© MAR 2021 | IRE Journals | Volume 4 Issue 9 | ISSN: 2456-8880 IRE 1702645 ICONIC RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING JOURNALS 287 Integrative Review on the Bioactive Composition, Nutritional Efficacy, and Multifunctional Applications of Moringa oleifera Lam.: A Phytochemical and Therapeutic Synopsis GAURAV PANDEY 1 , VINAY KUMAR VARSHNEY 2 , MANDEEP KUMAR 3 , TANMAY SINGH 4 , ABHINAV RAWAT 5 1, 2 Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, Uttarakhand (India) 3 Galgotias University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh (India) 4 Uttaranchal Institute of Technology, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand (India) 5 GRD Institute of Management & Technology, Dehradun, (India) Abstract- Moringa oleifera commonly called “Sehjan” in India, is one of the most cultivated and distributed plant species in the region. It is a variable species that typically grows to 10 meters in height and has multiple uses as a vegetable, spice, medicinal plant and supply of culinary and cosmetic oil. All the parts of plant have a range of vital nutrients and thus provide rich minerals, proteins, vitamins, β - carotene, amino acids, and various phenolic contents. Moringa has been found to be of tremendous help in fighting malnutrition especially in children and nursing mothers because of its high nutrition and vitamin density. More importantly, its leaves can have nearly four times more either vitamin A, calcium, iron, vitamin C and potassium contents compared with well-known sources like carrots, milk, spinach, oranges and banana. In addition, the protein quality in Moringa leaves is better than milk and eggs. This review provides an extensive discussion on the phytochemicals, bioactivities, medicinal values, and nutritional value of M. oleifera. Indexed Terms- Moringa oleifera, Phytochemicals, Nutritional value, Glucosinolate, β-Carotene I. INTRODUCTION Plants, throughout the history of man’s life, have played an integral part to support human life, from being a source of shelter to the apparel and as a cure from physical and mental disorders. There is extensive use of plants for treatment of diseases in human civilization since the ancient times this tradition propagates till today in the system of the traditional medicine. Bioactive substances bioactive compounds, such as alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, and steroids, mainly account for the therapeutic activities of the majority of plants involving antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, and other pharmacological activities [1]. Secondary metabolites deriving from plants have gained much attention as new therapeutic agents due to its multitarget healing properties and low toxicity. Plant based Medicines play a key role in global health and over 70% -80% of the world's population depends on plant-based formulae, and 25% of drugs are of plant origin according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) [2]. This dependence is especially true in the developing countries where malnutrition still continues to be the major problem mostly due to the prevalence of the defiency4. Moringa oleifera Lam., also known as the “drumstick tree” or “horseradish tree”, is a member of family Moringaceae. It is an affordable and readily available resource of beneficial nutraceuticals compounds and essential nutrients which provides a good solution for malnutrition and starvation [3]. Due to its drought tolerant and tuberous root system, Moringa is labeled as a famine food and has wide adaptation to arid and semi-arid areas [4].