Moringa or 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 Middle East and several other countries. India is the world’s leading producer of Moringa.
Moringa is known as the “gift from God” tree, mother’s best friend and miracle tree of hope. It is drought resistant and can grow in nearly any soil. However, Moringa grows best with heat and sun. It does not tolerate coldness and frost.
Benefits
Moringa is loaded with nutrition. Moringa leaves consist of many sources of nutrients including beta-carotene, Vitamin C, iron, potassium and digestible protein. They are loaded with medicinal and therapeutic properties.
Along with Spirulina and hemp seed, Moringa is a food that can help to end world starvation and malnutrition, especially in Africa. By eating highly nutritious Moringa products and foods, starvation and malnutrition can be eliminated throughout Africa.
Uses
Moringa ranks with hemp as one of the world’s most useful plants or trees. Nearly every part of the tree can be used for food purposes. This includes green pods, seeds, leaves, fruit, sap, flowers, bark, roots, gum and oil. Rarely is a whole plant or tree used for food and/or medicinal purposes.
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. Moringa leaves are cooked similarly to spinach leaves. Sometimes they are dried and crushed into a powder to be used in variety of soups and sauces.
In Siddha medicine, Moringa seeds are used as sexual virility agents. More specifically, they are used to treat penile erectile dysfunction in men and to help prolong sexual activity in women. Siddha medicine is one of three forms of medicine used by Indians.
Moringa seed enriches mother’s milk and helps increase the birth weight of the baby. DHerbs encourages the consumption of Moringa during pregnancy. The Moringa seeds are used for a potent and effective galactagogue, an agent that increases the quantity of breast milk.
Nutritional Content
Moringa contains more calcium than 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 egg or milk.
According to recent studies, Moringa contains the amount of calcium equivalent to four glasses of milk. Moringa also contains sufficient amounts of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Potassium, Iron and Protein.
Moringa is one of the best vegetarian sources of protein. Unlike cooked meat, Moringa can be digested and absorbed by the body. The protein that is found in Moringa is 100% complete protein.
Moringa tree bark is rich in calcium and phosphorus while Moringa flowers are rich in potassium and calcium.
In some countries, Moringa seeds have been used to purify water. In fact, just a teaspoon of crushed seeds can be added to a gallon of water to purify it overnight.
Medicinal Properties
Moringa seeds contain a compound called benzylisothiocyanate that is highly effective against fungi and bacteria. It is used as a pesticide and herbicide is also 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. It has also been shown to reduce fevers.
Moringa oleifera is used for the following conditions:
- Diabetes
- Bronchitis
- Worms
- Penile erectile dysfunction
- Lack of sexual stamina in women
- Anxiety
- Skin conditions
- Scurvy or Vitamin C deficiency
- Mites
- Digestive tract issues
- STDs
- Yellow fever
- Weight Loss
- High or low blood pressure
- Diarrhea
- Dysentery and inflammation of the colon
- Malnutrition
- Heart issues
- Asthma and other lung conditions
- Weakened nervous system
There are many therapeutic and medicinal functions of this powerful miracle tree.
The Moringa plant has many therapeutic and medicinal functions. It comes in many forms, including:
- Nalgesic
- Anodyne
- Digestant
- Antibiotic
- Antibacterial
- Vermifuge
- Antifungal
- Nutritive
- Cardiac and nervous system stimulant
- Cardiotonic
- Antiphilogistic
- Antipyretic
- Febrifuge
- Antimicrobial
- Carminative
- Antiperiodic
- Antisyphilitic
- Hypotensive
- Aromatic
- Stomachic
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
