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Moringa: the ‘Miracle Tree’

It’s been called “the Miracle Tree,” “the Tree of Life” and “Mother’s Milk.” It is one of the most nutrient-dense plants on the planet, it is becoming increasingly important part of plans to combat malnutrition in the global South – while in the West it is fast gaining popularity as the new superfood...When analysed and broken down, the wealth of natural minerals and compounds contained within the plant read like a catalogue of some of the most important essential nutrients for human health and well-being.

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 A Miracle with Leaves

Every part of it can be used for food or medicine. It is almost unbelievably nutritious – like a kind of superfood (sorry, I’ve gone into the hyposphere, again). It is fast-growing and drought-resistant. It can be used to feed domestic animals. It is widely used, especially in Africa, to combat malnutrition – the leaves are, allegedly, packed with many times more vitamins and nutrients than common fruits and vegetables. It helps new mothers produce more milk. Its seeds can purify water. Ayurvedic medicine says about 300 diseases can be cured with the help of this tree. And more, too much to detail here…

 Moringa — the next superfood?

There's nothing super-looking about moringa. It’s skinny and sparse in foliage. Its fragile branches sprout puny white flowers and droop with long twisted pods knobby with seeds. But if plants were superheroes, then moringa would be Iron Man.

 Much Ado About Moringa

With monikers such as the Miracle Tree, Tree of Life and Mother's Best Friend, there's certainly a lot resting on its spindly branches. While the tree has always occupied pride of place in Ayurveda, India's ancient healthcare system, and in folklore across the subcontinent, it's only in the last two decades that it has amassed substantial praise and hype worldwide. A number of studies have been conducted on the nutritional and medicinal properties of the tree, and still more continue to be done.

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Moringa, the new superfood

Moringa is considered, in recent times, a new superfood. Numerous properties are attributed to it and its success has grown exponentially, especially in the past year. What is moringa? It is a plant native to northern India and the most common species is moringa oleifera, also known as the horseradish tree . Almost all parts of this tree are used, such as the moringa leaf or seeds . It is also widely used as a food supplement , and can be purchased in powder or capsule form . Let's try to find out what moringa is for.

Forget Kale. Try These Three REAL Superfoods

But the slender, scrawny looking tree has got far more than nutrition going for it. The moringa might be the fastest growing valuable plant in the world — it grows up to 15 feet, from seed, in its first year. Because it’s drought-resistant, the moringa can grow freakishly fast in precisely the hot, dry subtropical areas where malnutrition is most prevalent, and where other crops wither (hence “the never die” nickname).

I Tried Moringa Powder for Three Months—These Were the Benefits

As a longtime health writer, it’s basically my job to keep my finger on the pulse of all things wellness, so when I came across all the purported benefits of moringa powder, I was naturally curious to see if it would deliver on its TikTok promise of aiding with digestion, helping with hair loss, and more perks that sounded too good to be true. According to Thara Vayali, ND, a naturopathic doctor as well as cofounder and chief medical officer of women’s wellness brand Hey Freya, there’s something to these claims. “The superfood has been used for thousands of years to help with weight management and reduce inflammation,” she says. But before trying it myself, I sought out a few more answers. Here’s what the medical professionals had to say.

In praise of Moringa

Moringa (we know them as drumstick tree) are so easy to grow I never knew that. Planted a year back they are already 10 to 12 ft tall. Moringa leaves have rich nutritional value (I had mentioned this in one of post which made me plant them ) and is known as “pharmacy in your neighbourhood.” It’s rich in protein, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Iron, Vitamin A and C.

Is This Ancient “Miracle Tree” Supplement The Key To Better Health?

Like so many traditional plant medicine, the anecdotal claims regarding the health benefits of moringa have yet to be studied in totality. However, the research that has been done shows promise—especially when it comes to reducing blood sugar and lowering cholesterol. And, there’s no doubt moringa is rich in essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants. That said, moringa supplements—or, better yet, fresh moringa leaves—might very well be a worthwhile addition to your wellness routine.

Meet the Moringa Tree, an Overqualified, Underachieving Superfood

Hot and dry are precisely the conditions in which the Moringa thrives. “This is a plant so tenacious, resilient, versatile, generous, and flat-out eccentric as to be Dr. Seussian,” Olson said. “Nothing else in the plant kingdom really compares.” Although the Moringa is neither striped nor candy-colored, it does bear a certain resemblance to the truffula tree, with its smooth, skinny trunk and affably chaotic branches, which protrude like hands waving hello. And not only does it succeed in harsh conditions, it also grows weed-fast—about a foot per month, to a height of as much as twenty feet.

Moringa is this year's big new superfood – but is it really good for you?

The plant is a good source of vitamins C and A, and various minerals – but with the dried powder costing £40 a kilo, it doesn’t come cheap

Moringa oleifera oil: from traditional medicine to modern cosmetics

Moringa tree is known as the miracle tree because of its various nutritional, medicinal and economical properties. The name "moringa" is derived from Tamil but this tree is known under different names in different parts of the world such as drumstick tree or horseradish tree.

Moringa oleifera: An Updated Comprehensive Review of Its Pharmacological Activities, Ethnomedicinal, Phytopharmaceutical Formulation, Clinical, Phytochemical, and Toxicological Aspects

Moringa oleifera, also known as the “tree of life” or “miracle tree,” is classified as an important herbal plant 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.

Moringa Oleifera—A Superfood for All Ages

If you have lived in India or traveled to India, you may have overlooked one of the most nutritious plants around. Moringa grows plentifully in India—in home gardens or as natural fences. The fruit or seedpods, often referred to as drumsticks, are commonly used in the South Indian dish, sambar, as well as other dishes. Many people in India grow up not realizing the power of this seemingly ordinary plant. Moringa powder, made from the leaves of the Moringa oleifera plant, hits headlines over and over again for its superb nutritious content. Rightly so—it truly is a superfood. The leaves, in particular, are exceptionally nutritious.

Moringa: the science behind the miracle tree

“It is called a miracle tree because every part of the tree has benefits,” says Balbir Mathur, president of Trees for Life Internationalw1, a US-based non-profit organisation that provides developmental aid through planting fruit trees, moringas among them. “The roots, leaves, bark, parts of the fruits and seeds – everything. The list is endless.”

My Mom Cooked Moringa Before It Was A Superfood

Americans are starting to pay more attention to moringa these days. Some are touting this tropical tree as the newest and greatest superfood. And all the excitement is understandable: Moringa leaves and seed pods are packed with protein and vitamins. Its nutritional value rivals that of milk, yogurt and eggs. But people in Asia and Africa have been eating it for years. In India, we call moringa the drumstick tree — for its long, drumstick-like seed pods. It's easy to come by in Mumbai, where I grew up. My mother would use the young, tender pods to make this amazing lentil stew called sambhar.

Scientist studies the moringa plant’s medicinal, nutritional benefits

The moringa plant has been used for centuries throughout the tropics for medicinal purposes and to improve nutrition, especially in children. A Fogarty-funded researcher is helping to provide the scientific evidence behind the so-called “superfood,” as well as enabling farmers to increase their moringa crop yield and improve the purity of the end product, a powdered diet supplement.

The Life-Saving ‘Miracle Tree’ Known As Moringa

Since the earliest times, moringa has been used in the Eastern world for a wide variety of purposes. Ben oil, also known as behen oil which is derived from moringa seeds, was even found in the pyramids of Egypt – an ancient country where it was extensively used for cooking, making perfumes and cosmetics, and for medicinal purposes. Now, hundreds of centuries later, moringa is finally breaking into the Western scene. Modern science has finally taken notice.

The Marketing Of Moringa: Is This The New Kale?

The moringa tree is a scrappy plant that grows like a weed in dry, tropical climates and produces bitter leaves that taste like horseradish. Moringa is also contending for a spot as the next hot "superfood," with an emerging focus on its potential to make life better for people in developing countries. Moringa supplements and bars are also becoming more popular here in the U.S. Although most parts of the plant are edible, moringa's power is in its leaves and seed pods, which are high in digestible protein, calcium, iron, vitamin C and antioxidants and have a nutritional profile that rivals milk and eggs

The Miracle of the Moringa Tree

The Moringa Tree has been given many names over the thousands of years that it has been used for both medicinal and food properties in many cultures: Tree of Life, Miracle Tree, Never Die Tree, Drumstick Tree or by its Latin name Moringa Oleifera. Whatever you call it, the Moringa Tree is especially prized because not only is it incredibly nutritious, and highly valued for its medicinal properties, but every part of the tree is edible!

The Moringa tree enters the arsenal of treatments against chronic diseases

Even more interesting about this tree, is that it’s a food, a vegetable, and a medicine. Every part of the tree can be consumed; leaves and young fruits (pods) as food; and the seeds, bark, flowers, and roots as medicine. The leaves are highly nutritious. Once harvested and dried, they contain 30% protein, all essential amino acids, and have abundant levels of vitamins and minerals.

Why Moringa Is the New Superfood You Need to Know About

Kale and matcha have long since ruled the supergreens kingdom. But recently, a powerful new grassy-hued food has started making waves as an even healthier alternative. Moringa oleifera, also known as horseradish tree because of the pungent, bitter flavor of the roots, is a tree native to India, Pakistan, and Nepal. You may have noticed the catchy name, which sounds more like a salsa dance move than a superfood, cropping up as an ingredient in smoothies, juices, and booster shots at health food shops nationwide.