Moringa

Moringa

by Djehuty Ma'at-Ra.
Tell a Friend




Moringa (Moringa oleifera) is a miracle tree that grows wild in tropical and sub-tropical areas and is native to Africa, Arabia, India, the Caribbean, and Pacific Islands. It is cultivated in Africa, India, Sri-Lanka, Mexico, the Philippines, South America, Malaysia, Jamaica, Thailand, the so-called Middle East and a few other countries. However, India is the world's leading producer of Moringa.

In Africa, Moringa is known as Windibundu (in Dendi), Yovo Kpati (in Mina), Ewe ile (in Yoruba), Argentiga and Alsam Tiga (Mossi), Zogolagandi (in Hausa), Alim and Halim Anambo (in Shuwa Arabic), Amharigna and Shal Chada (Ethiopia); Babatsi (in Ewe), Mkimbo, Mlonge, and Shingo (in Swahili), Gawara (in Fulani), Odudu Oyibo (in Ibo), and Zagalanda (in Tonga) to name a few languages and countries.

Moringa is the "gift from God" tree, and also known as mother's best friend and miracle tree of hope. It is drought resistant and can grow in nearly any soil. However, Moringa is a sun and heat loving plant. It does not tolerate coldness and frost.

Along with Spirulina and hemp seed, it is a food that can help to end world starvation and malnutrition, especially in Africa.

It makes no sense for certain Africans to resort to eating mud pies when they could be eating heavily nutrition-saturated Moringa products (foods) and thus eliminating starvation and malnutrition which are rampant in many areas of Africa.

Moringa ranks with hemp as one of the world's most useful plants/trees as nearly every part of the tree - green pods, seeds, leaves, fruit, sap, flowers, bark, roots, gum, and oil can be used for food purposes. This is very amazing! Rarely is a whole plant or tree used for food and/or medicinal purposes.

Moringa is loaded with nutrition. Moringa leaves are very nutritious and are a great source of beta-carotene, Vitamin C, iron, potassium, and digestible protein. They are loaded with medicinal and therapeutic properties and are cooked similar to how spinach is cooked. They are also sometimes dried and crushed into a powder and used in various soups and sauces.

Moringa leaves can be eaten fresh, cooked, or stored as a dried powder for many months and without refrigeration and/or loss of nutritional value. Again, this is such an amazing plant!

In Siddha medicine, one of three forms of medicine used by Indians with the others being Ayurvedic and Unani, Moringa seeds (also known as Karela seed) are used as a sexual virility agent and for healing penile erectile dysfunction in men and also serve as an agent that helps prolong sexual activity in women.

The seeds also make for a potent and effective galactagogue (an agent that increases the quantity of breast milk) which is why I highly recommend it for all breastfeeding women.

Moringa seed will definitely enrich mother's milk and it will also help to increase birth weight of babies. I recommend that pregnant women consume Moringa throughout their pregnancy.

Dherbs.com sells Moringa in liquid extract form which makes it easy to take and give to babies and small children. My 2-years of age son, Ajani, absolutely loves him some Moringa and will even go into our medicine cabinet (herbal apothecary) and grab the bottle, twist off the top and damn near drink the whole bottle.

There's even Moringa oil (also known as Ben oil from the high concentration of Behenic acid contained in the oil) which is edible and get this - does not become rancid. It can be used as a salad oil.

Moringa oil is clear, has no scent, and burns with no smoke; and also consists of glycerides of oleic, palmitic acid, and stearic acid.

Moringa oil is also great for external skin care and beauty purposes and makes for a good soap agent.

Nutritional Content

Moringa contains more calcium than any milk (outside of mother's milk), more Vitamin A than carrots, more Vitamin C than oranges, more iron than spinach or red raspberry leaves, more potassium than bananas and apples, and more protein than meat, eggs, and/or milk.

The scientific research has been done on Moringa and the verdict is in:

"The Bureau of Plant Industry, in its report, stated that, weight per weight, moringa leaves have the calcium equivalent of 4 glasses of milk, the vitamin C content of 7 oranges, potassium of 3 bananas, 3 times the iron of spinach, 4 times the amount of vitamin A in carrots, and 2 times the protein in milk."

Moringa is one of the best vegetarian sources of protein; one of the reasons Dherbs.com uses it in its "Bio-Protein Formula." Unlike cooked meat (which is really 0% protein), Moringa can be digested, absorbed, and assimilated by the body. Moringa leaves are 100% complete protein.

Moringa tree bark is rich in calcium and phosphorus and Moringa flowers are rich in potassium and calcium.

Moringa seeds are even used to purify water in some countries. Imagine that! Now what more can really be said about this wonder and miracle plant? In my personal opinion, it's the most amazing tree/plant known to man.

"It is a common practice of the women of the Sudan to purify the water from the Nile River with a species of the miracle plant, Moringa stenopetala. Crushed seeds from the pods are added to turbid water; the flocculant property of the plant causes particles in the water to coalesce, and the lumps of aggregated particles fall to the bottom. Because bacteria generally adheres to particles, up to 99% of all bacteria can be removed from even the muddiest water." Sankofa Journal (July 2000), pg. 25

A teaspoon of crushed seeds can be added to a gallon of water to purify it (overnight).

Medicinal Properties

Moringa seeds contain a compound, 'benzylisothiocyanate', that is highly effective against fungi and bacteria and is used as a pesticide and herbicide in addition to being used in pharmaceuticals.

The compound 'benzylisothiocyanate' is believed to be better than isothiocyanates.

Moringa root contains a compound, 'Spirochin', which is an effective analgesic. The compound can lower or raise heart rate depending on the dosage taken and can also help to reduce fever.

Moringa oleifera is used for the following conditions: diabetes (seeds), bronchitis (leaves), expelling worms (flower), penile erectile dysfunction (leaves), increasing and enhancing or prolonging sexual stamina in women (leaves); anxiety (leaves), increasing and enhancing the quality and quantity of mother's milk (seeds), improving skin condition (oil), preventing scurvy or Vitamin C deficiency (pods, fruit, flower), killing certain mites (due to the Antibiotic 'pterygospermine'); stimulates the digestive tract (roots), healing of STDs, especially gonorrhea (root); healing 'yellow fever' (root, bark), helps put on body weight (pods, leaves), stabilizes blood pressure (leaves), remedies diarrhea (leaf), remedies dysentery and inflammation of the colon (leaves); reverses malnutrition (leaves, pods, fruit); addresses heart complaints (stem bark), helps reverse asthma and other lung complaints, and serves as a tonic to the sympathetic nervous system (root bark) just to name a few of the therapeutic and medicinal functions and activities of this powerful miracle tree.

Moringa (whole plant) serves as an analgesic, anodyne, digestant, antibiotic, antibacterial, vermifuge, antifungal, nutritive, cardiac and nervous system stimulant, cardiotonic, antiphilogistic, antipyretic and febrifuge, antimicrobial, carminative, antiperiodic, antisyphilitic, hypotensive, aromatic, and stomachic.

Dherbs.com uses Moringa (seed) in the following compounds: Moringa Extract, Dietary Thiocyanate, Bio-Protein Formula, and Lactation Enhancer.

I greatly embrace and endorse Moringa (whole tree/plant) in every way. It is 100% safe and very effective and can be consumed by all, from babies to adults/elders.

Thank you for reading!

This article is compliments of Dherbs.com and Djehuty Ma'at-Ra.

Additional articles by Djehuty available @ http://www.dherbs.com/articles/