Moringa (Malunggay)

MORINGA

Moringa oleifera is a rising star in the world of superfoods. This drought-resistant and fast-growing tree is native to Southeast Asia but has spread throughout tropical zones in Africa and South America. In 2008 the National Institutes of Health named moringa “the Plant of the Year.”

Not only does moringa have an impressive nutritional profile, but it also has been praised for its ability to purify water and make it potable, for its many uses in traditional Ayurvedic medicine where it has the reputed ability to cure 300 diseases (many of which have been verified recently by the scientific community), and for the food security and improved nutrition it provides to impoverished and malnourished communities.

Moringa packs a lot into its unassuming leaves and seeds, which are eaten as vegetables or ground into a green powder (that looks a lot like matcha). It contains 9 essential amino acids, 27 vitamins, 46 antioxidants, and many minerals. Gram for gram, the fresh leaves of the moringa plant contain:

Traditional medicine says that moringa flower juice can improve human lactation and a tea made of its leaves can fight colds and infections. The fresh leaves help to cure anemia, gastric ulcers and diarrhea, and a paste made of the leaves provides anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory treatment for insect bites, wounds or fungal skin problems. Crushed seeds can aid cramps, rheumatism and arthritis, and be a natural antibiotic.