One answer for every day health problems -Moringa

What is Moringa?

One answer for every day health problems -Moringa

Moringa Oleifera or drumstick tree is a commonly occurring tree in tropical, subtropical regions of India and has a wide variety of species occurring across various regions. Moringa cultivation does not require too much water and hence the tree grows well in semi-arid regions also. Other common names for the tree are horseradish tree and Benzolive tree.

Commonly known as “Superfood”, Moringa tree is source of wide variety of vitamins and minerals thus offering immense benefits for our everyday health requirements. All the major parts of this plant like leaves, fruits, flowers and bark has outstanding medicinal benefits but most commonly used are Moringa leaves and fruits.

One answer for every day health problems -Moringa

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Nutritional Information-

100gm of dried Moringa leaves powder contains

 Moringa leaves and Moringa Fruits

Worldwide many communities have been using Moringa from ages in their day-to-day life without knowing much about its nutritional importance. It is mostly because of two reasons, i.e., easy availability in neighbourhood and little care required for cultivation in the native form. In recent times lot of research has happened on health benefits of Moringa and it is now a well-established fact that Moringa is indeed a “Superfood”.

Moringa leaves or dried leaf powder provide excellent health benefits for people suffering from Anaemia, Asthma, Joints related problems like arthritis, stomach and intestinal ulcers. Moringa leaf powder is also very helpful for patients having blood pressure disorders and parasitic infections.

The powder can be used in combination of other commonly used spices and herbs in everyday food, as salad seasoning. Moringa powder can be mixed with water along with honey and lemon and consumed as everyday drink.

The Moringa fruit is large bean shaped (reason for calling tree as drumstick) that is green in colour in raw stage. Moringa fruit is used as vegetable in central and eastern parts of India and in south India used as an important ingredient in many dishes. Moringa fruit has high nutritional value and is a rich source of protein, calcium, iron, potassium, vit. A as well as vit. C as well as dietary fibre.

Some special benefits of Moringa

Moringa leaves and fruits provide a wide range of health benefits that cannot be matched with any other single plant. Health benefits of Moringa produce includes immunity boosting, stress buster, glowing skin, muscle growth, anti-inflammation, anti-diabetic, better vision, bone health, aphrodisiac and many more.

Immunity Booster:

 Moringa leaves powder has high content of antioxidants, Vit. A and iron that makes it an excellent immunity booster. Single 10gm serving of Moringa can provide up to 32% of Iron and 19% of Vit. A of NRV (Daily recommended nutrition value). As per some recent studies, Moringa leaf powder is found beneficial in fighting against colon and breast cancer cells as well.

Skin Health:

To minimise skin damage and long-term ageing process of skin, antioxidants play a major role. Antioxidants stop collagen damage as they fight against free radicals and reduce oxidative stress. Vit. E and Vit. A present in Moringa powder are excellent antioxidants.

Anti-Stress:

Adaptogens are the natural plant based products that protect our body from the toxic effects of stress. Such plant products help in reducing stress and improve attention and endurance. A 2010 study in a reputed journal confirmed that Moringa leaves are a powerful adaptogen.

Breastfeeding:

Galactagogue is a substance that promotes the flow of milk in lactating mothers. Moringa is a well know galactagogue that increases breast milk volume and supply. Since moringa is a nutrient pack food product, it also increases nutrition intake of new mothers and kids alike.

Choosing the right Moringa

Although Moringa is best in its natural form, it is not possible for everyone to access fresh produce. Most of the Moringa plantation and cultivation happens in developing or under developed nations across Asia and Africa. Due to limited resources and poor infrastructure for food processing, quality of Moringa powder is always a concern.

Globally most of the packaged food items goes through strict quality control standards and hence it is advised for the end user to stick to reputed brands having all the statutory certifications and clearance from local food authorisation agencies.

Author Credit : Dinesh Singh

Team Wikiifeed