|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.png)
|
|
|
|
|
2
Moringa Oleifera: The Miracle Tree
by Patty Donovan, citizen journalist
(NaturalNews) Imagine a tree in your backyard that will meet all your nutritional needs, take care of you medicinally, and purify your water for you. This tree actually exists. For centuries, the natives of northern India and many parts of Africa have known of the many benefits of Moringa oleifera. Its uses are as unique as the names it is known by, such as clarifier tree, horseradish tree and drumstick tree (referring to the large drumstick shaped pods) and in East Africa it is called "mother's best friend”. Virtually every part of the tree can be used. Native only to the foothills of the Himalayas, it is now widely cultivated in Africa, Central and South America, Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia and the Philippines. This tree, though little known in the Western world, is nutritional dynamite. There are literally hundreds of uses for this tree.
The immature pods are the most valued and widely used of all the tree parts. The pods are extremely nutritious, containing all the essential amino acids along with many vitamins and other nutrients. The immature pod can be eaten raw or prepared like green peas or green beans, while the mature pods are usually fried and possess a peanut-like flavor. The pods also yield 38 - 40% of non-drying, edible oil known as Ben Oil. This oil is clear, sweet and odorless, and never becomes rancid. Overall, its nutritional value most closely resembles olive oil. The thickened root is used as a substitute for horseradish although this is now discouraged as it contains alkaloids, especially moriginine, and a bacteriocide, spirochin, both of which can prove fatal following ingestion. The leaves are eaten as greens, in salads, in vegetable curries, as pickles and for seasoning. They can be pounded up and used for scrubbing utensils and for cleaning walls. Leaves and young branches are relished by livestock. The Bark can be used for tanning and also yields a coarse fiber. The flowers, which must be cooked, are eaten either mixed with other foods or fried in batter and have been shown to be rich in potassium and calcium.
In developing tropical countries, Moringa trees have been used to combat malnutrition, especially among infants and nursing mothers. Three non-governmental organizations in particular - Trees for Life, Church World Service and Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization - advocate Moringa as “natural nutrition for the tropics.” Leaves can be eaten fresh, cooked, or stored as dried powder for many months without refrigeration, and without loss of nutritional value. Moringa is especially promising as a food source in the tropics because the tree is in full leaf at the end of the dry season when other foods are typically scarce. Analyses of the leaf composition have revealed them to have significant quantities of vitamins A, B and C, calcium, iron and protein. According to Optima of Africa, Ltd., a group that has been working with the tree in Tanzania, "25 grams daily of Moringa Leaf Powder will give a child" the following recommended daily allowances:
Protein 42%, Calcium 125%, Magnesium 61%, Potassium 41%, Iron 71%, Vitamin A 272%, and Vitamin C 22%. These numbers are particularly astounding; considering this nutrition is available when other food sources may be scarce.
Scientific research confirms that these humble leaves are a powerhouse of nutritional value. Gram for gram, Moringa leaves contain: SEVEN times the vitamin C in oranges, FOUR times the Calcium in milk, FOUR times the vitamin A in carrots, TWO times the protein in milk and THREE times the Potassium in bananas.
The Moringa tree has great use medicinally both as preventative and treatment. Much of the evidence is anecdotal as there has been little actual scientific research done to support these claims. India's ancient tradition of ayurveda says the leaves of the Moringa tree prevent 300 diseases. One area in which there has been significant scientific research is the reported antibiotic activity of this tree.
This is clearly the area in which the preponderance of evidence - both classical scientific and anecdotal evidence - is overwhelming. The scientific evidence has now been available for over 50 years, although much of it is completely unknown to western scientists. In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s a team from India identified a compound they called pterygospermin. This group was also able to demonstrate its mode of antimicrobial action in the mid 1950’s. Field reports and ecological studies form part of a rich traditional medicine history claiming efficacy of leaf, seed, root, bark, and flowers against a variety of dermal and internal infections. In 1964 other active compounds were isolated and tested in-vitro, and these studies, along with observational studies provide a very plausible mechanism of action for the centuries of claims of efficacy. Unfortunately, because many of the reports of antibiotic efficacy in humans are not supported by placebo controlled, randomized clinical trials, Western medical prejudice leaves the Western world ignorant of Moringa’s antibiotic properties.
Another area of folklore which research supports is in cancer treatment. Moringa species have long been recognized by folk medicine practitioners as having value in the treatment of tumors. Studies examined certain compounds for their cancer preventive potential. Recently two of these compounds were shown to be potent inhibitors of activation of lymphoblastoid (Burkitt’s lymphoma) cells. One of these compounds also inhibited tumors in mice bred to be prone to tumors. In another study, Bharali and colleagues examined skin tumor prevention following ingestion of drumstick (Moringa seedpod) extracts. In this mouse model, which included appropriate positive and negative controls, a dramatic reduction in skin tumors was demonstrated. More rigorous study is required in order to achieve a level of proof required for full medical endorsement of Moringa as, in this case, a cancer preventative plant.
After the oil is extracted from the pods, the seed-cake remaining contains the active components for removing turbidity (solid particles) from water. Because bacteria adhere to the solids, this seed-cake also effectively removes bacteria. At the Thyolo Water Treatment Works in Malawi, Africa, two researchers from the University of Leicester, England, have worked on substituting moringa seeds for alum to remove solids in water for drinking. Not only were the tests successful in removing as much solid material as alum, but the seeds used were "purchased from enthusiastic villagers in Nsanje Region in Malawi" (Folkard and Sutherland, 1996. Not only is Moringa oleifera as effective as aluminum sulphate (alum) in removing suspended solids from turbid water, it has a major advantage. Because it can be produced locally, "using Moringa rather than alum would save foreign exchange and generate farm and employment income." The potential for Moringa to create a new market for a community is there, and studies and projects are taking place examining this potential. Use of this natural substance would also remove a source of aluminum contamination.
This tree is truly a “miracle” tree offering hope; nutritionally, medicinally and economically to devastatingly poor 3rd world countries. It has just recently begun being used as a supplement in a juice form and in powdered leaf tablets.
Sources:
Ramachandran,C., Peter,K.V. and Gopalakrishnan,P.K., 1980, Drumstick (Moringa oleifera): A multipurpose Indian Vegetable. Economic Botany, 34 (3) pp276-283.
http://peacecorps.mtu.edu/resources/studentprojects/moringa.htm
http://www.tfljournal.org/article.php/20051201124931586
Meitzner and Price (Amaranth to Zai Holes: Ideas for Growing Food Under Difficult Conditions, ECHO, 1996),
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/cv/wedc/papers/20/sessioni/sutherla.pdf
too cold sensitive for us! looks like an amazing food source though.
find religion! church
kiva! hyvä! iloinen! pikkumaatila
get stung! beehives
be hospitable! host-a-hive
be antisocial! facespace
Yes... I figured for most parts it might be more difficult outdoors. I would pot it and bring it indoors in winter. The clippings are so nutritious. Malnutrition is being reversed in DAYS in India where normal techniques used takes months. Powerful stuff.marina phillips wrote:
from wikipedia: The "Moringa" tree is grown mainly in semi-arid, tropical, and subtropical areas, corresponding in the United States to USDA hardiness zones 9 and 10.
Lovely site that....tel wrote:
Trees for the Future is way hard into moringa. those folks do some pretty good work.
One of the first sites I went to and learned about Moringa.
Sometimes the answer is not to cross an old bridge, nor to burn it, but to build a better bridge.
Pat Maas wrote:
Denninmi,
You didn't mention which Moringa you have, but I'm guessing it's the same ones that I had died (Moringa oleifera). Mine all started from seed, but from three different sources( Africa, Mexico and India).
Mine are almost all in a south/east corner with windows on both sides. Even though my bed
Sometimes the answer is not to cross an old bridge, nor to burn it, but to build a better bridge.
The whole article is here and mostly about the tremendous health benefits of using Moringa....Dr Surapol cited another trial with rabbits in India which found that animals eating moringa excrete more cholesterol in the faeces, and have less fat in their bodies. Traditional Indian people have used moringa leaves to treat obesity.
The nutrients and properties of moringa
Dr Surapol cited many foreign studies confirming the high levels of nutrients in moringa or marum. It is packed with protein, twice as much as a serving of fresh milk. Moringa contains three times more vitamin A than carrots, seven times more vitamin C than oranges, triple the potassium of bananas and more than three times more calcium than milk.
It's also high in fibre and low in calories. The oil from moringa seeds has similar compounds found in olive oil.
Other benefits of moringa include anti-ageing properties. The plant contains flavonoids rutin and quercetin, lutein which maintains the vision, caffeoylquinic acids, vitamin C, and carotenoids, all of which act as antioxidants. There are also substances called oestrogenics and Beta-sitosterol which help slow the degeneration of cells in the vital organs, optic nerves and arteries.
In 1964, antimicrobial substances were discovered in moringa, with an effect like that of anti-chloasma drugs. In Indian traditional wisdom, moringa extract is used as an ear-drop to soothe pain.
Preliminary research has found that moringa has something called Benzyl thiocyanate glycoside, and niazimicin that can inhibit certain kinds of cancer. Rats given moringa pods had lower rates of skin cancer than those not given doses of the plant, Dr Surapol said.
"When there's a claim that moringa can prevent cancer, please note that it's just an unfinished result of an in-vitro study. Further research is needed to prove that it can really prevent cancer in humans," he added.
Dr Surapol cited another trial with rabbits in India which found that animals eating moringa excrete more cholesterol in the faeces, and have less fat in their bodies. Traditional Indian people have used moringa leaves to treat obesity.
Other trials have indicated that moringa leaf extract has certain properties that protect the liver and reduce blood pressure.
Found here.....Alley cropping: With their rapid growth, long taproot, few lateral roots, minimal shade and large production of high-protein biomass, Moringa trees are well-suited for use in alley cropping systems.
Biofuel: There is an increasing interest today in large scale cultivation of Moringa oleifera for use of its seed oil to produce biofuel.
Biogas: Moringa leaves provide an excellent material for production of biogas.
Dye: The wood yields a blue dye which was used in Jamaica and in Senegal.
Fencing: A common use of Moringa trees is as a living support for fencing around gardens and yards.
Foliar nutrient: Juice extracted from the leaves can be used to make a foliar nutrient capable of increasing crop yields by up to 30%.
Green Manure: Cultivated intensively and then ploughed back into the soil, Manure can act as a natural fertilizer for other crops.
Gum: The gum produced from a cut tree trunk has been used in calico printing, in making medicines and as a bland-tasting condiment.
Honey clarifier: Powdered seeds can be used to clarify honey without boiling. Seed powder can also be used to clarify sugar cane juice.
Honey producer: Flowers are a good source of nectar for honey-producing bees.
Livestock feed: The high bioavailability of Moringa leaves and stems make them an excellent feed for cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and rabbits.
Oil: Moringa kernels contain about 37% edible oil, similar in quality to olive oil, and has also been used for the lubrication of fine machinery and by cosmetics industries as a base for making perfumes.
Ornamental: In many countries, Moringa trees are planted in gardens and along avenues as ornamental trees.
Plant disease prevention: Incorporating Moringa leaves into the soil before planting can prevent damping off disease (Pythium debaryanum) among seedlings.
Pulp: The soft, spongy wood makes poor firewood, but the wood pulp is highly suitable for making newsprint and writing paper. (Paper using Moringa wood can be produced at a low-cost village level. See: http://internet.roadrunner.com/~rotto/paper.html).
Rope making: The bark of the tree can be beaten into a fiber for production of ropes or mats.
Tannin: The bark and gum can be used in tanning hides.
Water purification: Powdered seed kernels act as a natural flocculent, able to clarify even the most turbid water as well as aluminum sulfate but without any toxicity.
Ronie, I think your best bet is to grow and see. In some places it takes longer than a year to set seed... I have read of 2 years.ronie wrote:
I have checked the sites and links you folks have provided (thnx) I can't seem to find out if I can grow Moringa to the point it will make viable seeds... The Wichita Kansas site says they grow Moringa outside in the summer, but i can't see anywhere if they can get seeds, in one summer, to grow it the next year.??
Even dry it for winter to add to smoothies. It can be made into such a fine powder that you can really add it to most anything. They make it into cakes for the malnourished children. I am playing with the idea of making a Moringa flour ..... when I have enough leaves dried for winter ..... and seeing if I can make a truly outstandingly healthy cookie that hopefully tastes good too.
Found here.... Worth keeping url addresses!A strength of Moringa is that it is a non-toxic, easily digestible source of nutrition which also has many beneficial effects on health in general. Recently, very extensive health and safety studies conducted at the Nogutchi Memorial Medical Research Centre in Ghana determined that Moringa leaf powder has no toxic elements. In this study laboratory mice, rats and rabbits were fed a diet which included up to 15 times the recommended daily dosage of Moringa leaf powder (i.e., the equivalent of a child consuming 375 grams of leaf powder daily). Absolutely no adverse side effects from even the most concentrated Moringa diet were observed.
Sometimes the answer is not to cross an old bridge, nor to burn it, but to build a better bridge.
"the qualities of these bacteria, like the heat of the sun, electricity, or the qualities of metals, are part of the storehouse of knowledge of all men. They are manifestations of the laws of nature, free to all men and reserved exclusively to none." SCOTUS, Funk Bros. Seed Co. v. Kale Inoculant Co.
bunkie weir wrote:
great thread all. lots of great info. now i'm looking into trying to grow it up here. will start in pots and maybe move to the greenhouse.
in looking at sources for seed, i checked Echo in Florida which denninmi and pat mentioned. i see they label it as 'Moringa, Horseradish Tree, Drumstick tree'. perhaps it's connection to the horseradish (i'm assuming through the title) might be giving it its peppery taste?
The young leaves and roots have a peppery taste but the large older dark green leaves are rather bland. I find them easy to throw into a salad even for a fussy youngster.bunkie weir wrote:
great thread all. lots of great info. now i'm looking into trying to grow it up here. will start in pots and maybe move to the greenhouse.
in looking at sources for seed, i checked Echo in Florida which denninmi and pat mentioned. i see they label it as 'Moringa, Horseradish Tree, Drumstick tree'. perhaps it's connection to the horseradish (i'm assuming through the title) might be giving it its peppery taste?
2
:447-51. Familial tendency and dietary association of goitre in Gamo-Gofa, Ethiopia.) (J Ethnopharmacol. 1989 May;25(3):249-61. Histoarchitecture of the genital tract of ovariectomized rats treated with an aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera roots, and Acta Eur Fertil. 1988 Jul-Aug;19(4):225-32. Biochemical and physiological alterations in female reproductive organs of cyclic rats treated with aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera Lam., and J Ethnopharmacol. 1988 Jan;22(1):51-62, Antifertility profile of the aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera roots.)
Borrowed so I can take no credit.... though be it I stand by the name.S. C. Devadatta1 Contact Information and T. C. Appanna1 Contact Information
(1) Christian Medical College, Vellore
Received: 26 June 1953
Summary Healthy young rats, 28 days old, were placed on six diets in one of which all the calcium was supplied entirely by skimmed milk. In the other diets half of the skimmed milk was replaced by enough ground dried leafy vegetables to provide the same amount of calcium as in the milk diet. At 60 days of age the animals were killed and their bodies analysed for calcium. Comparison of the availability of calcium in these vegetables with that of milk was made by calculating for each an utilization factor which is the ratio of calcium retention to intake. The values for the six diets were: 0·85 for milk diet, 0·74 for diet 1, 0·78 for diet 2, 0·79 for diet 3, 0·54 for diet 4, and 0.69 for diet 5 respectively.
All the five leafy vegetables,viz., Avati Keerai (Sesbania grandiflora), Mola Keerai (Amaranthus gangeticus), Chiru Keerai (Amaranthus spinosus), Curry leaves (Murraya Kænigii), Murunga Keerai (Moringa oleifera) form good sources of calcium from the point of nutrition, especially Avati Keerai, Mola Keerai and Chiru Keerai, as the calcium in these are used as well as that in milk.
This seems to be the more balanced view....Whether the claim of "more calcium than milk" includes this non-bioavailable calcium needs to be addressed. The oral histories recorded by Lowell Fuglie in Senegal and throughout West Africa, who reports countless instances of lifesaving nutritional rescue that are attributed to Moringa (Fuglie, L.J., 1999, 2000). In fact, the nutritional properties of Moringa are now so well-known that there seems to be little doubt of the substantial health benefit to be realized by consumption of Moringa leaf powder in situations where starvation is imminent.
"It is true that Moringa is capable of wiping malnutrition from the face of the earth, "said Ruth N. Zansi, national director of programs for HFTN in Liberia. "You will see a child come in with swollen feet and the skin is about to burst open—when that child is fed with one table spoonful of Moringa powder, three times a day in his meal, that child starts to recover in seven days," continued Zansi. She also claims that by the second week, the child will start to smile and talk a lot.
Found hereThe Moringa seeds yield 38–40% edible oil (called ben oil, from the high concentration of behenic acid contained in the oil) that can be used in cooking, cosmetics, and lubrication.. The Moringa tree, below, is native to Africa and India and has been revered for thousands of years as a miracle tree: Its nutrient-rich leaves and seeds can be eaten, and the oil pressed from its seeds is chock-full of radiance-boosting fatty acids and vitamins A and C. Beauty companies around the world are now bringing the oil’s skin-smoothing de-puffing benefits to you in brand-new moisturizers.
Moringa oil possesses exceptional oxidative stability which may explain why the Egyptians placed vases of Moringa oil in their tombs. Moringa oil has a potent antioxidant considered to be the factor behind its remarkable stability. Moringa oil is non-drying nutty flavored oil with a pale yellow consistency. The healing properties of Moringa oil, also known as behen oil, were documented by ancient cultures. It has tremendous cosmetic value and is used in body and hair care as a moisturizer and skin conditioner. Moringa oil has been used in skin preparations and ointments since Egyptian times. This is very long lasting oil with a shelf life of up to 5 years.
![[Thumbnail for Table-Protein-Amino-Acids-in-M-Oleifera.JPG]](/t/3111/a/905/Table-Protein-Amino-Acids-in-M-Oleifera.JPG "Filename: Table-Protein-Amino-Acids-in-M-Oleifera.JPG
Description:")
That is really interesting Pat. I know that if ECHO are interested in it then there is a reason. They seem to be growing it but as yet to have any seed set.Pat Maas wrote:
Hi Cyara,
"Moringa Stenopetala... AKA African Moringa.....that you mention here too... is not under discussion. It has never been given the name of "Miracle Tree". I know that ECHO is interested in it."
These are the trees I have, the Moringa stenopetala. It will work at altitude and not so frost sensitive, thus the interest. For me it was a way to gain a bit better health on a mostly veg diet and for the other things on my farm's benefits.
Moringa oleifera has helped far more people than likely will ever be recognized. It is part of a diet as may be found in a third world country-this you pointed out already.
Moringa, African
Moringa stenopetala
This is another species of moringa and is used the same way as the regular moringa. The leaves are larger and easier to prepare for cooking. It seems to be more drought tolerant, but slightly less cold tolerant. It has not yet produced seed at ECHO, and is very rare, with seeds only available from N.E. Africa and Haiti.
|
What's brown and sticky? ... a stick. Or a tiny ad.
A rocket mass heater heats your home with one tenth the wood of a conventional wood stove
http://woodheat.net
|
