WHAT IS THIS MORINGA?
Moringa oleifera is a small, graceful, deciduous tree with sparse foliage, often resembling a leguminous species at a distance, especially when in flower, but immediately recognized when in fruit. The tree grows to 8 m high if allowed to grow without trimming. The bark of the tree is smooth, dark grey. The wood is soft. Leaves alternate, the old ones soon falling off. Leaflets are dark green above and pale on the under surface; variable in size and shape, but often rounded-elliptic, seldom as much as 2.5 cm long.
Where is this Moringa’s origin?
Moringa is said to have originated from India. Over the centuries, the Moringa tree has been carried to all the tropical parts of the world, where it readily takes root. Moringa tree is commonly used for food, for medicinal purposes, as a wind-break in fields, and many other purposes. Ancient Egyptians treasured Moringa oil as protection for their skin from the ravages of desert weather. Later, the Greeks found many healthful uses for Moringa and introduced it to the Romans.
WHY MORINGA IS CALLED THE MIRACLE TREE AND TREE OF LIFE
Many plants and trees are beneficial to mankind, but few are as giving as the Moringa Oleifera tree. Moringa trees have a list of medicinal, nutritive, and practical uses that are second to none. A single Moringa tree can provide leaf for nutrition, oil for cooking and healthy skin, seed cake for water purification and wood to build shelter and keep you warm.
The Moringa tree thrives in arid conditions, where its benefits are most valuable and most needed. Living up to its nickname as a miracle tree, Moringa is the basis of many health and nutrition programs funded by various charitable organizations. Moringa leaf capsules and bulk leaf powder are an incredible nutritional supplement with more than 30% protein, all of the essential amino acids, 27 vitamins and 46 antioxidants.
Moringa is truly a gift to the impoverished in parts of the world where life is hard and nutrition is scarce.
In many cultures, the phrase used to identify the Moringa tree translates as the Tree of Life. This term may bring religious meaning to mind, but in truth, cultures worldwide share the symbolism of the Tree of Life as a symbol for life, growth and change. Moringa is known as a tree of life because its many gifts are life-giving. Amazingly, in addition to basic nutrition and water-purifying properties. Moringa’s health benefits have been used in the prevention/management of more than 300 ailments.
Within the past ten years, Moringa oleifera, a tropical, multipurpose tree has grown from being practically unknown, even unheard of, to being a new and promising nutritional and economic resource for developing countries. The leaves, which are easy to grow and rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals, are becoming widely used in projects fighting against malnutrition. Producing moringa leaves is also a means of generating agricultural income, developing the food processing industry and founding new businesses. The moringa tree grows widely in Africa, where, up until recently, it was used solely around houses to form hedges or to give shade. Occasionally it was used for medicinal purposes or collected for food. The Hausa from Niger and Nigeria, who eat the moringa leaves as a vegetable, are the only ones who have been, for decades now, growing and selling this product. At the end of the 1980s, moringa was being studied by a few researchers, uniquely for its water-treatment properties.
Information about the Moringa tree is becoming more readily available as the Moringa tree continues to grow in popularity. This is evidenced by web sites offering Moringa trees for sale in places where it is a non-native plant. Moringa trees grow rapidly – almost as fast as bamboo! - And need to be pruned weekly. In addition to seedlings, you can also start your own Moringa tree by planting Moringa seeds, which will germinate and grow rapidly for you to enjoy.
There are very few species of plant on earth that deserve the name of a miracle tree, but the Moringa tree is certainly one of these selected few species. Rapid growth, powerful nutrition, skin vitality, water purification, and many other significant uses put the Moringa tree at the top of the list for the world’s trees of life.