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Moringa
oleifera as Medicinal plant
The Moringa tree has great use medicinally both as preventative and treatment. .Sonjna (Moringa
oleifera) bark, sap, roots, leaves, seeds, oil, and flowers are used in traditional medicine in several countries. A folk
remedy for stomach complaints, catarrh, cancer, gastric ulcers, skin diseases, lowering blood sugar, increasing bone density, nervous
conditions, diabetes, fatigue, increase lactation, hay fever, impotence, edema, cramps, hemorrhoids, headaches, sore gums; to
strengthen the eyes and the brain, liver, gall, digestive, respiratory and immune system, and as a blood cleanser and blood
builder. A traditional folk remedy was to use the leaves as a poultice on the abdomen to expel intestinal worms. An infusion of
leaves is used as an eye wash for treating conjunctivitis.
Soup prepared with drumstick leaves is extremely beneficial
for the natural prevention for tuberculosis, bronchitis, and asthma. The decoction of drumstick leaves are taken as soup; for better
taste lime juice, pepper, and salt can be added to it as per the discretion of the patient.
Decoction made with fresh drumstick flowers and cow milk is an excellent herbal tonic for sexual weakness and functional
infertility of both males and females. The powdered form of the bark, as a medicine, improves quality of semen and cures problem
like premature ejaculation in male. The decoction of bark powder and water treated by honey is the herbal medicine should be taken in
curing the problem of premature ejaculation.
Drumstick is a natural medicine for digestive disorder.
The combination of fresh leaf extract, one teaspoon honey, and one glass of tender coconut water is an excellent herbal
antidote for cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, jaundice, and colitis.
Fresh leaf-extract of drumstick leaves mixed with cucumber or
carrot juice is a natural antidote for dysuria and high acid percentage in urine.
Drumstick leaf-extract treated by
lime juice is helpful for the treatment for pimples, black head, and age spots. On regular use it adds natural radiance on skin tone.
According to Hartwell (1967-1971), the drumstick flowers, leaves, seeds and roots are used for tumors. Roots are bitter, act
as a tonic to the body and lungs, and are expectorant, diuretic and stimulant in paralytic afflictions, epilepsy and hysteria. The juice
prepared from root is applied externally to heal irritation of skin.
Moringa leaf powder is a powerful anti-cancer agent and a
preventive against diseases such as the cardiovascular diseases, blood pressure regulation, blood sugar control, improving the immune
and digestive systems and enhancing the mood. It can also be used to treat stomach ulcer, as it is capable of lining the stomach wall. It
boosts the energy level of the body as it supplies tremendous amounts of energy to the human body.
Moringa oleifera other uses
Pod: The Moringa fruit is a long thin pod resembling a drumstick.The Moringa pod is
known as "drumstick" or saragwa or saragwe in India. In South India, it is used to prepare a variety of sambar and is also
fried. It is also preserved by canning and exported worldwide. It can be made into a variety of curry dishes by mixing with
coconut, poppy seeds, and mustard. It can just be boiled until the drumsticks are semi-soft and consumed directly without any extra
processing or cooking. It is used in curries, sambars, korm. Drumstick dal is also a very tasty version of the traditional 'toor dal'.
Leaves: The Moringa oleifera leaves are highly nutritious, being a significant source of beta-carotene, Vitamin C,
protein, iron, and potassium. The leaves are cooked and used like spinach. In addition to being used fresh as a substitute for
spinach, its leaves are commonly dried and crushed into a powder, and used in soups and sauces. Amino acids in green leaf vegetables
vary considerably, and many that are staples, are low in the sulphur bearing amino acids methionine and cystine
Flowers: The flowers are edible when cooked, and are said to taste like mushrooms.
Ben Oil: The Moringa seeds yield 38–40% edible oil (called ben oil from the high concentration of behenic acid
contained in the oil). The refined oil is clear, odorless, and resists rancidity at least as well as any other botanical oil. The
seed cake remaining after oil extraction may be used as a fertilizer or as a flocculent to purify water.
Oil from the seed, called Oil of Ben, is used for earache and in ointments for skin conditions. The oil rubbed on the skin is said
to prevent mosquitoes from biting. Flowers infused in honey are used as a cough remedy.
Water treatment: Seeds crushed to a powder are used to clarify turbid, dirty water. The cleansing takes place by a process
of electrical charges established between the muddy particles suspended in the water and the pulverized seeds, and gradually,
after about an hour, the muddy particles are pulled to the bottom of the water by the force of gravity. Research shows that the seed not
only settles the mud, but can carry with it over 90% of bacteria and viruses
A great fodder for cattle: Moringa tree has been of great use not only to the human beings in terms of their
health in one form or the other but also for their livestock. Moringa makes a great fodder for cattle. The weight of livestock
increased upto 32 per cent through moringa feed. And their milk yield of cows increased by 43 percent.
The dried leaves appear to be much more effective. One agriculturist fed his cows with just 2 kg of dry matter of Moringa per day in
addition to the normal food he had been feeding them with and the milk production increased by 58 percent. Then he increased it to 3
kg per day, and the milk production increased by 65 percent.
Bio-gas: You can also produce methane out of the
leaves. Experiments have established that it is possible to produce 4400 cubic meters of bio gas per hectare per year.
Industrial uses: The seed oil is used in arts and for lubricating watches and other delicate machinery, and useful in
the manufacture of perfumes and hairdressings. The pressed cake obtained after oil extraction may be used as a fertilizer. The
industrial uses of the drumstick tree include the use of its wood in paper and textile industries, bark in the tanning industry. The oil
from the seeds contain a powerful flocculant of use in clarifying turbid water.
Herbal Tea: The Republic of Tea, a US-based maker of teas, herbal blends, books and nature-inspired sip ware, is set
to unveil new products: Iced Tea –Large Tea Pouches and a line of SuperHerb Teas on 20-22 January 2013. The first tea in the SuperHerb
range is Moringa, which is a blend of Moringa leaves and green rooibos from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. Moringa will be
available for purchase from February 2013, whereas the full collection will be available in the spring of 2013.
Moringa oleifera fight malnutrition
The
Moringa or drumstick tree is an important food source in some parts of the world. Because it can be grown cheaply and easily, the leaves retaining
lots of vitamins and minerals when dried, the drumstick tree is used in India and Africa in feeding programmes to fight malnutrition.
The most nutritious part of the tree is the leaf, which has the highest amount of protein and is
extremely rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, ribo-flavin, calcium, iron and magnesium.
Three spoonfuls of moringa leaf powder contain 272 per cent of a typical toddler’s daily Vitamin A
requirement, along with 42 per cent of the protein, 125 per cent of the calcium, 71 per cent of the iron and 22 per cent of the Vitamin C, as
well as a full complement of minerals and all the amino acids of meat.
Moringa has four times the vitamin A in carrots, seven times the vitamin C in oranges, and four times the calcium in milk.
From the pure moringa tree leaf constitutes the organic, natural, endurance and energy supplement of health.
Of all the common green leafy vegetables, drumstick leaves have the highest amount of protein. Moringa is used in many parts of the world to prevent malnutrition and to
combat several diseases, such as childhood blindness associated with vitamin deficiencies and other essential dietary insufficiencies.
Economics
India is the largest producer of
Moringa, with an annual production of 1.1 to 1.3 million tonnes of tender fruits from an area of 380 km². Among the states, Andhra Pradesh leads in both area and production (156.65 km²) followed by
Karnataka (102.8 km²) and Tamil Nadu (74.08 km²). In other states, it occupies an area of 46.13 km². Tamil Nadu is the pioneering state insomuch as it has
varied genotypes from diversified geographical areas and introductions from
Sri Lanka. It will support the farmers to improve their livelihood.
Moringa seed contains 40% by weight of oil. Laboratory tests
confirmed that the presscake remaining after oil extraction still contains the active coagulants. It can be used to treat water.
Presscake can also be dried and stored. It may be obtained without cost as a by-product of oil extraction.
Thus Moringa seeds can be used first for oil extraction, without reducing their effectiveness for water treatment. Moringa oil is of
high quality and potentially has a high market value. The oil is of equal value both for cooking oil and as
the main ingredient for the manufacture, powder, soap, creams, hand and dish washers, pills, tea bags,
toothpaste and other products. Additional benefits include its ornamental character, its high rate of
growth, its easy cultivation, and the ability to withstand severe pruning.
Recent research
Indian scientists have discovered an even more tantalising application of Moringa
oleifera, the drumstick plant "murunga", liquid extracted from its leaves can prevent lethal radiation damage to living tissues.
The discovery by radiobiologists at the Jawaharlal Nehru Cancer Hospital and Research
Centre, Bhopal, raises fresh hopes that compounds from medicinal plants might emerge a major source of natural
drugs that could prevent the harmful effects of radiation damage to living tissues.
The drumstick might one day find use in improving the efficiency of cancer treatment with
radiation because it can reduce the severe side-effects of radiotherapy. Radiation damage to normal tissues in the body lead to the adverse effects associated with radiotherapy.
Researchers in Japan and elsewhere had shown that Moringa Oleffera extracts had antitumour and anti- inflammatory agents.
In preliminary research, moringa seed powder is being assessed for its
potential to make river water potable Research showed that filtering with seed powder may diminish water pollution and bacterial counts.
References
1. Roloff, A.; Weisgerber, H.; Lang, U.; Stimm, B.(2009), "Moringa oleifera"
2. L.J. Fuglie (1999). - Moringa: Natural Nutrition for the Tropics
3. Lea, Michael (2010). - Bioremediation of Turbid Surface Water Using Seed Extract from Moringa oleifera Lam.
(Drumstick) Tree
4. Jed W. Fahey (2005). "Moringa oleifera: A
Review of the Medical Evidence for Its Nutritional, Therapeutic, and
Prophylactic Properties. Part 1.". .
5. Sanford Holst (2011).- Moringa (2 ed.).Santorini Publishing.
6. Water Purification with Moringa Seeds, African Journal of Agricultural Research, |
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Women farmers get training in moringa processing
Women farmers in Zuarungu in the Upper East Region have received training in moringa processing and soap making as part of efforts to
empower them with alternative income generating ventures to improve their livelihoods.
The training programme, which was supported by Trees for the Future, a
non-governmental organization (NGO) in Ghana, Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture (KITA) and United States Peace Corps Volunteers,
brought together 60 participants .
Mr George Ansah, An Assistant Technician for Trees for the Future,
trained the participants on how moringa leaves could be processed into
powder, soap, creams, hand and dish washers, pills, tea bags, toothpaste and other products.
Castro Shares Thoughts On Medicinal Values Of Moringa Plant
The leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro has praised Moringa Oleifera and mulberry plants for their medicinal and nutritional values
"Originally from India, Moringa is the only plant that has every kind of
amino acid. With proper planting and management, its green-leaf production can exceed 300 tonnes per hectare in a year. It has dozens of
medicinal properties," Castro said in an article posted at the Cubadebate website.
"Its effects on the digestive system are very good as with all plants, apart from its high protein qualities, but people should not eat more
than 30 grammes per day, depending on intestinal motility," he wrote.
Food Value
According to a study a Moringa leaf is more than 25 percent protein, which is
as much as in eggs and twice the amount of milk. It has four times the amount of vitamin A of carrots, four times the
amount of calcium in milk, seven times the vitamin C of oranges, three
times more potassium than bananas, and significant amounts of iron, phosphorus and other minerals.
It has begun to proliferate in recipes such as Moringa tea, Moringa corn stew, yellow rice with Moringa, scrambled Moringa; sautéed onion, peppe
r and buttered Moringa; and Moringa salad.
Moringa Oleifera Seeds
Moringa oleifera seeds has been discovered to be a primary, natural coagulant for purifying water without side
effects observed when we use alum or other chemicals. Because of this
attribute of moringa oleifera seeds, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria has built a functional water treatment plant based on the moringa oleifera
seed principle. At home,the seeds can be used just like alum.
Drumstick leaf porial Recipe
The Ingredients for the preparation of Drumstick leaf porial Recipe are:
Oil - 2 tsp, ½ tsp mustard,
2 tsp urad dal, 3 dry chillies, broken,
4 pods garlic, chopped,
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cups drumstick leaves
1/3 cup water
2 tbsp grated coconut
3 tbsp roasted groundnut, crushed
salt for taste
The Method:
First heat the oil in a pan and fry the mustard, urad dal, chillies, garlic
and onion, in that order. Add drumstick leaves and sauté for a couple of
minutes. Add salt and water. Cook till water evaporates. Add coconut and groundnut and mix.
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