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/