MORINGA THE MIRACLE TREE

NOTE:
As part of our contribution to a growing international concerted effort to fight malnutrition, disease and poverty through the now popular MORINGA Projects and MORINGA Networ s, !is "race The #ost $evd E% &% #ani "P', the Archbishop of 'os Province and The (ord )ishop of #aiduguri, wishes to bring this nutritious, medicinal, economic and multipurpose tree to your attention% *ncidentally, !is "race had always been a cultivator of the Moringa +called Zogale in !ausa, since before his consecration as a )ishop% The Moringa tree had been a blessing to "od-s people in the past according to the .criptures, both as natural coagulant +used li e Alum, and source of )en Oil:
And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them (Exo 15:25) KJV I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the o! tree to"ether (Isa 41:19) KJV

The enlightening articles below are culled and adapted from various write/ups on the *nternet and have lin s to several resources on the MORINGA Tree% Enjoy "od-s miraculous provision and tell others of !is goodness%

Venerable Dr. I. U. Ibeme.

UMTH, Maiduguri. Website: http://www.scribd.com/ifeogo E-mail: ifeogo@yahoo.com Anglican Church of the Resurrection (ACR), GRA, Maiduguri.
.ome !elpful (in s If you are interested in finding out more about the use of Moringa oleifera seeds in water purification, please get in touch with: Dr. Geoff Folkard, Engineering Department, Uni ersity of !eicester, Uni ersity "oad, !eicester !E# $"%, United &ingdom For an overview of M. oleifera applied uses and e'tensi e references, isit the Uni ersity of !eicester(s M. oleifera )age. http:**www.le.ac.uk.*engineering*staff*+utherland*moringa*moringa.htm For an up-to-date list of publications regarding Moringa medical research, search the PubMed database for "Moringa". Notice that most of the studies focus on M. oleifera, with a few also including M. stenopetala . Despite their potential, none of the other species have ever been studied. The organization ECHO's Technical Note on M. oleifera has the results of much practical experience with the tree. http://www.echonet.org/tropicalag/technote.html The organization Trees for Life has a M. oleifera project site and The Wikipedia On-line Free Encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa have some more information.

The Moringa Tree

Moringa oleifera

The Miracle of Moringa Leaves India's ancient tradition of ayurveda says the leaves of the Moringa tree prevent 300 diseases. Modern science confirms the basic idea. Scientific research has proven that these humble leaves are in fact a powerhouse of nutritional value. Gram for gram, Moringa leaves contain

!nfortunately, even while science sings the praise of Moringa leaves, this vital information has not reached the people who need it most. "rees for #ife is responding to this need, and you can help.

Moringa Oleifera
,ati e to India and commonly known as the !orse $adish Tree because of its pungent edible root, Moringa Oleifera is a soft-wooded tree that grows to about ./ feet tall, with corky bark and feathery lea es. !ea es are about two feet in length and composed of ery numerous, small leaflets. 0he flowers are white, fragrant, nearly an inch wide and grow in loose clusters. 0he fruit is a nine-ribbed cylindrical pod, about #/ inches long. +eeds are three-angled, winged, and yield a product called 1oil of 2en3 which is used to lubricate watches. 0he Moringa tree, Moringa Oleifera, is ery useful. 4irtually e ery part of it is edible. 0he leaflets can be stripped from the feathery, fernlike lea es and used in any spinach recipe. +mall trees can be pulled up after a few months and the taproot ground, mi'ed with inegar and salt and used in place of horseradish. 4ery young plants can be used as a tender egetable. 5fter about 6 months the tree begins to flower and continues year round.

0he flowers can be eaten or used to make a tea and pro ide good amounts of both calcium and potassium. 0hey are also good for beekeepers. 0he young pods can be cooked and reportedly ha e a taste reminiscent of asparagus. 0he green peas and surrounding white material can be remo ed from larger pods and cooked in arious ways. .eeds from mature pods 7which can be . feet long8 can be browned in a skillet, mashed and placed in boiling water that causes an e'cellent cooking or lubricating oil to float to the surface. 0he oil reportedly does not become rancid and was once sold as 2en 9il. 0he wood is ery, ery soft. It makes acceptable firewood but poor charcoal. It is an e'tremely fast growing tree and it is ad isable to prune fre:uently beginning when they are young or they will become lanky and difficult to har est. 2reaking off tender tips 7used in cooking8 when the trees are about ; or / feet tall, the trees become much bushier. 0here is more good news. The edible parts are many% 0he leaves are outstanding as a source of itamins 5 and, when raw, itamin <. 0hey are also a good source of 2 itamins and among the best plant sources of minerals. 0he calcium content is ery high for a plant and phosphorous is low, as it should be. 0he content of iron is ery good 7it is reportedly prescribed for anemia in the )hilippines8 and the lea es are an e'cellent source of protein and a ery low source of fat and carbohydrates. 0hus, the lea es are one of the best plant foods that can be found. In his Edible !ea es of the 0ropics, the author adds that the lea es are incomparable as a source of the sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cystine which are often in short supply. 5 compound found in the flowers and roots of the Moringa 0ree, pterygospermin, has powerful antibiotic and fungicidal effects. Dr. +amia 5l 5=haria >ahn with the Deutsche Gsellschaft fur 0echnische ?usammenarbeit in Germany found another une'pected use for the seeds% 3

+uspensions of the ground seed of the ben=oli e tree are used as primary coagulants. 0hey can 1clarify ,ile water of any degree of isible turbidity.3 5t high turbidities, their action was almost as fast as that of alum, but at medium and low turbidities, it was slower. 0he doses re:uired did not e'ceed ./@ mg*i. <oagulating the solid matter in water so that it can be easily remo ed can remo e a good portion of the suspended bacteria. 1"i er water is always fecally polluted. 5t our sampling site, the total coliforms amounted during the flood season to #A@@-#6,@@@ per #@@ ml. 0urbidity reductions to #@ F0U were achie ed after one hour, reducing the coliforms to #-.@@ per #@@ ml. Good clarification is obtained if a small cloth bag filled with the powdered seeds of the ben=oli e is swirled around in the turbid water.3 01(T*2AT*ON It seems to thri e in impossible places B e en near the sea - in bad soil and dry areas. +eeds sprout readily in one or two weeks. 5lternati ely, one can plant a branch and within a week or two it will ha e established itself. It is often cut back year after year in fence rows and continues to thri e. 2ecause of this, in order to keep an abundant supply of lea es, flowers and pods within easy reach, topping out is useful. 5t least once a year, one can cut the tree to three or four feet abo e the ground. It will readily sprout again and all the aluable products will remain within safe, easy reach. 0he tree responds well to mulch, water, and fertili=er, but the branches are brittle.

0OO&*N" T!E (EA2E. 9f all parts of the tree, the lea es are most e'tensi ely used. 0he growing tips and young lea es are best. 0he lea es can be used any way you would use spinach. 9ne easy way to cook them is this: +team . cups freshly picked lea es for Cust a few minutes in one cup water, seasoned with an onion, butter and salt. 4ary or add other seasons according to your taste. In India, lea es are used in egetable curries, seasonings and in prickles.

0OO&*N" T!E PO3. 4

Dhen young, horseradish tree pods are edible whole, with a delicate fla or like asparagus. 0hey can be used from the time they emerge from the flower cluster until they become too woody to snap easily 7the largest ones usable in this way will probably be #. to #/ inches long and #*; inch in diameter8. 5t this stage, they can be prepared in many ways. %ere are three: 1. <ut the pods into one-inch lengths. 5dd onion, butter, and salt. 2oil for ten minutes or until tender. +team the pods without seasonings, and then marinade in a mi'ture of oil, inegar, salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley. 2. +team the pods without seasonings, and then marinade in a mi'ture of oil, inegar, salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley 3. 5n acceptable mock asparagus soup can be made by boiling the pods and onion until tender. 5dd milk, thicken, and season to taste. 0OO&*N" T!E PEA. 0he seeds 7peas8 can be used from the time they begin to form until they begin to turn yellow and their shells begin to harden. 9nly e'perience can tell you at what stage to har est the pods for their peas. 0o open the pod, take it in both hands and twist with your thumbnailE slit open the pod along the line that appears. "emo e the peas with their soft winged shells intact and as much soft white flesh as you can by scraping the inside of the pod with the side of a spoon. )lace the peas and flesh in a strainer and wash well to remo e the sticky, bitter film that coats them. 79r better still, blanch them for a few minutes, then pour off the water before boiling again in fresh water8. ,ow they are ready to use in any recipe you would use for green peas. 0hey can be boiled as they are or, seasoned with onion, butter and salt, much the same as the lea es and young pods. 0hey can be cooked with rice as you would any bean. In India, the peas are prepared using this recipe: #.-#/ horseradish tree pods # medium onion, diced ; cups grated coconut . bouillon cubes . inches ginger root ; tablespoons oil or bacon grease # clo e garlic . eggs, hard-boiled salt and pepper to taste 2lanch both peas and pods, drain. "emo e milk from .-#*. cups grated coconut by s:uee=ing water through it two or three times. <rush ginger root and garlic, sa e half for later. Fi' peas, flesh, coconut milk, ginger root and garlic together with onion, bouillon cubes, oil, salt and papper. 2ring to a boil and cook until the peas are soft about .@ minutes. Fry remaining half of crushed ginger root and garlic in . tablespoons of oil. Dice eggs. 5dd coconut, ginger, garlic and eggs to first mi'ture. %eat through. +er es

dditional !eso"rces and Information From zija-moringa.org retailer of Moringa Capsules: Online Videos: Videos #1 - United Methodist Communications 3-minute production of "Nature's AIDS Remedy." http://www.umtv.org/archives/natures_AIDS_therapy.htm Books: Miracle Tree - Lowell J. Fuglie, 1999. The Miracle Tree/Moringa oleifera: Natural Nutrition for the Tropics. Moringa, Nature's Medicine Cabinet - by Sanford Holst, 2000. This book has everything you need to know--Moringa's medicinal properties, nutritional content, where to get it, the best way to grow it, and how to prepare Moringa for best results. 128 pages, soft cover. The Miracle Tree - Free, online book that documents the Church World Service study of Moringa's nutritional value and usefulness in preventing or quickly curing malnutrition. Some Call It A Miracle - Moringa Book Trees for Life, a nonprofit organization. Information: West African 'Miracle Tree' Offers Nutritional Benefits - United Methodist News Service UMNS, December 4, 2003. Trees for Life - Trees for Life has more than ten years' experience with the Moringa tree. Moringa News - The newly-founded Moringa Network, an association of non-profit, research, and business organizations, offers an excellent website with news about Moringa, a mailing list, database of Moringa research, Moringa links, and much more. Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization (ECHO) - Supplies free, trial packets of seeds to its overseas development network.

REPORTED NUTRITIONAL, THERAPEUTIC & PROPHYLACTIC USES OF MORINGA OLEIFERA

Tra i!io"al Use Co" i!io"#Eff ec!a A"!i%icro$ial # &ioci al $acterial !rinary "ract Infection "yphoid Infection Syphilis &ental 'aries("oothac he Pla"! Par!$ LFSPR&'O %ungal( Mycoses "hrush )$G

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&iuretic 0ypocholestemi a "hyroid "onic 0epatorenal De!o+ifica!io" 3ntipyretic 5urgative Sna7ebite Scorpion-bite Di,es!ive Disor ers %or ")"M6" of 'olitis &iarrhea &igestif &ysentery %latulence !lcer ( Gastritis I"fla%%a!io" )heumatism 8oint 5ain ,dema 3rthritis I%%*"i!) Immunestimulant #upus Nervo*s Disor ers 3nti-spasmodic ,pilepsy 0ysteria 0eadache

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,nergy Goitrogen Iron deficiency *il 9uality 5rotein +itamin(Mineral deficiency Re(ro *c!ive Heal!h 3bortifacient 3phrodisiac $irth 'ontrol #actation ,nhancer 5rostate function S-i" Disor ers 3ntiseptic 3stringent 5yodermia )ubefacient +esicant 'e"eral Disor ers#Co " i!io"s $ladder 'atarrh Gout 0epatamegaly #actation #ow.$ac7(:idn ey 5ain Scurvy Splenomegaly ;"onic<

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It is very difficult in some cases to separate the effects of severe nutritional deficiencies .e.g. +itamin '/ from se9uelae .e.g. scurvy/ which transcend categori=ation by organ systems or classification into single disease states. 5lant parts are designated by their first letters .in bold/ Leaves Flowers Seeds Pods .drumstic7s/ Roots &ar7 'um Oil .from seeds/

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Trees for Life Journal >00?, 2 ? Jed W. Fahey, Sc.D. )EE" "E4IEDED 8ohns 0op7ins School of Medicine, &epartment of 5harmacology and Molecular Sciences, #ewis $. and &orothy 'ullman 'ancer 'hemoprotection 'enter, @>? 6. 4olfe Street, A0B 4$S$, $altimore, Maryland, !S3 >2>0?->2C?

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