Poga Moonga Juice and Moringa Oleifera: The Miracle Tree

Moringa Oleifera: The Miracle Tree

Wouldn’t it be great if there were a tree that take care of your entire body medicinally, meet all your nutritional needs and even purify your water if need be? Well there is such a tree and it’s called the moringa tree. The benefits of the moringa tree (Moringa oleifera ), has been known for centuries in parts of Africa and Northern India. It is called many different names, such as the horseradish tree, the drumstick tree (because of the drumstick shaped pods), the clarifier tree and in East Africa it’s called “mother’s best friend”. There are hundreds of uses for this tree and every part is used. This tree is cultivated in Africa, the Philippines, South and Central America and India but is only native to the foothills of the Himalayas. This nutritional dynamite is less known in the Western world

The most used part of the Moringa tree are it’s immature pod’s. These very nutritious pods have many of the vitamins and nutrients along with the “essential amino acids”. Mature pods are usually fried and taste like peanuts but the immature pods can be prepared like green beans or eaten raw. The pods also contain a non-drying, edible oil, which is known as Ben Oil. This oil is odorless, sweet and clear. This oil’s nutritional value resembles olive oil. The leaves are use for seasoning and as greens in salad. Leaves are also used for cleaning utensils, scrubbing walls and the young branches are used to feed livestock. The bark yields a course fiber and is also used for tanning. The flowers, which are rich in potassium and calcium are fried in batter or cooked and mixed with other food.

In under-developed countries, nursing mothers and infants use Moringa to fight malnutrition. Moringa is called ”natural nutrition for the tropics” by organizations that help people in these areas. The leaves powdered and dried, will last many months without refrigeration and do not loose their nutritional value or they can be cooked and eaten fresh. It is used widely in the tropical areas because it has all it’s leaves, when food is scarce at the end of the dry season. The leaf has significant quantities of vitamins A, B and C, iron, protein and calcium. According to Optima of Africa, Ltd., a group that has been working with the tree in Tanzania, "25 grams daily of Moringa Leaf Powder will give a child" the following recommended daily allowances:

A child, only taking 25 grams of leaf powder a day, will get the recommended daily allowances of Calcium 125%, Potassium 41%, Protein 42%, Iron 71%Calcium 125%, Magnesium 61%, Vitamin A 272%, and Vitamin C 22%. Gram for gram, Moringa contains,
7 times the vitamin C of oranges, 4 times the vitamin A of carrots, 4 times the calcium of milk, 3 times the potassium of bananas and 2 times the protein of yogurt.

The Moringa tree has been used for treating as well as preventing many disease. India's ancient tradition of ayurveda says the leaves of the Moringa tree prevent 300 diseases. There is not much scientific evidence other than in the area of antibiotic activity due to the lack of research on Moringa. The amazing antibiotic activity has been known for 50 years, although almost completely unknown to western scientists. In1950 an India research team found the ingredient called “pterygospermin” and were also able to demonstrate its mode of antimicrobial action. In 1964 other active compounds tested and along with observational studies provide a very plausible mechanism of action for the centuries of claims of efficacy. Unfortunately, Western medicine uses placebo controlled, randomized clinical trials, which were not used, so they do not support the claims.

Western science does another area of folklore, which is in cancer treatment. Two compounds found in Moringa, were shown to be inhibitors of activation of lymphoblastoid (Burkitt’s lymphoma) cells. One of these compounds also inhibited tumors in mice bred to be prone to tumors.

As far as water purification, the pods, with the oil removed After the oil is extracted from the pods, effectively removed bacteria and solid particles. Since the tree grow very well in, topical 3rd world countries, it is much easier to use the pods for water purification than it would be to use another product they would have to import. If Moringa is this good at purifying water how well do you think it would do at detoxifying your body? The Moringa tree is truly a “miracle” tree offering nutritional and medicinal properties and water purification for 3rd world countries. It has just recently begun being used as a supplement in a juice form and in powdered leaf tablets.