Moringa:The Wonder Tree

LOWELL Fuglie and his wife, Caroline, help craft the pad of the Moringa tree. Thanks Fuglie's pioneer work on the Moringa oleifera, many people can now profit from it.

Malnutrition causes a great deal of human suffering and is associated with more than half of all deaths of children worldwide. Malnutrition severely impacts on the socio-economic development of a nation because a work force that is stunted both mentally and physically may have a reduced work capacity. The interaction of poverty, poor health and poor nutrition has a multiplier effect on the general welfare of the population and also contributes significantly towards keeping a population in a downward trend of poverty and nutritional insecurity. Thus nutrition plays an important role in the reproduction of poverty from one generation to the next.

Ideally, good nutrition is assured by a varied diet rich in meat, root, grain, fruit and vegetable foods. In reality, for a majority of the world’s population such variety in food is unaffordable or seasonally unavailable. If you have a poor diet it makes you less able to resist disease, so the diseases come more frequently and they last longer.

The solution to malnutrition?

The resilient, fast growing Moringa tree is packed with so many vitamins and nutrients and has such a high nutritional value that it has been rightly dubbed by some as the miracle tree.

All parts of the Moringa tree are edible; the Moringa leaves can be eaten raw, cooked like spinach or made into a powder that can be added to sauces, soups or chowders. The new leaves have a tendency to appear towards the end of the dry season when few other sources of green leafy vegetables are available. The young, green pods can be eaten whole and are comparable in taste to asparagus. The older pods can be used for their seeds, which can be prepared as peas or roasted and eaten like peanuts. The flowers which bloom around 8 months after the tree is planted, can be eaten fried and have the taste and texture of mushrooms. In Hawaii, the flowers are used to make a tea that cures colds. In addition to this, the flowers are a year- round source of nectar and can be used by beekeepers.

When the Moringa pods mature and turn brown, the seeds can be removed and pressed to extract high quality oil similar to olive oil rich in oleic acid (73%). The Moringa oil can be used for cooking, lubrication, in soaps, lamps and perfumes. The oil was highly valued by ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians and was used in perfumes and for skin protection.The taproot of young trees can be used to make a spice resembling horseradish when vinegar and salt are added to it.

Not only is the Moringa oleifera tree extraordinary in that all parts of the tree are edible, but the most amazing aspect of the tree is its exceptionally high nutritional value. The leaves of the Moringa tree are an excellent source of vitamin A (four times the amount in carrots), the raw leaves are rich in vitamin C (seven times the amount in oranges), and they are also a good source of vitamin B and other minerals. The leaves are also an outstanding source of calcium (four times the amount in milk), protein (twice the amount in milk), and potassium (three time the amount in bananas). The content of iron is very good as well and the leaves have purportedly been used for treating anemia in the Philippines. The content of amino acids such as methionine and cystine is also high. Carbohydrates, fats and phosphorous content are low making this one of the finest plant foods to be found.

These and many other qualities have made the Moringa oleifera tree a candidate in the fight against malnutrition