 Leaves of Moringa oleifera |
Use of Moringa Leaf and Seed Preparations as Sanitizers
Proper handwashing with soap and water is the most effective method of removing virus contamination on hands (CDC 2020a). If soap and water are not readily available, use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol can reduce virus levels on the hands and the risk of becoming infected by touching the face with contaminated hands. The concentration of alcohol in the product should be indicated on the product label.
Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic hand sanitizers have been in short supply in the U.S. and other countries. In many resource-limited and water-scarce areas neither handwashing facilities nor alcohol-based sanitizers may be available and moringa is widely grown in some of these areas. Because moringa has antimicrobial properties it was seen as having potential use as a sanitizer (Bukar, Uba and Oyeyi 2010). Investigations of the use of its leaf juices and seeds as a hand soap or sanitizer have been completed. Torondel et al. (2014) found that wet or dried leaf powder from M. oleifera was to be comparable to a non-medicated liquid soap in removing Escherichia coli from the hands of volunteers artificially contaminated with the bacteria. Another study of the use of minimally processed leaf and seed preparations as sanitizers found them to be ineffective as antimicrobial (antibacterial) agents and they may be contaminated with potentially pathogenic bacteria (Clark et al. 2018).
While moringa extracts have been shown to have antiviral activity, no studies have been carried out to evaluate the efficacy of their use as an antiviral disinfectant sanitizer. Enveloped lipophilic viruses are susceptible to many liquid chemicals; non-enveloped hydrophilic viruses are more resistant (Soule et al. 1998). SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped lipophilic virus. Disinfectant products with active ingredients from botanical sources such as thymol, have been registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as qualified for use against SARS-CoV-2 (EPA 2020).
Additional studies should be carried out but in our opinion the information currently available does not support the use of moringa preparations for use as alternative hand sanitizers for COVID-19.
References
Bukar A, Uba A, Oyeyi T. (2010). Antimicrobial profile of moringa oleifera lam. Extracts against some food – borne microorganisms. African Journals Online. Vol 3 No 1. DOI: 10.4314/bajopas.v3i1.58706 [Accessed 03 April 2020].
CDC (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention). (2020a). When and How to Wash Your Hands. https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html [Accessed 5 April 2020].
CDC (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention). (2020b). Show Me the Science – When & How to Use Hand Sanitizer in Community Settings. https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science-hand-sanitizer.html [Accessed 5 April 2020].
Clark, Jasmine & Jimenez, Monica & Raso, Enrique & Antwi, Loretta & Ofosu-Appiah, Lawrence Henry & Opare, David & Torondel, Belen. (2018). Evaluation of Key Antimicrobial Properties of Moringa oleifera in Relation to Its Use as a Hand-Washing Product. Water. 10. 1154. https://doi.org/10.3390/w10091154
EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). (2020). Pesticide Registration. List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2. https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2 [Accessed 5 Apirl 2020].
Rahman MM, Sheikh MMI, Sharmin SA, Islam MS, Rahman MA, Rahman MM, Alam M. Antibacterial activity of leaf juice and extracts of Moringa oleifera Lam. against some human pathogenic bacteria. CMU J Nat Sci. 2009;8(2):219. Cited in Torondel et al. (2014).
Soule, H., Duc, D. L., Mallaret, M. R., Chanzy, B., Charvier, A., Gratacap-Cavallier, B., Morand, P., & Seigneurin, J. M. (1998). Résistance des virus dans l’environnement hospitalier: le point sur l’activité virucide des désinfectants utilisés à l’état liquide [Virus resistance in a hospital environment: overview of the virucide activity of disinfectants used in liquid form]. Annales de biologie clinique, 56(6), 693–703.
Torondel, B., Opare, D., Brandberg, B., Cobb, E., & Cairncross, S. (2014). Efficacy of Moringa oleifera leaf powder as a hand-washing product: a crossover controlled study among healthy volunteers. BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 14, 57. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-14-57