Moringa:
‘The Miracle Tree’
Taken from the Royal
Gazette By Frances Eddy
Moringa has extraordinary nutritional and medicinal benefits
Moringa! It sounds
like a Latin dance but it is a health-giving tree popping up in unexpected
spaces: solitary at a front door, bordering a pristine lawn, sidewalk next to
al fresco dining, and in conversations, even among the mildly health conscious.
Moringa powders, pastes and teas have been spotted at local health food stores,
supermarkets, pharmacies, and most recently at the reopened Farmers Market.
I would say Moringa
has arrived.
It is a highly
nutritious tropical/subtropical plant dubbed “The Miracle Tree” because of its
extraordinary nutritional and medicinal benefits. Fortunately it can grow year
round in our climate and has the potential for locally made products and
improving local health.
Moringa oleifera is a
slender tree with delicate leaves resembling those of Poinciana that has the
status of super food exceeding the likes of King Kale. Every part of the plant
can be eaten: leaves, stem, bark, root, flower, seedpod and seeds. It is
esteemed worldwide as an energy booster, treatment for 300 diseases,
malnutrition, and many other uses.
Dr Monica Marcu,
pharmacology researcher and author of the definitive book on Moringa entitled
Miracle Tree writes: “It is the most nutrient-rich plant yet discovered
providing a rich and rare combination of nutrients, amino acids, antioxidants,
anti-ageing, and anti-inflammatory properties.”
Nutrient Comparisons
The chart below
compares the nutrient values of 100 grams of some common foods with fresh and
dried moringa leaves. Note that dried leaf values are significantly higher than
fresh leaves. It takes seven pounds of fresh leaves to make one pound of dried
ground leaves.
Are the claims
legitimate?
Moringa has been used
as medicine and food in traditional cultures with results observed for
centuries but many people like scientific verification. I suggest reading the
Trees for Life Journal, an open-access online publication of traditional and
scientific studies of beneficial trees and plants. Its aim is to bridge
traditional and scientific worlds.
Growing Moringa
Moringa can be grown
in pots or in the ground started from seeds or cuttings. The seeds can be
planted soon after they mature and are viable for one year. If planting
directly in the ground, dig a hole one foot deep, mix in an organic fertiliser,
plant the seeds three quarters of an inch to one inch deep and water
thoroughly. Germination takes one or two weeks. For cuttings, use finger-thick
lengths a foot or more long, and bury a third of it in a sterile potting mix to
root.
I prefer plants grown
in pots one foot or more before transplanting in the ground. Plant one foot
apart for hedges and a few feet for larger trees. Periodically cut the branches
back to half for easy harvesting, to encourage new growth and flower/seed
production, and a bushier tree. My two trees survived Fay and Gonzalo
hurricanes and are now lush with new leaves.
Is Moringa invasive?
Introductions should
always be closely observed for signs of invasive tendencies. Elsewhere seeds
typically remain close to the tree from which they have fallen unless they are
deliberately collected and planted; this reduces the likelihood of them
spreading far from their original planting location.
How to eat and how
much?
Moringa leaves are
enjoyed eaten raw alone, in salads, or added to endless drinks and cooked
dishes. Fresh leaves are best as they have a high concentration of chlorophyll
that heals by rejuvenating the body at the cellular level, strengthening the
immune system and naturally cleansing the body of toxins. However, it takes 10
times more fresh leaves as dried every day which can cause diarrhoea and mild
stomach upsets from the detoxifying effects, so don’t go overboard. The dried
product is more potent and easier to measure. One teaspoon to one tablespoon
per day of the powder is generally recommended for a healthy adult taken with
food, starting with the smaller amount.
Drying and powdering
To dry Moringa I place
sprigs on a cookie sheet in my pilot-lit gas oven overnight. A hot water
heater, the sun, or a dehydrator also works. Once dried, slide the leaves off
the stems into a blender and grind to a fine powder. It keeps in a tightly
closed jar without refrigeration for months.
Cautions
The internet Drug Index
for prescription drugs, Rxlist, states that Moringa leaves, fruit and seeds are
safe when consumed with food but to avoid the roots and it extracts. Moringa is
not a replacement for a healthy diet with diverse fruits and vegetables. More
is not necessarily better.
