Viral claim using Dr. Sebi image misleads on the effects of cortisol in the body, recommends unproven moringa supplement to lower cortisol levels

A Facebook reel posted in early October 2024 claimed that a drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera) supplement lowers cortisol levels, relieving symptoms such as bad breath, body odor, hair loss, lack of energy, brain fog, and difficulty sleeping.

The reel, which had almost a million views at the time of publishing, was posted by a Facebook profile with the handle of Dt Healthylife. This account often feeds its more than 400,000 followers with health advice from questionable sources like Barbara O’Neill and the late Alfredo Bowman, better known as Dr. Sebi, the person speaking in the reel about cortisol.

Bowman was an herbalist with no medical training and a history of spreading health misinformation. He falsely attributed all diseases to excess mucus and acidity and promoted the alkaline diet as a cure-all. He also claimed without evidence to have cured a dozen people from AIDS with the alkaline diet, even though the disease has currently no cure.

However, the audio from the video clip has been manipulated. Based on Bowman’s clothes, background, and body language, we could identify the original video from which the clip came, a 2014 lecture in Los Angeles. In it, Bowman reiterated his claims about AIDS and mucus, but he didn’t discuss cortisol or moringa.

Blaming high cortisol levels for almost any health issue is a trend that has circulated on TikTok since at least 2023. Many of these posts mislead about the way cortisol works in the body and its effects on health. Some also promote unproven methods for supposedly lowering cortisol levels.

Likewise, the aforementioned Facebook reel misrepresented the symptoms of elevated cortisol levels. Its claim that moringa lowers cortisol levels and relieves these symptoms isn’t backed up by scientific evidence, as we will show below.

What is cortisol?

Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands located at the top of the kidneys. The fact that cortisol is released in response to stress has earned it a bad reputation and the nickname “stress hormone”.

But contrary to what social media users suggest, cortisol isn’t inherently bad. On the contrary, this hormone is essential for life, as it has many important biological functions. These include regulating metabolism and blood pressure and reducing inflammation.

Cortisol levels follow a daily pattern, peaking in the early morning and declining throughout the day. These changes increase wakefulness during the daytime, thus helping modulate the sleep-wake cycles.

Emotional or physical stress can also increase cortisol levels. Such peaks are typically temporary and represent an essential survival mechanism by preparing the body to react quickly against a threat. This reaction is commonly referred to as the “fight-or-flight” response^[1]. When the threat passes, cortisol levels return to normal.

Chronically high levels of cortisol can cause serious health problems but are infrequent

While transient peaks in cortisol levels are a healthy response to acute stress, chronically elevated cortisol levels can result in a medical condition called Cushing’s syndrome.

The most common cause of Cushing’s syndrome is exogenous (external), due to long-term treatment with high doses of corticosteroids. This group of medications behaves like cortisol and is used to treat inflammatory conditions.

Although less common, the cause of Cushing syndrome can also be endogenous (internal). In most cases, this is a tumor in the adrenal glands or the pituitary gland, another gland located in the brain that regulates the activity of the adrenal glands. Because tumors increase the size of the glands, they can also increase their activity. When this happens in the adrenal glands or in the pituitary gland, a higher activity implies an abnormally high cortisol production.

Symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome include high blood pressure, fat accumulation, bruising, and weak bones and muscles. If left untreated, these symptoms can develop into cardiovascular problems, bone fractures, depression, memory loss, and type 2 diabetes.

Sometimes, severe stress, chronic alcoholism, malnutrition, type 2 diabetes, and psychiatric conditions such as depression can also lead to persistent increases in cortisol levels. This condition is known as non-neoplastic hypercortisolism (formerly pseudo-Cushing’s syndrome). Its symptoms resemble those of true Cushing’s syndrome, although most cases show only mild cortisol increases^[2].

While having chronically elevated levels of cortisol can lead to health problems, severe symptoms are far less common than social media posts may suggest^[3]. Natasha Malkani, an endocrinologist at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center, explained for the institution’s blog that “having too much—or too little—cortisol is actually quite rare”.

Furthermore, the symptoms described in the reel are non-specific. A wide range of unrelated medical conditions such as autoimmune diseases, depression, and chronic fatigue syndrome, have symptoms in common with those of high cortisol levels. In other words, having these symptoms alone cannot reliably tell us whether we have high cortisol levels.

Malkani further clarified, “Symptoms of Cushing syndrome tend to be pretty dramatic and if patients are experiencing them, they should have their doctor test their cortisol levels to assist with diagnosis”. “Otherwise, I would urge them not to be overly concerned about cortisol. Feeling stressed about the stress hormone will only lead to more stress—and higher cortisol!”

Potential health benefits of moringa in people remain unproven

Evidence on the safety and effectiveness of herbal supplements for treating specific conditions is often scarce. That is also the case with moringa supplements. While touted on social media as a cure for multiple conditions, including AIDS and COVID-19 (article in Spanish), the effects of moringa on people’s health are still unclear.

Moringa is a plant traditionally consumed in Asia and Africa for its high nutritious value. Its leaves and seeds are rich in protein, minerals, and vitamins A, C, and E. Moringa seeds also contain amino acids and beneficial fats like omega-3 fatty acids.

In addition, moringa contains phytochemicals that have shown antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties, as well as anti-tumor activity in cell and animal studies^[4-7]. However, laboratory experiments don’t reflect the complexity of the human body, and these results can’t be extrapolated to humans without supporting data from clinical trials.

We found no evidence supporting the claim that moringa supplements effectively reduce cortisol levels in people. Science Feedback searched for clinical trials evaluating the effect of moringa on cortisol levels on PubMed, a repository of published scientific studies hosted by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The query retrieved no results^#.

In fact, evidence on moringa’s health benefits in humans is overall scarce. A few small clinical trials suggest that moringa might protect the heart^[8] and lower blood sugar levels^[9,10]. However, the number of participants was generally very low, and some studies lacked adequate controls. Therefore, their results are preliminary and not generalizable to the population at large. Determining whether moringa provides health benefits to people requires larger and more rigorous trials.

Also, the potential—yet unproven—health benefits of moringa supplements need to be balanced against the potential risks. Hepatologist Cyriac Abby Philips, who also goes by the moniker “The Liver Doc”, pointed out on X/Twitter that, due to the high content of calcium oxalate in moringa leaves, consuming large amounts might increase the risk of kidney damage.

Treating excessive cortisol levels requires targeting the root cause of the increase

Some herbal supplements, including chamomile and lemon balm, might help relieve stress. However, for treatments to be effective in the long term they must target the primary cause of the cortisol increase. In other words, contrary to the Facebook reel’s claim, remedies that aim just to reduce cortisol levels may not be enough to treat health problems associated with elevated cortisol.

In the case of exogenous Cushing’s, treatment consists of simply reducing corticosteroid medication or replacing it with a non-corticosteroid drug. Treatment for endogenous Cushing’s may include radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery to reduce or eliminate the tumor, and sometimes medication to reduce circulating cortisol levels.

Lowering cortisol levels from chronic stress requires actions that help manage stress. Lifestyle changes including eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and getting quality sleep are essential and often sufficient to reduce stress-associated cortisol increases.

Conclusion

The claim that high cortisol levels cause a variety of symptoms and that moringa supplements improve overall health by reducing cortisol levels relies on misconceptions. For starters, cortisol isn’t inherently bad. Temporary peaks in cortisol levels are a natural body response that carries out essential biological functions.

Certain types of tumors and long-term use of corticosteroids can cause a serious medical condition characterized by significant increases in cortisol levels. But such cases are very rare. Sustained stress may also elevate cortisol levels. However, these increases are generally moderate and simple lifestyle changes often suffice to manage symptoms. Attempts to reduce cortisol levels with moringa and other unproven natural remedies are likely ineffective and might even be harmful.

# PubMed search query: (“moringa oleifera”[All Fields] AND (“stress”[All Fields] OR “stressed”[All Fields] OR “stresses”[All Fields] OR “stressful”[All Fields] OR “stressfulness”[All Fields] OR “stressing”[All Fields] OR (“cortisol s”[All Fields] OR “cortisole”[All Fields] OR “hydrocortisone”[MeSH Terms] OR “hydrocortisone”[All Fields] OR “cortisol”[All Fields] OR “cortisols”[All Fields]))) AND (clinicaltrial[Filter] OR randomizedcontrolledtrial[Filter])

UPDATE (29 OCTOBER 2024)

We updated this review to clarify that the audio from Bowman’s video clip has been manipulated. Therefore, the claims in the reel aren’t Bowman’s. This information has been added in paragraph four.

REFERENCES

• 1 – Godoy et al. (2018) A Comprehensive Overview on Stress Neurobiology: Basic Concepts and Clinical Implications. Frontiers in Behavioural Neuroscience.
• 2 – Savas et al. (2022) Approach to the Patient: Diagnosis of Cushing Syndrome. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
• 3 – Steffensen et al. (2010) Epidemiology of Cushing’s Syndrome. Neuroendocrinology.
• 4 – Shahbaz et al. (2024) Antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory potential of Moringa seed and Moringa seed oil: A comprehensive approach. Food Science and Nutrition.
• 5 – Graf et al. (2018) Comparative Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Moringa-Derived Isothiocyanate versus Curcumin in vitro and in vivo. FASEB Journal.
• 6 – Abd Rani et al. (2019) In vitro anti-allergic activity of Moringa oleifera Lam. extracts and their isolated compounds. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
• 7 – de Siqueira Patriota et al. (2020) Antitumor activity of Moringa oleifera (drumstick tree) flower trypsin inhibitor (MoFTI) in sarcoma 180-bearing mice. Food and Chemical Toxicology.
• 8 – Louisa et al. (2022) Moringa Oleifera Lam. in Cardiometabolic Disorders: A Systematic Review of Recent Studies and Possible Mechanism of Actions. Frontiers in Pharmacology.
• 9 – Owens III et al. (2020) The effects of Moringa oleifera on blood glucose levels: A scoping review of the literature. Complementary Therapies in Medicine.
• 10 – Gómez-Martínez et al. (2021) Moringa oleifera Leaf Supplementation as a Glycemic Control Strategy in Subjects with Prediabetes. Nutrients.