Moringa Oleifera - The Miracle Tree and Nature's Band Aid!

The botanical name of this tree is Moringa oleifera. I know it locally in Singapore as the "Drumstick tree" which, by the way, is the English name of this tree. It was called the Drumstick tree because the seed pods resemble that of a drumstick (long, slim and almost straight). The tree has many different names depending on the many different countries it can be found growing. For example, some popular local names of the tree are:

• English - Drumstick tree, Horseradish tree;
• French - Ben aile, Benzolive;
• India - Sajna, Murunkak-kai, Shajmah;
• Indonesia and Malaysia - Kelor;
• Philippines - Malunggay;
• Africa - Nebeday (Senegal), Mlonge (Nigeria), Ruwag (Sudan), Mupulanga (Zimbabwe);
• Central America - Angela (Colombia), Marango (Costa Rica), Benzolive (Haiti), Jacinto (Panama), Moloko (Guadalupe);

The list just goes on and on and it's too many to list on this blog. However, if you want to know them, then get in touch with me.

Moringa oleifera is not a newly discovered tree. It has been eaten as a vegetable and also used by many cultures in their traditional medicine for many years........as many as 2000 years ago. The Indians have the best documented text about Moringa oleifera and its used in their traditional Ayurveda medicine to cure and heal as many as 300 different types of illnesses, diseases and health problems.

Many independent universities in the world have researched Moringa oleifera and they have found that every part of the tree can be used and those parts of the tree that can be eaten like the leaves, flowers and the seed pods, are totally safe for consumption..........after all, what these researchers have found out scientifically is to prove what our forefathers already know...and that is that the tree is safe to consume.

So, what is so special about Moringa oleifera? Researchers have found that this tree is power pact with nutrition and has all the necessary vitamins, minerals and proteins that is needed by the human body to stay healthy. Currently, there is no other tree or plant that can match the nutritional goodness of  Moringa oleifera.

The nutrients in this tree is so great that many Non Government Organisations (NGOs) are throwing away the traditional tools and method of fighting malnutrition and replacing it with Moringa oleifera. The traditional tools and methods of fighting malnutrition was to provide these poor people with milk powder, flour and so on. This methodology works as long as these food aids are given free. However, when the free food aid is stopped, most of these people revert back to being malnourished. With Moringa oleifera, the NGOs are now teaching these people to plant the tree and how to harvest, store and consume Moringa oleifera as part of their diet to supplement their unnourished meagre meals. With these new thinking and program, they have found it to be extremely successful and have seen the incidents of malnutrition fallen where Moringa oleifera is grown in the villages.

So what is so nutritious about Moringa oleifera? This will be revealed in my next post.