The Endless Benefits of the 'Miracle tree' – Moringa (Suhanjna)

 

The Endless Benefits of the 'Miracle tree' – Moringa (Suhanjna)

What is Moringa?

The Endless Benefits of the 'Miracle tree' – Moringa (Suhanjna)
Miracle Tree (Moringa)

The 'Miracle Tree,' Moringa leaves, Moringa oleifera, or Indian Horseradish is a quick-growing, frost, and drought-resistant plant. Found in the Indian Subcontinent, Asia, and Africa, Moringa leaves grows both in the tropical and sub-tropical areas. Many people also commonly call it a 'drumstick tree.' Due to it being able to withstand severe conditions, people widely cultivate it throughout many regions of the world. Moringa leaves benefits are endless and mainly include nutrition and health benefits. Every part of this plant has nutritional or commercial value, making it highly profitable.

History and background

Before we get into the Moringa leaves benefits, we should discuss its history and background.

Indian Heritage:

We are aware that Moringa is mainly found in the Indian Subcontinent. For thousands of years, people had used Moringa for many different purposes. People used timber from it to provide building materials, and they used its leaves and seeds for health benefits; for the intake of a variety of proteins, minerals, and vitamins. This same tree is used by people in everyday food items, herbal medicine, building products, tea, and drinks in India. Mainly the Arabic and Indians used it in terms of fold medicine.

Where the name Moringa comes from?

The name 'Moringa' is derived from 'murungai,' which comes from Tamil's old language. Tamil is general spoken in southern India and northeast Sri Lanka, where the people abundantly use the plant. The word murungai means 'twisted pot,' and oleifera means 'oil-bearing.'

The Endless Benefits of the 'Miracle tree' – Moringa (Suhanjna)
Miracle Tree (Moringa)

 

Ayurveda

As far as 5000 years ago, people used Moringa plants as medicine, but there are also records of it being used in Ancient Greek, Rome, and Egypt. Referred to as the 'Miracle tree' or 'The Wonder Tree,' it was very much used by Ayurveda people. There all of its parts were considered useful and had abundant benefits. Often employed as digestion, spleen, and eye medicine, it is added by people in food and drinks and many other ways. To this day, the Moringa plant is still utilized in Ayurveda, where it is used the most in the world.

Also, Read- Why do we need to plant more trees before 2025?

Taste and structure of Moringa Leaf

The tree itself can reach up to 40 feet high and has droopy and spindly branches weighed down by plump, long seedpods. The seedpod is long and weighted and can be described as a long, thick, and rigid green bean.

The Endless Benefits of the 'Miracle tree' – Moringa (Suhanjna)
Miracle Tree (Moringa)

On the other hand, the Moringa leaves look like ordinary leaves that are small in size, oval to obviate, or teardrop-shaped. You can measure it to about an average of 1-2 centimeter in length and 0.5-1cm width. The leaves are vibrant and shocking green feathery leaflets. These leaflets are smooth, thick, and firm and grow in a trip-innate structure.

Nevertheless, how does it taste?

Well, for the most part, the Moringa leaf tastes bitter. However, with that bitter flavor, it has undertones of grass-like flavors. What's exciting is that it has a horseradish-like heat to it as well. Being one hundred percent edible, these can be cooked by you, like how you would cook spinach. When the Moringa leaves are being cooked by someone, they release a very different and distinguishable grassy aroma.

When we talk about the Moringa powder, you can describe its taste as that of matcha, which has infused with notes of spirulina-like blue-green algae. When added to water, the powder dissolves easily and gives a very green vegetable like flavor, which is bitter yet slightly sweet.

The Endless Benefits of the 'Miracle tree' – Moringa (Suhanjna)
Miracle Tree (Moringa)

Moringa Leaf Uses and Moringa Leaves Benefits

Moringa Plant, as a whole, has many uses. It has countless benefits, and we cannot catalog it into a single list. However, we have tried today to list the more obvious uses of the 'wonder tree.'

The Endless Benefits of the 'Miracle tree' – Moringa (Suhanjna)
Miracle Tree (Moringa)

-          Oil extraction and lubricants

The Moringa Leaves and seedpods are known to be rich in oil. You can extract its oil as a form of machine lubricant, hair and body oil, and cooking. It is economical and a great alternative to other expensive oils.

-          Libido

Say, due to stress or work overload, the body can tire out and, in response, reduce the levels of testosterone. In a recent study on Moringa on animals, you can see that Moringa helps lower the cortisol levels and increase the testosterone levels. In another study, the increased sexual performance was seen by some animals by suppressing the cortisol and increasing the testosterone.

-          Hormone balance

In the menopause period and similar situations, where the body is in stress and the hormone balance is off, Moringa powder can help. Researchers saw a mixture of Moringa leaf and Amaranth leaf powder to improve the condition by reducing oxidative stress in a study. This feature and other factors help with hormone imbalance.

-          Fighting free radicals

Moringa is a pure and healthy plant that fights free radicals. These free radicals enter our body through various means like pollution, sun exposure, fried and junk food. They cause humans multiple problems like premature aging, cell damage, and oxidative stress in general. Moringa, which has many antioxidants, fights this and helps you live a longer life.

-          Nourishing the skin and hair

Whether oral intake in the form of food or powder or using Moringa leaf oil, it leaves your hair, nails, skin healthy, shiny, and strong. It also helps improve bone density and makes it stronger.

-          Nutrients

Moringa Leaves, powder, seed, oil, and roots all provide nutrients. The Moringa plant contains many minerals and vitamins. Moringa contains seven times more vitamin C than oranges do, and fifteen times more potassium then a banana.

Other than that, the Moringa plant has abundant amounts of calcium, proteins, iron, and amino acids that keep the body healthy and balanced. They also help in building muscle mass and heal internal and external wounds quickly.

-          Antioxidants

Humans found Moringa oleifera to have many antioxidant plant compounds. It is very rich in antioxidants, and mostly they are found in the leaves of the Moringa plant. These antioxidants help in various ways, like lowering cholesterol level, lowering blood glucose levels, removing toxicity from the body, help digestive issues, and many more.  

The Endless Benefits of the 'Miracle tree' – Moringa (Suhanjna)
Miracle Tree (Moringa)

-          Building materials

The Moringa tree has a strong thick trunk. In ancient times and even now, its timber is used for building products like tables, chairs, shelters, and many other wooden products. The wooden parts make them reliable as they are available in a large quantity worldwide.

-          Erosion control

Due to natural disasters or human actions, soil erosion occurs, which means that fertile land is stripped of its nutrients, upper soil layer, rocks, and sediments and becomes barren. The moringa tree has strong and thick roots that can store large amounts of water and resist erosion. You can often see farmers planting Moringa trees on hills and hillsides. They help prevent not only erosion but also resist land sliding. The seedpods and leaves of the tree also help with the fertility of the land.

-          Source of food

Every part of the Moringa tree is useable, and many parts of They are edible. Mostly the leaves, which have been a source of food for many civilizations in the past and even now, are taken as food options.

Other than the leaves, the roots, barks, pods, seeds, and flowers are edible. The leaves and seeds are dried commercially, then ground into a powder form, and sold.

-          Water filtration

All parts of the Moringa tree are unique and have excellent properties, but the seeds have another function other than just providing nutrients to the body. It helps in the filtration of water. The seeds of this plan the t have special purification abilities.

You can filter the water bodies that have sediment impurities excellently with the Moringa seeds. They also have anti-microbial properties that clean out any harmful bacteria from the water. Practical and unprocessed seed powder may sediment more than 90 percent of bacteria from within raw water. 

Medicinal properties

The Moringa leaves benefits are countless, but their contribution to folk medicine and ancient medicine in Indian Subcontinent, Arab, Africa, and other countries made them such a reliable and cultivated species. That is why, even today, Moringa is used by humans in medicines, and researches are being done by scientists every day to find out where and how Moringa leaves benefits us. These are the top medical diseases that have been seen by researchers to improve with the Moringa plant.

                                    i.            Cancer

                                  ii.            Diabetes

                                iii.            Rheumatoid arthritis

                                iv.            Memory

                                  v.            Lowering blood sugar levels

                                vi.            Reduction of inflammation

                              vii.            Lower cholesterol

                            viii.            Protection against arsenic toxicity

                                ix.            Liver protection

                                  x.            Treatment of edema

How to administer it?

It is safe to eat Moringa in any form. You can eat the leaves as one would eat salad, or you can cook them like spinach. You can add it to your rice or pasta or any other dish. Blend it into a smoothie or infuse it to form tea; you can even drink it. The dry leaf and seed powder wish can also be dissolved into water and drank as it is.

On the other hand, you can boil, roast, toast, or cook them in any way you like. The flowers as well can be eaten as it is. You can bake them, fry them, steam them, and even eat them raw. It is so safe that you can even add it to their baby's milk!

The Endless Benefits of the 'Miracle tree' – Moringa (Suhanjna)
Miracle Tree (Moringa)

What is the best way to take Moringa? The answer is in capsule form. In capsule form, the moringa extract is completely additive-free, is 100 percent natural, and safe for the body. Manufacturers make it for those who want quick and accurate doses and are on the move.

Precautions and Risks

Unless you have an allergy to Moringa, there are no known health risks as of yet. Humans found its properties to be 100 percent safe and consumable by any person, whether it's a baby or an older person.

Still, you should always consult your doctor and, in case of a baby, a child practitioner to see if you can take Moringa. Do not administer Moringa if you have any allergies to it or are suspicious.

Conclusion

At the bottom line, we can say that Moringa is truly a Miracle tree. People have called it the same more than 5000 years ago. Still used in many parts of the world, many cultures and societies utilize Moringa leaves and seed benefits. Its benefits surpass expectations, and if you are wondering if you should take its advantage as well, then go for it.


Also, Read- Aromatherapy for Beginners

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Top 10 Best Places To Visit In Pakistan in 2021

Wonderful Benefits of using Olive Oil and Isabgol Husk

Quran Audio