Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Moringa oleifera - Nature's Nutritional Powerhouse!

What's so good about Moringa oleifera? The secret is in the nutrients that are found in the tree that distinguishes it from any other medicinal tree.

Some authors have called it "The Miracle Tree" and "Nature's Medicine Cabinet". These are very strong phrases to discribe this unattractive humble tree, and they are not mincing their words either. It's therefore no surprise to read that the different parts of this tree have been used in Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, to either cure, prevent and improve immunity against some 300 different types of illnesses and diseases.

Researchers have found that Moringa oleifera leaves are power packed with vitamins, minerals and amino acids. They have found that on a gram to gram comparision, fresh Moringa leaves has 7 times the vitamin C of oranges, 4 times the vitamin A of carrots, 3 times the iron of spinach, 4 times the calcium of milk, and 3 times the potassium of bananas. And, guess what?.....These are just the "icing on the cake".

Then, when you look at the dried Moringa oleifera leaves (in powder form), it has:
  • 11 times the vitamin A (β-carotene) of carrots
  • 17 times the calcium of milk
  • 15 times the potassium of bananas
  • 25 times the iron of spinach, and
  • 0.6 times the vitamin C of oranges (vitamin C being water soluble is lost through the drying process).
Then, there are the amino acids in the leaves, these are not just the normal amino acids but the 7 Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) that the human body cannot synthesise from the food it consumes. The body requires 23 different types of Amino Acids to stay healthy..........while 16 can be synthesised by the human body from the food it consumes, 7 Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) cannot and have to be consumed from the different external sources..........and it's not ever possible to consume all of these 7 EAAs at one go as they are never found in a single food source until the discovery of Moringa oleifera, and even then, never in a plant based source.

The table below shows the chemical analysis of the moringa pods, fresh leaves and leaf powder by Booth and Wickens, and by Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association.

Chemical analysis of Moringa oleifera fresh leaves, dried leaf powder and Pods per 100 grams edible portion:

Component
Raw Leaves
Leaf Powder
Pods
Moisture (%)
75.0
7.5
86.9
Calories
92.0
205.0
26.0
Protein (g)
6.7
27.1
2.5
Fat (g)
1.7
2.3
0.1
Carbohydrate (g)
13.4
38.2
3.7
Fiber (g)
0.9
19.2
4.8
Minerals (g)
2.3
-
2.0
Ca Calcium (mg)
440.0
2,003.0
30.0
Cu Copper (mg)
1.1
0.57
3.1
Fe Iron (mg)
7.0
28.2
5.3
K Potassium (mg)
259.0
1,324.0
259.0
Mg Magnesium (mg)
24.0
368.0
24.0
P Phosphorus (mg)
70.0
204.0
110.0
S Sulphur (mg)
137.0
870.0
137.0
Se Selenium (mg)
-
0.09
-
Zn Zinc (mg)
-
3.29
-
Oxalic acid (mg)
101.0
1,600.0
10.0
Vitamin A (mg)
6.8
18.9
0.11
Vitamin B (mg)
423.0
-
423.0
Vitamin B1 (mg)
0.21
2.64
0.05
Vitamin B2 (mg)
0.05
20.5
0.07
Vitamin B3 (mg)
0.8
8.2
0.2
Vitamin C (mg)
220.0
17.3
120.0
Vitamin E (mg)
--
113.0
-




AMINO ACIDS



Arginine (mg)
402.0
1,325.0
90.0
Histidine (mg)
141.0
613.0
27.5
Isoleucine (mg)
422.0
825.0
110.0
Leucine (mg)
623.0
1,950.0
163.0
Lysine (mg)
288.0
1,325.0
37.5
Methionine (mg)
134.0
350.0
35.0
Phenylanaline (mg)
429.0
1,388.0
108.0
Threonine (mg)
328.0
1,188.0
98.0
Tryptophan (mg)
127.0
425.0
20.0
Valine (mg)
476.0
1,063.0
135.0
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