Drumstick (Sahjan): Uses, Benefits, Side Effects and More!
By Gayatri Mane +2 more
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By Gayatri Mane +2 more
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Often seeing floating in your bowl of sambhar, Drumstick is scientifically known as Moringa oleifera Lam. It belongs to the family Moringaceae. It is a small, fast-growing, evergreen tree that grows in tropical regions. It is found in the Himalayan areas of India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Drumstick is also known as horseradish tree or drumstick tree (in English), Subhanjana (in Sanskrit), Haritashaaka or Akshiva (in Ayurveda) and Sainjna or Saguna (in Hindi).1
Every part of the drumstick might contain essential properties for human health; hence, it may be one of the crucial nutritional herbs. For many years, the drumstick has been used as traditional medicine. According to the Ayurvedic system of medicine, drumsticks may have potential use and be helpful for various diseases due to their high nutritional value, water retention and capacity for purification.1
Did you know?
Drumstick provides large and rare varieties of vital minerals and nutrients. Pods, leaves, flowers, barks, roots and seeds of drumsticks also contain bioactive compounds.1
Nutritional components | Value/100 grams |
Energy | 37 kcal |
Protein | 2.1 g |
Fat | 0.2 g |
Carbohydrate | 8.53 g |
Fibre | 3.2 g |
Calcium | 30 mg |
Iron | 0.36 mg |
Magnesium | 45 mg |
Phosphorus | 50 mg |
Potassium | 461 mg |
Sodium | 42 mg |
Zinc | 0.45 mg |
Copper | 0.084 mg |
Manganese | 0.259 mg |
Selenium | 0.7 µg |
Vitamin C | 141 mg |
Thiamine | 0.053 mg |
Riboflavin | 0.074 mg |
Vitamin B6 | 0.12 mg |
Folate | 44 µg |
Vitamin A | 4 µg |
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Based on my observations, I have found that different parts of the Moringa tree, including the leaves, pods and roots, may possess analgesic properties, which means they can help alleviate pain. I recommend considering the use of Moringa as a natural remedy for pain relief.
Dr. Siddharth Gupta, MD
The major constituents of the drumstick possess biological activities that might play a role in its potential use in several medicinal systems such as Ayurveda, homoeopathy, unani, yoga, naturopathy and siddha.1 The potential properties of drumstick are as follows:
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I highly recommend incorporating Moringa into your diet as it might be an exceptional source of vitamin A. This essential nutrient has the potential to safeguard your eye health and prevent deficiencies. Including Moringa in your meals, especially for your children, is a great step towards maintaining optimal vision and promoting overall eye well-being.
Dr. Rajeev Singh, BAMS
Drumsticks might have a wide range of uses with high nutritional value. Various parts of this plant act as stimulants that might possess various activities employed to help with different diseases in the indigenous systems of medicine, particularly in South Asia.3 Some of the potential uses of drumstick are described as follows.
The leaf extract of drumstick might show potential anti-diabetic properties that might help lower blood glucose levels. An animal study (Gupta R et al. 2012) showed that the extract of leaves of drumsticks might help reduce the progression of diabetes and may induce a reduction in serum glucose levels by increasing the production of protein and insulin hormone.1
Another animal study (Ndong M et al. 2007) showed that the extract of drumstick leaves might help control glucose levels, urinary sugar and protein levels, haemoglobin and total protein in the blood.4 However, more studies are required to ascertain above-mentioned claims. Kindly consult a doctor as diabetes is a serious condition and should be diagnosed and treated by a doctor.
Various animal studies (B.S. Rathi et al. 2006, V.I. Hukkeri et al. 2006) suggest that the extracts from dried leaves of drumstick might show wound healing action in animal models over granuloma (dead space), excision and incision. It also significantly decreases scar area, and might help in increasing the wound closure and may strengthen skin breaking.4 However, more studies are required on humans to prove the potential uses of drumstick for wound healing.
Barks, leaves, seeds, flowers and roots of drumsticks might have diuretic activity that may be helpful for urine formation in patients with kidney dysfunction. It might also help to lower the deposition of oxalate salts (stones forming units) in the kidneys. An animal study (R.V. Karadi et al. 2008) found that the extract of drumstick root lowers the kidney retention of salts and excretion in the urine. Moreover, these extracts also reduce elevated serum uric acid and creatinine levels.4 This information is insufficient as these studies were done on animals. However, more studies on humans are required to back this claim. Kidney diseases are serious and must be diagnosed and treated by a doctor, so kindly consult a doctor. We recommend do not use drumsticks to self-medicate yourselves before taking medical advice.
The leaves and seed of drumstick might show potential anti-tumour activity. They contain certain compounds which might act as inhibitors and may inhibit the activity of tumour promoting molecules. In-vitro studies on human cancer cells showed the potential toxic effects of drumstick leaf extracts on cancer cells at the highest dose contributing to least viability of cancerous cells.4 However, much more extensive research is required to prove the potential use of drumstick for cancer. Moreover, cancer is a serious condition and must be diagnosed and treated by a doctor.
Though there are studies that show the potential uses of drumsticks in various conditions, but these are insufficient and there is a need of further studies to establish the true extent of benefits of drumsticks on human health.
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Be careful when consuming Moringa leaves! They contain a high concentration of saponins, which can interfere with the absorption of important minerals like zinc and magnesium. It is important to be mindful of this potential risk and consider the impact on your mineral intake.
Dr. Smita barode, BAMS
Drumstick can be used in the following ways:
You should always consult your Ayurvedic physician before consuming a drumstick for regular use. They will be the best person to prescribe you the correct form and dosage as per your health condition.
You must consult a qualified doctor before taking any herbal supplements. Do not discontinue or replace an ongoing treatment of modern medicine with an ayurvedic/herbal preparation without consulting a qualified doctor.
Over the last few years, drumstick has been significantly researched due to its natural origin and fewer side effects. It is an anti-allergic agent and might be used as a herbal remedy under the supervision of an Ayurvedic physician.4,5 However, some people might experience allergic reactions to the seedpods of the drumstick. The most common side effects are:
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Drumstick (Sahjan) is generally considered to be safe if it is consumed in small quantities. However, general precautions have to be followed to avoid complications.
Kindly do not self-medicate, alter, replace or discontinue any ongoing treatement on your own. Please ensure to consult your doctor regarding health issues.
Drumstick contains many bioactive compounds, which interact with certain drug-metabolising enzymes resulting in alteration in drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination from the body and possibly causing toxicity and failure of treatment. The leaf extract of the drumstick inhibits one of such enzymes, which is responsible for the detoxification of drugs.6
Kindly consult a doctor before consuming drumsticks and make sure that it is safe for you.
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Drumstick contains vitamins such as vitamin A, C, B1, B2, B6 and B9 which might be beneficial for various health conditions.2 However, people should not use drumsticks to self-medicate themselves prior to consulting a doctor.
There is insufficient and inconclusive data regarding the potential use of drumsticks during pregnancy. Kindly consult your gynaecologist and confirm its safety before eating it.
Yes. The leaf extracts of drumstick might be helpful for thyroid hormones that might further help with hyperthyroidism (excess thyroid hormones).3
The other common names of drumsticks are Murinna or Sigru (in Malayalam), La ken (in Chinese), Suragavo (in Gujarati), Sainjna or Soanjna (in Punjabi), Morigkai (in Tamil), Rawang (in Arabian) and Mulaga or Munaga (in Telugu).4
A skin prick test is a potential diagnostic tool for determining allergic reactions caused by drumstick.5
1. Paikra BK, Dhongade HKJ, Gidwani B. Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Moringa oleifera Lam. J Pharmacopunc. 2017 Sep 24;20(3):194-200. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5633671/pdf/2093-6966-v20-n03-194.pdf
2. US Department of Agriculture [Internet]. Drumstick pods, raw; 2019 Jan 4 [cited 2022 Jun 6]. Available from: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170483/nutrients
3. Anwar F, Latif S, Ashraf M, Gilani AH. Moringa oleifera: A food plant with multiple medicinal uses. Phytother Res. 2007 Jan 1;21(1):17-25. Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ptr.2023
4. Mishra G, Singh P, Verma R, Kumar S, Srivastav S, Jha KK, et al. Traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of Moringa oleifera plant: An overview. Pharm Lett. 2011 Jan 1;3(2):141-64. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281577396_Traditional_uses_phytochemistry_and_pharmacological_properties_of_Moringa_oleifera_plant_An_overview
5. Berglund LJ. Anaphylaxis to Moringa oleifera: First description. Australas Med J. 2018 Apr 1;11(3):176-7. Available from: https://amj.net.au/index.php/AMJ/article/viewFile/3344/1655
6. Monera TG, Wolfe AR, Maponga CC, Benet LZ, Guglielmo J. Moringa oleifera leaf extracts inhibit 6β-hydroxylation of testosterone by CYP3A4. J Infect Dev Ctries. 2017 Apr 10;2(5):379-83. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5385924/pdf/nihms854527.pdf
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