Sidi Rana Menggala – A study conducted by H. Irawan and R.C. Patricio in 2017, encompassing five prominent urban and rural regions in Indonesia (Jakarta, Semarang, Surabaya, Medan, and Makassar), highlighted that 99.8% of respondents were aware of the existence of moringa leaves, but only 20% recognized that this same plant is known worldwide as Moringa. When asked what comes to mind when moringa leaves are mentioned, 32% of respondents believed that moringa leaves could heal or treat illnesses, 25.1% believed they alleviated itching, 14.8% thought they possessed medicinal properties, 11.5% considered them to enhance breast milk production, 8.2% believed they were hard to find, 5.5% believed they reduced fever, 4.496% believed they could remove magical implants, 3.8% thought they had small leaves, 2.7% believed they had the ability to ward off evil spirits, and 2.7% thought they could be consumed as a vegetable.
In terms of perceived benefits as an herbal remedy, the majority of respondents (85.39%) declared that moringa leaves were superior because their extracts were derived from natural sources. They were considered safe for consumption by 76.2%, with 59.3% believing they had no side effects and 56.2% considering them equally effective as non-herbal medicines. Approximately 46% of the respondents expressed their trust in moringa leaf extracts, while 37% reported an interest in consuming moringa leaf extracts in the future as herbal medicine. H. Irawan’s research findings underscore the need to maximize the potential of moringa leaves, with a primary focus on popularizing their consumption as a vegetable to combat the high prevalence (37.2%) of child stunting in Indonesia.