MORINGA: A Food Supplement for Healthy Living

INTRODUCTION

The first paper in these series discussed general nutritional requirements of a human body as a prelude to the subject matter. We ended by briefly touching on the role that Moringa can play towards the goal of human health.

In this article, we move on now to give details of this tree called Moringa. Its identification and how it is grown and how it is used for human health sustenance.

MORINGA OLEIFERA TREE

There are thirteen (13)spices of the Moringa plant. Examples are Moringa Borzian, Moringa Arborea, Moringa Stenopetala, Moringa Oliefera, Moringa Rivae etc. As can be seen from examples, carry the same root name of Moringaceae as a family name.

COUNTRIES WHERE MORINGAIS CULTIVATED

Out all the thirteen spices are found in the tropical and sub-tropical climate of Africa, South and Central America, Caribbean and Oceanic. Moringa oliefera is most widely grown in most parts of the world.

In Africa Moringa is mostly grown and cultivated in West African countries such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Senegal Ghana, other countries include Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, and South Africa.

In Tanzania and Zimbabwe the tree is known by a local name as Mlonge

Mupulanga, and in southern part of Zambia it is called Kapulanga respectively.

MORINGA OLIEFERA

This is of the thirteen spices of the Moringa family that has attracted world attention and is widely researched. This is the variety that is grown in Zambia. Therefore any discussion about Moringa will be based on this type.

CHARACTERISTICS

·       The tree: it is a small to medium sized tropical tree native to Indian subcontinent. It is recognisable from its light coloured knotty trunk. It can grow to a height of ten metres and trunk size of up 8 to 30 cm in circumference

Moringa tree wood can grow to a height of 10 metres. The wood bark is greyish thick and looks like cork peering in patches and with trunk diameter of8 to 35 cm. The wood is soft can be acceptable for fire wood but will not makegood charcoal.  

The gummy back of Moringa tree can make raw material in the manufacturing of mats and ropes, bark can also serve for tanning. Moringa wood also yields natural blue dye.

Moringa tree has large tap root and a few lateral roots. The root which tastes like horseradish tree is referred to as the horseradish tree because of the taste.

·       The Moringa leaves are feathery in nature and fan like; it is 25 to 60 mm long with numerous small oval leaflets, 10 to20 mm long and about 5 to 10 mm wide, the letter leaflets are somewhat elliptic.

The leaves are cooked similar to spinach and the way cassava leaves are cooked as relish. It is mainly used in salads, vegetable curries, chicken soup, pickles or seasoning in some cultures. The tender leaves tastes like spinach or watercress.

Moringa leaves are outstanding source of vitamins mineralsphy to nutrients, amino acids, antioxidants and are an excellent source of protein, low source of fat and carbohydrates.

It is estimated that the shade dried leaf has vitamin retention of 50 to70 percent.

The Moringa tree leaves based on a Japanese study, it has reported a rate of absorption of Carbon Dioxide that is twenty times (20x) higher than that of general vegetation and fifty times (50x) the rate of CO2 absorption compared with the Japanese cedar trees.  In other words, Moringa would be a useful plant in the prevention of global warming because one (1) Moringa tree will be the equivalent to the effectiveness of fifty (50) Japanese cedar trees in absorbing carbon. 

·       Moringa flower: The Moringa tree begins to flower at8 months to a year and continues all year round, flower depends on the variety and location.

Moringa flower is white to creamy white, or yellowish white in colour and about 30 mm in diameter, with five unequal thinly-veined petals. It has afragrant smell and is borne on slander, dropping lateral flower cluster in the leaf axils.

The flower is edible and tastes like mushroom. It is rich in both calcium and potassium. The flowers are also made in to very nutritious tea very effective to cure colds.

·       Moringa pod: It emerges from the flower cluster. They are 30 to 45 cm long and bout30 mm inches in diameter which looks like string beans. The pods are narrow, round, pointed pendulous and tapering at both ends. It is ribbed and re green to brown in colour, it is triangular splitting length wise into 3 parts when dry. It contains 20 seeds which are embedded in the pith; the seeds are dark brown with 3 papery wings.

Moringa plant can produce 300to 400 pods every year, and a mature tree can produce up to 1000 pods, and a seed pod contains 2 to 26 per pod.

Young Moringa pods are dibble and its delicate flavour is likened to asparagus. The pods contain vitamins and minerals and can be prepared or cooked, boiled until tender, steam the pods the way green beans are cooked. Seeds are also eaten like peanuts.

The mature Moringa seed produces about 40 percent oil that is clear, sweet, not sticky, odourless, none drying and does not become rancid easily.

Moringa seed can purify water.

MORINGA UTILIZATION

Different cultural communities grow Moringa for different purposes. Moringa is grown for providing livestock feed. But that as it may, this does not distract us from the fact that whether for human consumption or animal life, the Moringa is capable of sustaining the live of Gods creature as who belong to the animal kingdom with man as one of the players. Specifically for human consumption purposes Moringa is used to prepare food items for human use such as the following confectionary industry.

It is generally the cultural practices of a given people which direct people what to do with the plant and parts.

Other uses of Moringa oliefera

Here, we specifically look at Moringa oliefera which is grown in Zambia and look at what can be done with it as a food supplement.

We focus on the leaf.

The Moringa leaf can be utilized in two ways, namely as fresh leaves or as dried leaf and grounded into powder

Moringa fresh leaves: These can be used indifferent ways such as the following:

Vegetable relish cooked the way cassava leaves are cooked

Moringa tea: the fresh leaf is simply soaked in a cup of hot water and taken as a tea.

Moringa in various dishes: the leaves can be used as part of the ingredients in the preparation of salads, vegetable curries, soupsetc.  

Moringa powder (pulverised Moringa)

This can be consumed in many ways as well;

The lea powder can be added to porridge either towards the end of cooking at the serving period.

Leaf powder can be applied to any dish meal served as seasoning is done.

Leaf powder can be added to smoothes as well.

Leaf powder can be taken in as tea as above.

Moringa oliefera is now available in shops in capsule form, for those who may not like the taste of the leaf, taking it in capsule form is fine.

References:

1. Fahey, W.J. (2005) tree for life Journal-Moringa oleifera: - A Review of medical evidence for its Nutritional, and Prophylactic properties. Part 1hppt//www.tfljournal.org/article.php/20051201124931586

2. Foidl, N. Harinder P.S.Markar and Klaus Becker (2001). The potential of Moringa oleifera for agriculture and industrial use. In: The Miracle tree Edited by Lowell. J.Fuglie, Darkar, Senegal pp 45-76

3. Villafuerte, L. R. AndVillafuerte- Abonal., (2009) Data Taken from the Forestry agency of Japan in Moringa Malunggay Philippines. Apples of Gold Publishing. Singapore. Pg 240.

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Author Stanley Gever Ngulube

Stanhil Moringa farm

Postal Box 22458

KITWE

Address 9 Kai Close , Nkana East Kitwe.

Cell phone numbers +260 955 789003; +26096678 9003; +260 979789004

Email stanleyngulbe @ gmail.com ; stanzo9@yahoo.com,

Website Visit. http://stanhilmoringa.weebly.com

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