Now that you have had an opportunity to look at the chemical analysis of Moringa oleifera leaves and pods, you will notice that it is quite similar in the ingredients composition of many synthetic multi-vitamins out there in the market place. So what's so different in Moringa? The answer is simple. It is all NATURAL and its composition and ratio in weightage is naturally constituted and not man-designed........and it does not have this chemical smell that you normally find in many multi-vitamins. In fact, I have given the dried leaf powder to children to consume for some years now and some of them tell me that it smells like "seaweed".
Moringa oleifera is saved to eat and can be consumed by young and old alike without fear of it being toxic to the human body. This plant has been consumed by many different cultures in the world for many years and not only have many scientific researches confirmed this safety, they have also proven many medicinal and disease preventive potential of this wonderful tree which I will continue to blog about in the near and distant future.
The nutritional value of Moringa oleifera is so great that many NGOs are now using this tree as a tool to help eradicate malnutrition whenever possible. The traditional method of fighting malnutrition in the old days were to provide free or subsidised milk powder, flour and etc..... this methodology is still used today and are generally expensive to administer and does not help make the local people self sufficient and be responsible for their own well-being. The Moringa method is better as the local people are taught to plant the tree and to add the many edible parts of the tree to their meagre diet to supplement their nutrition intake. This method has seen significant success and especially so when free or subsidised milk powder, flour, etc logistically stopped for them. Growing Moringa oleifera trees are less expensive than the traditional method and are sustainable.
Did you know that malnutrition is not an "illness" found only in third world or developing countries?....you can also find malnutrition in many developed countries. Consider this and you can see that people in developed countries who are very poor and financially strapped are likely to have some malnutrition issues although not at the level of those in less developed countries. And Moringa leaf powder can be a tool to help these people at lesser costs.
Some NGOs have also convinced local African maternity clinics and hospitals to include Moringa in fresh form and/or in dried leaf powder into the diets of infants, children, nursing mothers and general patients and have found that infants and children become healthier and put on weight quickly while the nursing mothers produced more milk for their babies, recovers from the rigours of childbirth quickly and are less fatigue and the general patients recover faster and have shorter stay in the hospital.
So, what do you think of Moringa now? Looking outside the box you can see that this tree is certainly very different from any other tree in the world that mother nature has given to us.
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".
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.
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).
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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