As I am browsing the Internet to find more information about the Moringa Oleifera, I stumbled upon this website and their presentation makes me more convinced that Moringa Oleifera is really a "Miracle Tree". Miracle in a sense that, if only these methods in the presentation be replicated, what a wonderful world it would be. Please keep reading.
The presentation stated that:
"In ancient times, Moringa was known and used in traditional societies around the world. This was long before people had the tools of instant communication that we have today. So people must have discovered Moringa independently in all of these places and they all found great value in it. This fact alone suggests that Moringa is worth investigating."
The ancient world knowledge are:
(1) Nutrition (2) Disease Prevention (3) Ointment (4) Alley Cropping (5) Fertilizer (6) Erosion Control (7) Water Purification (8) Cosmetics (9) Textile Printing (10) Insecticide (11) Fungicide (12) Lubricants (13) Tanning Leather (14) Dye (15) Fiber Products (16) Fences (17) Ornamentation and Shade (18) Wind Barrier (19) Cane Juice Clarifier (20) Honey Production (21) Condiment (22) Cooking Oil (23) Honey Clarifier (24) Food
Traditional Medicine: (1) Anemia (2) Anxiety (3) Asthma (4) Black Heads (5) Blood Impurities (6) Blood Pressure (7) Bronchitis (8) Catarrh (9) Chest Congestion (10) Cholera (11) Conjunctivitis (12) Cough (13) Diabetes (14) Diarrhea (15) Dropsy (16) Dysentery (17) Eye and Ear Infections (18) Fever (19) Glandular Swelling (20) Gonorrhea (21) Headaches (22) Hysteria (23) Intestinal Worms (24) Jaundice (25) Lactation (26) Malaria (27) Pain in Joints (28) Pimples (29) Pregnancy (30) Psoriasis (31) Respiratory Disorders (32) Scurvy (33) Semen Deficiency (34) Skin Infections (35) Sore Throat (36) Sores (37) Sprain (38) Stomach Ulcers (39) Tuberculosis (40) Tumor (41) Urinary Disorders (42) Wounds
It is amazing to know that people in ancient times discovered a vast array of uses for Moringa. The knowledge existed in many different parts of the world like Africa, Latin America, South America, India, Indonesia, and many island nation.
Based on scientific investigation and what the scientists found out about the enormous benefits of the "tiny" Moringa leaves are: Gram-for-gram comparison of nutritional data: =
4 times the Vitamin A of Carrots; 4 times the Calcium of Milk; 3 times the Potassium of Bananas; 2 times the Protein of Yogurt.
"Nutritional analysis has shown that Moringa leaves are extremely nutritious. In fact they contain larger amounts of several important nutrients than the common foods often associated with these nutrients. These include Vitamin C, which fights a host of illnesses including colds and flu; Vitamin A which acts as a shield against eye disease, skin disease, heart ailments, diarrhea, and many other diseases; Calcium, which builds strong bones and teeth and helps prevent osteoporosis; Potassium, which is essential for the functioning of the brain and nerves, and Proteins, the basic building blocks of all our body cells.
Moringa Oleifera is like growing multi-vitamins at your doorstep. It contains Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin C, Calcium, Chromium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Protein, Zinc.
Not only that, but Moringa leaves also contain a wealth of complimentary vitamins and minerals.
Another important points is that Moringa leaves contain all of the essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. It is very rare for a vegetable to contain all of these amino acids. And Moringa contains these amino acids in a good proportion so that they are very useful to our bodies. These leaves could be a great boon to people who do not get protein from meat.
Moringa even contains argenine and histidine - two amino acids especially important for infants who are unable to make enough protein for their growth requirements. Moringa could be an extremely valuable food source."Dried Moringa leaves condenses the nutrients, so that a large dose of nutrition can be gained from a small spoonful of dried leaf powder.
"Moringa holds tremendous potential for serving the world in several ways.
They include: improvement of Human Health; use as a Livestock Fodder supplements; use as a Plant Growth Enhancer; and for Production of Biogas.
In 1997 to 1998, a test was conducted in Senegal to examine the ability of Moringa leaf powder to prevent or cure malnutrition in pregnant or breast-feeding women and their children. The test was a collaboration between Church World Service, whose Senegal representative was well-known Moringa expert Mr. Lowell Fuglie, and the Senegalese organization Alternative Action for African Development (AGADA).
These test found the following effects to be common among subjects taking Moringa leaf powder. Children maintained or increased their weight and improved overall health, and pregnant women recovered from anemia and have babies with higher birth weights."Some of the most ground-breaking research on new uses of Moringa has taken place in Nicaragua.
"Mr. Nikolaus Foidl and his associate, Leonardo Mayorga, have been researching agricultural uses of Moringa in Nicaragua since the early 1990s. They have collaborated with the University of Hohenheim, Germany and with Dr. Michael Kreuzer of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
Dr. Nadir Reyes Sanchez is a scientist in the faculty of the Department of Animal Nutrition and Management of the Swedish University of Agriculture Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden. He is also on the faculty of Animal Sciences at the National University of Agriculture in Managua, Nicaragua. Dr. Reyes has also been conducting Moringa research in Nicaragua, on his Moringa plantation.
Some people may wonder how a tree can supply nutrition for a large number of people. Both Foidl and Reyes have experimented with growing Moringa intensively, as a field crop. Both Foidl and Reyes have shown that Moringa trees can also be planted very close together as a field crop, at a spacing as close as ten to fifteen centimeters.
Both Foidl and Reyes have also experimented with using Moringa leaves and green shoots as a supplement in livestock fodder.
Mr. Foidl found that adding Moringa leaves to cattle feed increased their daily weight gain by up to 32 percent. Both Foidl and Reyes also experimented with Moringa and milk cows. Foidl supplemented with 15 to 17 kilograms of fresh Moringa leaves daily, and the cattle's milk production increased by 43 percent. Reyes supplemented his milk cows' feed with 2 kg dry matter of Moringa per day, and milk production increased by 58 percent. Then he supplemented with 3 kg dry matter per day, and milk production increased by 65 percent. Imagine what would be possible if milk production in developing countries could be increased in this way. It could prevent untold suffering of people with protein deficiency.
Mr. Foidl has also experimented with a plant growth spray made from the green matter of Moringa. The process of making the Moringa plant growth spray is relatively simple, and can be done with whatever equipment is available for extracting juice from the green matter and applying the spray to plants.
The spray is being applied to sugarcane. Foidl has also found the spray to be effective with soybeans, corn, turnips, black beans, red beans, white beans, cow peas, bell peppers, chia, sunflowers, mung beans, onions, coffee, tea, chilli peppers, melons and sorghum.
The effects of spray:
- Accelerates Growth of Young Plants
- Plants are firmer, more resistant to pests and disease
- Longer life-span
- Heavier roots, stems and leaves
- Produce more fruit
- Increase in yield 20-35%
Foidl has found that this spray has a wide range of beneficial effects on plant crops. If even a fraction of these results could be reproduced in the field, it could be a great help in increasing food supplies for millions of hungry people.
Foidl and his associates have also experimented with producing biogas from Moringa green matter. Based on his experiments, Foidl estimates that more than 4,400 cubic meters of methane could be produced per hectare of Moringa per year. This is up to twice as much methane as can be produced per hectare per year from sugar beet leaves, a common plant material for biogas. Further experiment are needed to examine this potential use of Moringa.
These and other uses of Moringa leaves show great potential for benefiting people - especially especially those who suffer from poverty and malnutrition. Further scientific studies are needed to examine these uses and their benefits. We would suggest studies in these four areas: human nutrition and medicinal uses, livestock fodder, crop enhancement with the plant growth spray, and produce of biogas. The information just presented comes from the research of only a few scientists. Now these tests need to be replicated by many more people around the world."What an amazing information about Moringa Oleifera!
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