HIGH PRIORITY PLANT

Moringa oleifera

another super plant

Family tree  – take note

If anyone doesn’t know the Moringa oleifera yet let me introduce her to you.

I visited a friend at Camphill yesterday and he introduced me to this tree for the first time and I’d like to share its God given power with you. Jean-Jacques AKA Chilitree is a self published poet of many beautiful words. Thank you Jean-Jacques, you’re an inspiration.

This beauty not only gives a high yield of nutrition during the dry seasons but helps to nourish many starving communities around the world. It is a fast growing, drought resistant tree and likes sandy soil. She is slender and grows to a height of approximately 10m. Cutting back at the end of the harvesting season to about 1m high ensures that the seed pods and leaves remain in arms reach. Seeds can be purchased from Moringa seeds. The seeds can be cultivated all year round and can be propagated from cuttings.

It is unfortunately not indigenous to South Africa but by harvesting the seed pods for nutritional purposes should keep its potential invasive properties at bay although is is not an invasive species. It is native to the foothills of the Himalayas in northwestern India but is cultivated for its nutritional properties in many countries all over the world.

The green pods are mostly used and can be prepared much like green beans and resemble asparagus in taste. It can also be fed to livestock for optimum nutrition. The seeds can be removed from the pods and eaten like peas or roasted and eaten like nuts.

The roots contain antibacterial qualities and can be grated and used as a condiment much like horseradish but small quantities are advised since it contains spirochin (nerve-paralyzing agent) when consumed in large quantities.

The flowers can also be cooked and eaten and resemble mushrooms in flavour and are considered a delicacy. Usually cooked with green beans and potatoes, known as ‘shojne ful’ in West Bengal and Bangladesh.

The leaves can be cooked into stews, dried and ground into powder and added to soups and sauces, fried with onion and delicious in tuna dishes.

The pods are also used to treat erectile dysfunction in men and to prolong sexual activity in women. What do you know?

The powder can also be used by pregnant/breastfeeding mothers to increase breast milk supply and provides healthy daily nutritional values for the baby.

The seeds produce 30-40% edible oil know as Ben oil and resists rancidity. The remaining seed ‘waste’ can be used as a fertilizer and as a flocculent in purifying water.

The seeds can also be used for making BIOFUEL!!!

Nutritional information

3 x more iron than spinach 

As much protein as in eggs

7 x more vitC than an orange

3 x more potassium than in bananas

4 x more vita than in carrots

4 x more calcium than in milk

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