Moringa oleifera is also known as the “tree of life” or “miracle tree.” It is classified as an important herbal plant. This is due to its immense medicinal and non-medicinal benefits. Traditionally, the plant is used to cure wounds, pain, ulcers, liver disease, heart disease, cancer, and inflammation.
What is Moringa?
The Moringa tree grows rapidly in loamy and well-drained sandy soils. It prefers a height of 500 m above sea level. Normally, the tree is small to medium in size. The leaves are naturally trifoliate. The flowers are born on an inflorescence 10–25 cm long. The fruits are usually trifoliate and commonly referred to as “pods”. The trunk, however, usually grows straight but is occasionally poorly formed. The brown seeds have a semi-permeable hull. Each tree has a capacity of about 15,000–25,000 seeds per year.
M. oleifera is widely distributed worldwide, but its indigenous origin is in India, Arabia and the East Indies. It is common in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Pacific Islands, and Florida.
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Health Benefits of Moringa
This is my favorite part of the Moringa Tree and why I have one growing in my garden. Moringa oleifera is a multi-purpose plant. It is a comprehensive source of dietary components such as proteins, essential amino acids, vitamins, and antioxidants. The plant is also a rich source of other bioactive components, including flavonoids, glucosinolates, isothiocyanates, alkaloids, terpenoids, phenolics, etc. Incorporating M. oleifera into the diet can improve the nutritional status of pregnant and nursing mothers. It also helps to combat malnutrition and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) among children. The phytochemicals and secondary metabolites, especially the polyphenolic compounds from Moringa, have a significant free-radical scavenging effect.
Let’s Break It Down
People worldwide have included M. oleifera in their diet since ancient times because of its vital therapeutic values (See Table Below). Various medicines made from the plant have ethnomedicinal properties. I love how these medicines have been used for centuries. Nearly every part of this plant is used for treating one disease or another. This includes the leaf, pod, bark, gum, flower, seed, seed oil, and root. A poultice made from Moringa leaves provides a quick remedy. It is effective for inflammatory conditions such as glandular inflammation, headache, and bronchitis.
The pods treat hepatitis and relieve joint pain while the roots are conventionally used to treat kidney stones. Add’==+tionally, they relieve pain associated with the ear and tooth. The bark of the stem is used to treat wounds and skin infections. Indians use the gum extracted from this plant to treat fever. The seeds of the plant act as a laxative. They are also used in the treatment of tumors, prostate, and bladder problems. The seeds show promise for the treatment of arthritis by altering oxidative stress and reducing inflammation.
How To Consume Moringa
This “miracle tree” can be consumed a few ways:
- I like making a poultice and using it for skin disorders.
- The best way to consume it is to dry the leaves and make them into a powder. I like using it in smoothies, soups, stews, etc. With its earthy smell, it really doesn’t have much of a taste. It’s even good to mix in Homemade Guacamole and Lactation Cookies. You can mix it in anything really. No one wi
How to Harvest Moringa
The branches on the tree are flimsy like, making it easy to snap them off. During Spring, Summer and Fall, I just go through my tree and snap off as much as I want. They are so lightweight you don’t even need pruners or a knife. Once you do pick the limbs off the tree, it will now start to grow back even thicker.
How to Dry Moringa
My favorite thing to do is dry the leaves. I pick them throughout the year right out of my garden.
- Bring the branches inside. I lay them (on towels) on my counter in the pantry. I sift through the leaves to make sure there aren’t any bugs.
- Then, take some jute twine or ribbon and tie the ends together. Leave enough on the ends so you can hang your bunch.
- Find a spot either in your pantry or laundry room and hang the Moringa bunches upside down (see photo above). I have an old ladder and it’s perfect for this. Try to keep the bunches up high so dogs/kids/dust won’t get all over them.
- Allow to dry completely. This may take 1-2 days, depending on how warm your house is. You can dry them outside on a clothesline too.
- Once they are finished drying, carefully bring the bunches into the kitchen. You will lay them out on either a cutting board or kitchen towel.
- Pull the dried leaves off. It can get a little messy. You can always put a trash can right under your counter and scrape the droppings right into the can.
- Place all of your dried Moringa leaves into a food processor. Hit the “blend” setting and allow the leaves to form into a fine powder.
- If you see pieces of stems, take a fine mesh strainer and sift those out.
- Store your Moringa in a jar with a secure fitting lid. It will last for a good year.
How To Make Moringa Powder
The most popular way to consume Moringa is as a powder. I love adding it to smoothies, soups, stews, Guacamole and these Lactation Cookies.
- Take your dried Moringa that’s been hanging and gently start pulling the leaves off the stem. I do this on my clean counter.
- Remove any stems or debris.
- Next, put all your stems in a blender. I use the “blend” setting. Continue blending until your leaves turn into a fine powder.
- If you see some stems in the powder, you can remove them or keep them. They are not harmful to consume.
- Fill a clear jar with the powder and store in your pantry.
What If I Don’t Have Fresh or Dried Moringa Leaves
Since Moringa only grows more in tropical locations, it might be hard to access the fresh or dried leaves locally. The best thing to do is either buy the dried leaves online or you can also buy the powder. I garden organically so that’s what I recommend when buying yours. You can assure the tree hasn’t been sprayed with glyphosate or any other pesticides/chemicals. Here’s a few that I found that are good sources:
Dried Moringa Leaves – HERE and HERE
Moringa Powder – HERE
Resources:
Pareek A, Pant M, Gupta MM, Kashania P, Ratan Y, Jain V, Pareek A, Chuturgoon AA. Moringa oleifera: An Updated Comprehensive Review of Its Pharmacological Activities, Ethnomedicinal, Phytopharmaceutical Formulation, Clinical, Phytochemical, and Toxicological Aspects. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jan 20;24(3):2098. doi: 10.3390/ijms24032098. PMID: 36768420; PMCID: PMC9916933.
Arora S, Arora S. Nutritional significance and therapeutic potential of Moringa oleifera: The wonder plant. J Food Biochem. 2021 Oct;45(10):e13933. doi: 10.1111/jfbc.13933. Epub 2021 Sep 17. PMID: 34533234.
Dunndeal Publications – Moringa Expiration and Storage.
Wendy Lea Walker, NTP
Nutritional Therapy Practitioner
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