Wandering Stars

About Moringa Oil

About Moringa Oil

By Shane Clayton

Moringa oil has been used as a medicinal folk cure and as a topical, cosmetic ingredient since prehistoric times. The ancient Egyptians called it Bak, and it was so highly valued that it was considered one of their sacred oils, and was listed with them in New Kingdom temples and tombs. (see our Seven Sacred Oils article)

The clear, nearly odorless yellow oil is derived from the seeds of Moringa oleifera, a small tree native to the Himalayan mountains that also occurs in North Africa and is grown extensively in Morocco. There is another species grown in Oman, Moringa peregrina, with a somewhat heavier oil that may have been preferred by the funerary priests for embalming. Virtually all parts of the moringa tree, including its seeds, roots, bark, flowers, and leaves, can be used for nutritional, medicinal, and even industrial purposes. For this reason, it’s sometimes referred to as the ‘miracle’ or ‘magic’ tree.

Moringa seeds have a high oil content and contain many nutritional compounds, including monounsaturated fats, protein, sterols, and tocopherols. Moringa is also abundant in vitamins which include vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, and selenium (found in cold-water fish, Brazil nuts, and eggs). The powerful antioxidant properties of all these have been shown to help to reduce inflammation.

Moringa oil is produced through two primary processes - solvent extraction for industrial lubricants, and cold-pressed for both cooking and cosmetic purposes. Ours is cold-pressed organic virgin grade, produced in India. Food-grade moringa oil is a healthy, monounsaturated fat that’s high in protein and many other compounds, and as an essential oil, moringa has benefits for moisturizing and cleansing the skin. It can also be used for acne and as a moisturizing hair treatment. The oil is amazingly resistant to oxidation, which makes it delightful to work with in skin and hair care formulations.

Today, cold-pressed moringa oil is manufactured for a wide range of uses:

• Cooking oil. Moringa oil is high in protein and oleic acid, a monounsaturated, healthy fat. When used for cooking, it’s an economical, nutritious alternative to more expensive oils, with a slightly nutty, earthy flavor. It’s now becoming a widespread nutritional staple in food-insecure areas where Moringa trees are grown and a new source of income for people in both India and Morocco.

• Cholesterol management. Edible moringa oil contains sterols, which have been shown to lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol.

• Topical cleanser. Moringa oil’s oleic acid makes it beneficial when used topically as a cleansing agent in soaps and shampoo.

• Antioxidant. Moringa is loaded with vitamins C & E - both powerful antioxidants that help fight against damaging free radicals. Free radicals accost the body from both the inside and outside, leading to dry skin and causing hair to weaken and even turn grey. Vitamin C can help combat this damage while vitamin E can help repair the damage that is already done. Besides the proven antioxidant capacity of vitamins C and E, moringa also contains beta-sitosterol, a phytosterol that has unique antioxidant and perhaps even anti-diabetic benefits (although more research is needed to confirm this).

• Anti-inflammatory. Moringa oil contains several bioactive compounds which have anti-inflammatory properties, both when ingested and used topically. This may make moringa oil beneficial for acne breakouts. These compounds include tocopherols, catechins, quercetin, ferulic acid, zeatin, flavonoids, and phenolics (common in many fruits and vegetables).

• Moisturizer. Moringa oil is packed with amino acids, the building blocks of cells, some being particularly important in hair growth (arginine, cystine, cysteine, lysine, methionine). Most people think of fish when they hear about Omega 3 fatty acids, but moringa is a great plant-based source of this fatty acid. Omega 3s help thicken hair strands and moisturize the skin by plumping the cells up with healthy fats. Because of this, moringa oil is a great moisturizing wrinkle remover when applied topically to the skin and does not clog pores as other vegetable oils do, making it a great substitute for shea butter.

• Skin and Hair Care. Moringa oil is high in zinc. Zinc is probably the biggest player in skin and hair care. Low levels of zinc have been linked to dry skin and poor hair growth, and even hair loss. Adequate levels of zinc keep the skin healthy and also help damaged hair follicles recover more quickly, being a key contributor to maintaining healthy hair.

• Iron Supplement. Moringa oil also has a high level of iron. Iron deficiency has been linked with hair loss, making iron a logical ingredient for healthy hair growth. Iron helps carry oxygen in the blood, all the way to your scalp. When any living organism has a fresh supply of oxygen, it grows better, including your skin and hair follicles. Also, iron is absorbed directly into cells topically.

• Carrier Oil. Having little to no fragrance, an affinity with the skin, and a long shelf life makes Moringa oil one of the best carrier oils for aromatic botanical blends, as the Egyptians long knew.

All of the Wandering Stars ‘The Egyptian’ sacred scented oils and unguent reproductions include Moringa oil or Bak, formulated according to the ancient recipes carved on temple walls. It is the primary carrier in all of our scented oils and is the carrier for our natural alkanet dye used in both our Nudj Immortelle and Madjet unguents. And, of course, it is the primary ingredient in the sacred scented oil Bak, from our Five Elemental oils. (See our Seven Sacred Oils article.)

Bottles of pure unscented moringa oil are also available at our Sacred Scents Store to use as you wish with soaps and shampoo or alone for skin and hair care - or even for cooking as a dietary supplement.

Discover for yourself the magical health benefits of Moringa oil that the ancient Egyptians utilized and prized for over 3,500 years!

Medical Disclaimer: Our expertise lies in incense making, botanical fragrant oils, and skin/hair ointments. Information contained on these pages is to the best of our knowledge factual and presented solely for your edification and enjoyment. Wandering Stars cannot provide medical advice as we are not health professionals. Even so, Moringa oil is classified as food by the FDA, and therefore we can recommend its use in food preparation without reservation.

About Moringa Oil © 2022-2024, Shane Clayton - Wandering Stars Publishing

All Rights Reserved



Wandering Stars is dedicated to expounding the Sacred Science of Ancient Egypt

In memory and in honor of John Anthony West

Born July 9, 1932 - Wested February 6, 2018

AUM