Facts About Malunggay

Facts About Malunggay

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     The Moringa tree originates from India, where it has been prized for thousands of years, both as a bountiful source of nutrition, and a robust curative featured heavily in the ancient Ayurveda Medicine tradition. Called by some cultures “The Miracle Tree,” it is said to be effective in treating upwards of 300 conditions and maladies (more on this later on). Virtually every part of this amazing tree, from its roots to its flowers has been used for thousands of years to benefit people all over the world.

     Though native to the southern foothills of the Himalayas, the Moringa can now be found growing in many different countries, bringing health, nutrition, vitality and beauty to diverse populations from Asia and Africa all the way to the western world. While it is still not found in most regular grocery stores, you can usually find fresh Moringa in Asian markets. Ground into powder, Moringa is used as a natural health and beauty promoting multivitamin. The powder can be taken in capsule form, sprinkled into soups and sauces, added to your Glowing Green Smoothie, or it can be steeped in hot water and consumed as a soothing tea with tons of nutritional, alkalizing and purifying benefits.

     There are 13 varieties of Moringa, but the most common one, and the one we are focusing on here is Moringa Oleifera. It has delicate, feathery branches with small, deep green, oval leaves which are wonderful in salads, teas, or as a healthy side dish.If eaten raw, they have a little bite to them like watercress or radicchio. When cooked, they tend to mellow out a bit, and are much more like spinach, but with a somewhat nutty flavor. Depending on the climate, the tree can come into flower twice a year, producing small fragrant blossoms of creamy white, and long, slender seed pods.

     Moringa is called the “Never Die Tree” in parts of Africa because is so amazingly hardy – it seems to thrive no matter how tough the environment or how poor the soil. This tree is known to produce fruit even during drought conditions, and it will rebound quickly after being cut back. In fact, it seems to like it because each stump will produce 4 – 8 new shoots. Keeping them pruned, will encourage denser, lusher growth for more bountiful harvests. Of course, keeping them to a reasonable height makes it much easier to reach the leaves, blossoms and fruit, too. The cuttings and branches can be used as animal feed or mulch… so absolutely nothing goes to waste! Handy little tree, right?!

     Moringa trees do extremely well in developing countries with little access to modern irrigation methods. They also grow quite quickly, easily gaining as much as 10 feet per year in peak conditions, and they are naturally resistant to many types of insects. It is these characteristics, combined with awesome nutritional/medicinal attributes that make it such a wonderful, highly economical, low maintenance crop helping to fight disease, starvation and malnutrition in many parts of the world. The leaves can actually be harvested relatively frequently, as often as every few weeks, providing a pretty steady flow of sustenance. In most places, the Moringa is known as the Drumstick Tree because of the shape of its nutritious fruit. The pod is long and slender, and actually looks quite like a drumstick. The young pods, like the leaves, are harvested and eaten just like a vegetable.

     They can be picked right off the tree, washed and consumed raw for a healthy, refreshing snack, or they can be lightly cooked for a delicious addition to any meal, much like green beans.

The pods are best when harvested young and tender because they tend to get tough and woody as they age. The flavor is delicate, like asparagus, so they make a wonderful side dish, or a great addition to soups or stews. Not only do they provide a host of health and beauty promoting nutrients as noted above, they are a valuable source of dietary fiber, too. Moringa is known in some areas as the “Horseradish Tree” because the roots have been ground and used as a condiment in moderation, the same way we use horseradish. (Snyder,Kimberly (2015 July 23) 11 Surprising Facts About Moringa And How It Can Improve Your Health. Retrieved from http://kimberlysnyder.com/blog/2015/07/23/11-surprising-facts-about-moringa-and-how-it-can-improve-your-health/ 2016 April 27.)

Read more at  http://kimberlysnyder.com/blog/2015/07/23/11-surprising-facts-about-moringa-and-how-it-can-improve-your-health/

Recipes in Making the Different Desserts Made of Malunggay

Recipes in Making the Different Desserts Made of Malunggay

1. Creamy Malunggay Cupcakes

 Epicurean Mommy

Ingredients:

• salt – ½ tablespoon
• malunggay leaves – 1 tablespoons; blended
• flour – 3 ½ cups
• eggs – 3
• condensed milk – 1 medium-sized can
• baking powder – ½ tablespoon

Steps:

1. In a bowl, mix flour and baking powder.
2. Season it with salt. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, melt the butter.
4. Add in sugar and eggs.
5. Mix condensed milk and malunggay leaves.
6. Add in the mixed flour and baking powder.
7. Pour mixture into cupcake holders until three-fourths full.
8. Bake at 370 degrees heat for 30 minutes.

Read more at https://caloriebee.com/nutrition/Malunggay-Dessert-Recipes-Cook-and-Eat-the-Healthiest-Vegetable-as-Sweets

All-Around Pinay Mama

All-Around Pinay Mama

 2.  Velvety Malunggay Pastillas de Leche

 Ingredients:

• sweet potato – 1 cup; boiled then mashed
• malunggay leaves – 2 cups; boiled
• condensed milk – 1 medium-sized cup

Steps:

1. In a pan set on medium heat, mix sweet potato, malunggay leaves, and condensed milk.
2. Continue mixing until almost dry or after 10 minutes.
3. Transfer mixture onto a platter.
4. Roll mixture into a long log shape.
5. Cut the log-shaped mixture into 30 pieces of small pastillas.

Read more at https://caloriebee.com/nutrition/Malunggay-Dessert-Recipes-Cook-and-Eat-the-Healthiest-Vegetable-as-Sweets

Mandaue's Nutri-cious Organic Food Products

Mandaue's Nutri-cious Organic Food Products

3. Powdery Malunggay Polvoron

Ingredients:

• all-purpose flour – 4 cups
• butter – 1 ½ cups
• malunggay – 1 ½ cups; mashed
• powdered milk – 2 cups
• sugar – 2 cups

Steps:

1. In a pan set on medium heat, cook flour until almost brown.
2. Add in sugar and powdered milk.
3. Put in butter and melt.
4. Sprinkle malunggay.
5. Turn off the heat and allow mixture to cool down.
6. With a use of polvoron molder, shape the mixture into small round polvorons.
7. Wrap each polvoron in cellophane paper.

Read more at https://caloriebee.com/nutrition/Malunggay-Dessert-Recipes-Cook-and-Eat-the-Healthiest-Vegetable-as-Sweets

Explore With Joy

Explore With Joy

4. Malunggay Bread

Ingredients:

Activating the Yeast:

• 1 sachet Instant Yeast 7g
• 350 ml Lukewarm Water
• 1 tsp Sugar

Making the Dough:

• 500 grams Stong White Flour more for dusting
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 tbsp Salt
• 90 grams Shortening
• handful Dried Malunggay Leaves
• 1 tbsp Oil for greasing the bowl
• 1 cup Breadcrumbs for coating

Steps:

1. ACTIVATE THE YEAST. Dissolve yeast in warm water, then add sugar and let it stand for 10 minutes.
2.  MAKING THE DOUGH. Combine the flour, sugar, warm water, salt, dried malunggay leaves, and shortening in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Add the yeast mixture and mix again. If the mixture is too wet add more flour.
3. KNEAD THE MIXTURE. The dough can be kneaded by hand or in a mixer with dough hook. To test the dough if it is ready, pinch a piece off and stretch it into a square. The dough is ready if it is elastic enough to be stretched into a translucent sheet of dough. If it tears continue kneading.
4. GREASE BOWL. Grease a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl with cling film and let the dough rise to about twice its size.
5. PUNCH DOUGH. Punch down the dough and knead again to redistribute the yeast.
6. ROLL DOUGH. Roll each piece of dough into a rectangular sheet and then roll the sheet into a log, about 20 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Let the dough rest for an hour.
7. CUT THE DOUGH. Using a dough cutter or a sharp knife, cut the log into 1 inch thick pieces then roll each piece in breadcrumbs. Place on a baking tray with the cut side up, about 2 inches apart and let it rest again for an hour. Preheat the oven at 180C
8. BAKE. Bake the rolls for 20 minutes or until the rolls becomes lightly toasted.
9. COOL DOWN. Put the rolls on the cooling rack for 10-20 minutes.
10. SERVE.

Read more and see pictures of the actual process at http://explorewithjoy.com/recipe/malunggay-pandesal-moringa-flavoured-bread-rolls/

Dreamstime

5. Malunggay Pesto

Ingredients:

• 500g San Remo Angel Hair pasta
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cashew nuts
• 1/3 cup dried alamang
• 1/2 cup malunggay leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup ground oregano
• 1/2 cup kesong puti

Steps: 

1. Heat 1/3 cup oil in a pan, saute cashew nuts for a few minutes until lightly toasted. Add in garlic and saute lightly. 
2. Add alamang and cook for another minute or until heated through. 
3. Toss in malunggay leaves, salt and oregano and cook for a minute until malunggay is done. 
4. Pour into blender and add in remaining olive oil, process until smooth. 
5. Set aside.
6. Cook San Remo pasta according to package directions and drain well. 
7. Toss in prepared pesto and cheese. 
8. Serve immediately. 
9. Top with fried dried alamang if desired.

Read more at http://foodrecap.net/recipe/vegetables/malunggay-pesto/

Other Uses of Malunggay

Other Uses of Malunggay

Malunggay as Herbal Medicines:

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Studies have shown that Malunggay can be used to treat a number of illnesses. The leaves are good for headache, bleeding from a shallow cut, bacterial and fungal skin complaints, anti-inflammatory gastric ulcers and diarrhea.

Malunggay Decoction – For washing wounds. Boil the roots of malunggay and let it cool to tolerable warm temperature and use it for cleaning. For mouth sores and sore throat gargle the Malunggay decoction.

Malunggay Poultice – Grounded Malunggay seeds, leaves and bark as a poultice is useful onto swollen flesh to relieve inflammation associated with rheumatism, arthritis and joint pains.

Malunggay Oil or “Ben Oil” – The oil is extracted from Malunggay seeds by pressing. It is known to be a very strong antioxidant used by the early people from Egypt. It is also widely used as oil base for perfumes and cosmetics.

Malunggay Powder or Capsules – If you want to make your own Malunggay powder, here are the few simple steps:

Step 1: Harvest the leaves of Malunggay.

Step 2: Wash and let it hang in an airy place, but don’t place the leaves under the sun as it will cause discoloration.

Step 3: After 2 or 3 days, once the leaves are already “crispy”, cook the leaves for about 2 minutes in a frying pan.

Step 4: Pound the leaves until it is in a powdered form.

Step 5: You can now use it or put it in an empty gel capsule that is available in your local drugstores.

However, when orally taking Malunggay in a capsule as herbal medicine, there is an actual dosage and precautions, depending on the age and nature of a person’s health problem. Thus, to keep you guided accordingly, you can easily refer to the information below.

For babies, whose ages range from eight months to one years old, they can be given at least one Malunggay capsule a day. It can be mixed well with their solid or liquid food. Meanwhile, for those children, who belong to age brackets of seven years old and above, you should give them 2 capsules every day. In the case of adults, they must take at least two capsules a day.

For pregnant and lactating women are advised to take 1 to two capsules each day. As far as those people, who are working during graveyard shifts, the much ideal dosage of Malunggay capsule is approximately about three capsules on a regular basis. Most importantly, those patients, who are diagnosed of having terminal illnesses should drink at least 3 to 5 capsules of Malunggay daily.

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Malunggay as Food:

Malunggay is known as a very nutritious plant where it is used to combat malnutrition in third world countries especially for infants and nursing mothers.

Malunggay Pods – The pods may be eaten raw or may also be fried as the taste is similar to peanuts.

Malunggay leaves and flowers – The small, oval, dark-green leaves are a famous vegetable ingredient in soup, fish and chicken dishes. The leaves can actually be eaten raw, but best added in meals due to its high concentration of nutrients. The leaves and flowers may also be cooked together with other vegetables and meat, while the oil from the seeds can be used for salads and culinary purposes.

Filipinos use Malunggay leaves in making halaan or clam soup or a vegetable dish called Ginataang Malunggay. But adventurous cooks and chefs have started adding them to pasta dishes, as well as muffins, breads and polvoron. This is one reason why the Philippine government has used Malunggay in its feeding and nutrition programs.

Malunggay Juice or Tea – The tremendous health benefits of Malunggay can be best enjoyed by having it as a tea or juice. Based on medical studies, the delicious and liquified extracts of Malunggay can be consumed at least 2x a day. Thus, it is best if you will drink these concoctions with an empty stomach. Below are the steps to make Tea or Juice using Malunggay leaves.

Step 1: Pick out 4 to 5 branches from the tree. Choose those with lots of leaves.

Step 2: Place them on a tray and leave in a dry place anywhere in your home for 3-4 days or until the leaves dry up and become crumpled. No need for sunlight.

Step 3: Pick out the crumpled leaves from the twigs and place in a dry pan over a low fire. Do not place water or oil in the pan.

Step 4: Cook the leaves, turning them over with a cooking spoon so that the leaves are cooked evenly. They are cooked when they are toasted but not burned.

Step 5: Store the cooked leaves in any container with a cover.

Step 6: To make the tea, take a tablespoon of the cooked leaves from the container and place in a cup of hot water. Let sit until the water absorbs the green color and nutrients of the leaves. It takes the same amount of time as making ordinary tea from tea bags. Remove the leaves from the cup.

Step 7: To make the refreshing juice, pound the cooked leaves until it is in powder form. Mixed in cold water.

Step 8: Option: Add honey to your tea or juice.

Read more at http://www.poklat.com/benefits-of-malunggay/

Malunggay Benefits

Why is Malunggay known as "miracle tree?

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Why is it that "molinga oleifera" is gaining more popularity as a new "super-food"? Why is it said to be a "miracle tree"?

     Moringa Oleifera, widely known as "malunggay" is gaining more popularity as a new super-food and said to be a miracle tree because of its highly nutritious profile and powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and tissue-protective properties.

     It is used as a traditional remedy for many medical conditions and here is the top scientifically backed benefits of consuming it.

1] Malunggay leaves are a lot more nutritious than most other foods.

• Locked away in the green leaves of the malunggay is a cornucopia of vitamins and minerals that make it such a powerful vegetable. Its leaves contain twice more protein than milk, thrice more potassium than bananas, four times more Vitamin A than carrots, and seven times more Vitamin C than oranges. It’s also very high in calcium, making it a must-eat for nursing mothers so they can give their babies more nutritious breastmilk.

2] Malunggay has medicinal properties for headache and diabetes.

• There’s the whole cliche these days about alternative medicine and food being medicine, but it really is true when it comes to malunggay. It’s not just about it being a nutritious vegetable, but also having medicinal properties that can help alleviate a variety of maladies. It can help relieve headaches and migraines and heal ulcers, making it a better alternative to your usual painkillers. It can also normalize blood sugar, thus helping in the prevention of diabetes.

3] Malunggay tea can help fortify eyesight, heal inflammation in joints and tendons.

• While they may be that good yet for cooking applications, young malunggay leaves can be steeped and made into tea, which has tons of goodness in it. Malunggay tea can help fortify eyesight, heal inflammation in joints and tendons, and prevent intestinal worms. It can also be helpful in treating fever and asthma, as well as calm the senses and promote healthy natural sleep.

4] Malunggay has lots of antioxidants.

• Antioxidants are essential to the prevention of cancer, perhaps one of the most dreaded killers among diseases. It turns out that malunggay has loads of them, making it great for keeping cancer away. Coupled with a healthy lifestyle and regular exercise, you won’t have to worry about cancer at all throughout your life.

5] Malunggay has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

• The malunggay had been found to have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties back in the late 1940s. It has a compound called pterygospermin, which is present in several species of moringa (the genus where malunggay belongs in). This is good news for those who may be wary of most antibiotic drugs that may not be that good for long-term health.

6] Malunggay can help stimulate metabolism.

• If you happen to be on a weight loss campaign, you should definitely have malunggay in your diet. Not only is it nutritious, but it can actually jumpstart your metabolism and help you burn off that unsightly fat. When combined with other foods that do the same and regular exercise, you’ll shed pounds in no time. It also helps that malunggay itself is low in fat and calories, so having a diet consisting of malunggay should be alright.

7] Malunggay can aid in digestion.

• Aside from speeding up your metabolism, malunggay can also help you with your digestive problems. It can help with hyperacidity and even help ease ulcers. It’s also high in fiber, so it’s good for making you more regular. It seems to be common sense to eat foods that are good for the stomach and the digestive tract, and that’s exactly one of the things that malunggay is good at.

8] Malunggay is good for reproductive health.

• It does sound a bit strange that a vegetable would be directly beneficial to sexual health, but malunggay does have that. It happens to have some aphrodisiac properties that increases libido and enhances performance. It can also increase sperm count in the long run, thus making it great for couples who are looking to have a child.

9] When turned into paste, malunggay leaves can be used for skin care.

• It turns out that malunggay isn’t just for eating, but can be quite effective for topical applications as well. If you happen to spend a whole lot of money on skin care products, you may want to replace them with malunggay. Just grind it up into a paste and lather it on your face for surprising results. After regular use, you’ll find your skin glowing as if you used those expensive creams and moisturizers, but it’s actually just malunggay.

10] Malunggay leaves can be dried and turned into powder, then used as a dietary supplement.

• Multivitamins can be rather costly and they happen to not be that effective since all they really do is sit in your stomach and dissolve slowly while not contributing as much vitamins and minerals as promised on the bottle. Perhaps you may think that it’s not necessary if you’re already eating malunggay anyway, but at least you can be more consistent with malunggay if you take it this way every day.

Read more at http://www.pinoyrecipe.net/top-10-health-benefits-of-malunggay-moringa/urned into powder, then used as a dietary supplement.

Image Source: Forest Nation

Recipes in Making the Different Drinks Made of Malunggay

Recipes in Making the Different Drinks Made of Malunggay

Pal Food Lane

1. Malunggay Milk Shake

Ingredients:

·         1 cup fresh malunggay leaves, washed

·         2 to 3 tablespoons powdered filled milk

·         2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar (white/brown)

·         2 cups water

Steps:

1.   Boil the water in the pan.
2. When the water came to a boil, add the malunggay leaves. Cover the pan and let it simmer for 1 minute. Do not overcook the leaves.
3. After that, remove the pan from the fire.
4. Transfer the contents of the pan into a bowl. Separate the cooked malunggay leaves and set aside to cool. Do not throw the water.
5. Prepare the blender. Once the cooked malunggay leaves and the water had cooled down, put them all in the blender together with the powdered milk and the sugar.
6. Blend until all ingredients are totally liquified. Transfer to a glass and consume at once. Do not store for more that 30 minutes after blending.

Read more at 

http://philippinenaturalremedies-bing.blogspot.com/2009/04/malunggay-milk-shake.html

2. Banana Malunggay Calamansi Shake

Mommy Loves You Forever

Mommy Loves You Forever

Ingredients:

• Malunggay leaves (as much as you want)
• Banana (2 medium sized)
• Calamansi (8-10 fruits)
• Honey or Sugar (as much as you want)
• Ice (4-5 cubes)

Steps:

1. Peel and chill bananas
2. Juice all calamansi
3. Blend the sliced chilled bananas and malunggay leaves. When done, add calamansi juice and honey/sugar, then blend some more
4. Add ice cubes then blend until ice cubes are thoroughly crushed.

Read more at 

https://mommylovesyouforever.wordpress.com/2014/10/12/healthy-recipes-banana-malunggay-calamansi-shake/

Healing Smoothies

Healing Smoothies

3. Malunggay and Camote Tops Smoothie

Ingredients:

• Water (make sure it would consist 50 percent of the smoothie)
• Malunggay leaves and camote tops (25 percent of the smoothie)
• Bananas and ripe mangoes (25 percent of the smoothie)

Steps:

1. Wash malunggay leaves and camote tops in running water. To sift stubborn dirt off the leaves, add two teaspoons of “real vinegar” (from coconut toddy) to the water in a basin where you can immerse the greens for a time.
2. Pour in water to a blender. Make sure that water consists half or 50 percent of the smoothie.
3. Place malunggay leaves into the blender. Top with the camote leaves. Make sure that the leafy greens consist 25 percent of the smoothie.
4. Place two pieces of peeled bananas. You can use tungdan or lakatan. Add ripe mangoes. Make sure that the rest of the 25 percent of the smoothie is made up of fruits.
5. Plug in the blender to work.
6.  If bitter taste overpowers sweetness of fruits, add more bananas and mangoes.
7. Pour smoothie in a tall glass. 

Read more at http://www.philstar.com/cebu-lifestyle/745139/malunggay-and-camote-tops-smoothie

Antonette Cheng

4. Malunggay Calamansi Juice

Ingredients:

• 5 cups malunggay leaves
• 2 pcs pandan leaves
• 10 cups water
• 15 pcs calamansi
• sugar 

Steps:

1. Boil the malunggay leaves and pandan in 10 cups water for approximately 10 minutes. 
2. Squeeze 15 calamansi and then add in.
3. Sweeten the juice with sugar or honey according to taste. 
4. Serve the juice cold.

Read more at 

http://evrythingislaidunderthesun.blogspot.com/2013/06/malunggay-juice-recipe.html

Health Begins With Her

Health Begins With Her

5. Banana-Malunggay Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup malunggay leaves, cleaned and removed from the stem
• 2 pcs. señorita bananas (or 1 pc. of latundan or lakatan banana)
• 1 cup crushed ice
• 2 tsps. honey

Steps:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender.
2. Process until smooth.
3. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy.

Read more at http://flavorsoflife.com.ph/?p=761