, 220 mg/100 g, is roughly four times USDA's 51.7 mg/100 g [1][3]. Published analyses vary with variety, soil, season and assay method, which is why one confident number on a graphic should make you suspicious.
Why the leaf earned its reputation anyway
The best argument for moringa is one nobody puts on a graphic: its calcium looks unusually available to the body, because the leaf is low in oxalate.
Plant calcium is often locked into oxalate complexes and poorly absorbed, and spinach is the textbook case. In a 2014 laboratory digestion study, researchers simulated gastric and intestinal digestion and measured how much calcium came free: 33.7% of moringa's against 1.62% of spinach's, with 9.2 to 19.4 times more bioaccessible calcium from moringa [4]. Their conclusion: moringa's calcium "does not appear to be associated with poorly bioavailable complexes such as oxalate".
Read that with its label attached. It is an in vitro model, not a human absorption study; the authors write that "true bioavailability cannot be determined from an in vitro system"; only three moringa samples were tested; and the article's peer-review status is approved with reservations.
The counter-view deserves airtime. Healthline notes that moringa leaves "may also contain high levels of antinutrients, such as oxalate and phytate, which can reduce the absorption of minerals and protein" [6]. The laboratory-digestion data points the other way, and qualitatively moringa leaf is far lower in oxalate than spinach. Nobody has settled it in humans, so both positions stay on the table.
Dried powder brings bulk nutrients too: the 2021 review compiles leaf powder at 27.1 g protein and 19.2 g fibre per 100 g [3]. Per 100 g, though, is the catch.
What a 20-tablet tube actually delivers
A supplement serving of moringa is a few grams, and a few grams of leaf is a top-up, not a multivitamin.
The arithmetic sits in that same laboratory-digestion paper: reaching the 1,000 mg/day calcium RDA from moringa alone would take around 64 g of dried leaf powder daily, from which the model estimated 357 mg digestible and 93 mg bioaccessible [4]. No supplement serving is 64 g. NutritionFacts.org makes the point from the other side, noting that the viral multipliers describe 100 g of dry leaf, "almost a whole cup of leaf powder", and that researchers "have had trouble getting people to even eat 20 grams due to its taste" [7]. Healthline agrees: capsule-style moringa supplements "won't supply a large number of nutrients" next to a balanced diet of whole foods [6].
We think so too, and we sell moringa. KayaSuddhi Moringa Effervescent is a tube of 20 tablets at ₹349 (MRP ₹499): drop one into a glass of plain water, let it fizz, drink. That is the whole ritual, and it belongs next to a plate that already has vegetables on it, never instead of one.
If the format interests you, we wrote about why effervescent tablets exist. And once you have learned to distrust a nutrition graphic, the next skill worth having is reading the label.
When moringa is not for you
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: avoid moringa. The root, bark and flowers carry documented uterine-stimulating activity and traditional use as an abortifacient; the safety literature flags the non-leaf parts specifically [5].
- On diabetes medication. Moringa may lower blood glucose, which can stack on insulin or antidiabetic tablets. Ask your doctor before daily use.
- On thyroid or blood-pressure medication. Same rule: a word with your physician first.
- Sensitive stomach, or large amounts. Roughly 1 to 3 g/day of leaf powder is the commonly used, well-tolerated range in a published safety review, which reported no adverse effects across the human studies it surveyed [5]. Gastrointestinal upset becomes likelier above about 7 g/day.
- Children. Dosing has not been established here. Ask a paediatrician or a BAMS practitioner rather than scaling an adult amount down.
If you are managing a chronic condition or taking prescription medication, please consult your doctor before starting any new supplement.
Frequently asked questions
Why have I read conflicting information about the amount of vitamin C in moringa?
Because the figures come from different material and different analyses. USDA lists 51.7 mg per 100 g of fresh leaf [1]; a 2021 review compiles analyses reporting 220 mg per 100 g fresh and 17.3 mg per 100 g for leaf powder [3]. Vitamin C does not survive drying well, and moringa analyses vary with variety, soil and season.
What are the nutritional differences between moringa powder and fresh moringa leaves?
Drying removes water, so minerals concentrate several times over per gram: in the compiled analyses, calcium rises from 440 to 2,003 mg per 100 g [3]. Vitamin C largely does not survive it, falling from 220 to 17.3 mg per 100 g. You also eat far less powder than leaves, so per-gram density is not the whole story.
Does moringa really have more calcium than milk?
Gram for gram and fresh, yes, but modestly. USDA lists 185 mg of calcium per 100 g of fresh moringa leaves against 113 mg per 100 g of whole milk, roughly 1.6 times [1][2]. The famous 17 times figure compares dried leaf powder with liquid milk, which sets a dehydrated food against a mostly-water one.
Can I take moringa instead of vitamins/supplements?
No, and nobody selling moringa should tell you otherwise. A supplement-size serving is a few grams of leaf, so the amounts involved are a small top-up rather than a replacement for vegetables or for anything a doctor has prescribed. If you have a diagnosed deficiency, that is a conversation with your physician.
How much moringa powder should I take each day?
Around 1 to 3 g/day of leaf powder is the commonly used, well-tolerated range in a published safety review, which reported no adverse effects in the human studies it surveyed [5]. Larger amounts raise the chance of gastrointestinal upset, reported above roughly 7 g/day. Follow your product label, and ask a practitioner if you take medication.
Who cannot take moringa?
Avoid it in pregnancy and while breastfeeding [5]. Anyone on diabetes, thyroid or blood-pressure medication should ask their physician before daily use, because effects can add up. Stop if it upsets your stomach. Dosing in children has not been established, so ask a paediatrician rather than guessing at a smaller amount.
Related reading
- Moringa for Digestion and Metabolism: What's Proven — what the leaf actually does, once you know what it contains
- How to Read an Ayurvedic Supplement Label in India
- Why Effervescent? The Science of the Fizz
- Ayurvedic Weight Management: An Honest India Guide — the full pillar guide
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central. Drumstick leaves, raw (FDC ID 168416, SR Legacy). U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/168416/nutrients
- USDA FoodData Central comparator entries (SR Legacy): Oranges, raw, all commercial varieties https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/169097/nutrients · Bananas, raw https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/173944/nutrients · Carrots, raw https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170393/nutrients · Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171265/nutrients
- Islam Z, Islam SMR, Hossen F, Mahtab-Ul-Islam K, Hasan MR, Karim R. Moringa oleifera is a Prominent Source of Nutrients with Potential Health Benefits. International Journal of Food Science. 2021;2021:6627265. PMID 34423026. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6627265
- Allen JC, Issa JY, Cai W. Calcium content, in vitro digestibility, and bioaccessibility in leaves of spinach (Spinacia oleracea), sweet potato (Ipomea batatas), and drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera). F1000Research. 2014;3:65. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.3287.1
- Stohs SJ, Hartman MJ. Review of the Safety and Efficacy of Moringa oleifera. Phytotherapy Research. 2015;29(6):796–804. PMID 25808883. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25808883/
- Healthline. Moringa oleifera: Nutrition and Benefits. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-benefits-of-moringa-oleifera
- NutritionFacts.org (Michael Greger, MD). What Are Moringa's Nutrition Facts, Benefits & Side Effects? https://nutritionfacts.org/questions/the-health-benefits-of-moringa/
About the author. Aanya Joshi writes KayaSuddhi's digestion and daily-routine explainers. She works from classical Ayurvedic texts and pinned, peer-reviewed research, and flags the difference between the two every single time.
Reviewed by: pending. This post states a daily-amount range and pregnancy and medication cautions, so it will not be published until a BAMS practitioner has reviewed and signed off (decision D10).
Article details: Status draft · Last updated 2026-08-14 · Sources: 7 cited · About KayaSuddhi: an Ayurvedic wellness brand from Delhi-NCR.
About this content. This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. The statements here have not been evaluated by AYUSH or FSSAI as treatment claims. KayaSuddhi products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Results may vary. Please consult your physician or a qualified BAMS-certified Ayurvedic practitioner before starting any new supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, on prescription medication, or managing a chronic condition.
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We are a small team of Ayurveda writers, researchers and reviewers in Delhi NCR. We track the health questions real people are asking, read the latest studies, and turn them into honest, practical guides — so you can make informed choices, not follow hype.
