Earth News

farmeric January 31st, 2011

Moringa (Malunggay) leaves prevent 300 diseases

Now modern science is proving that these tiny leaves are packed with incredible nutrition that can strengthen our bodies and prevent many diseases.

Amazing, but true…
Proteins, the building blocks of our bodies, are made of amino acids. Usually, only animal products such as meat, eggs and dairy contain all of the essential amino acids. Amazingly,
Moringa leaves also contain them all.

2 times the Protein of Yogurt

Vitamins C strengthens our immune system and fights diseases including colds and flu. Citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons are full of vitamin C. Moringa leaves have even more.

7 times the Vitamin C of Oranges

Potassium is essential for the brain and nerves. Bananas are an excellent source of potassium. Moringa leaves are even better.

3 times the Potassium of Bananas

Vitamin A acts as a shield against diseases of the eyes, skin and heart, diarrhea, and many
other ailments. Carrots are very high in vitamin A, but Moringa leaves are even higher.

4 times the Vitamin A of Carrots

Calcium builds strong bones and teeth, and helps prevent osteoporosis. Milk provides a lot of calcium, but Moringa leaves provide even more.

4 times the Calcium of Milk

These figures reflect gram-for-gram comparisons with Moringa leaves.*

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farmeric January 28th, 2011

Botanical name: Moringa oleifera
Popularly known as “drumstick tree” in English.

Bengali: Sajna
Burmese: Dandalonbin
French: Bèn ailé, Benzolive
Gujarati: Suragavo
Hindi & Urdu: Munaga, Sahijna, Segra
Khmer: Daem mrum
Malay: Kalor
Malayalam: Sigru, Muringa
Marathi: Sujna, Shevga
Oriya: Munigha, Sajina
Punjabi: Soanjana
Sinhalese: Murunga
Spanish: Ben, Morango, Moringa
Tagalog: Mulangai
Tamil: Murungai
Telegu: Munaga, Mulaga
Thai: Marum
Vietnamese: Chùm Ngây

More names: www.treesforlife.org/moringa/names

Tags: malunggay, moringga

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farmeric January 26th, 2011

A Las Cuatro or known as Four o’clock, Beauty of the Night.

Scientific name: Mirabilis longiflora blanco

Local names: A las cuatro (Sp., Tag.); maravilla (Sp.); gilala (Tag.); oracion (Sp.); supiros (Sp.); tallang (Sul.); four o’clock, marvel of Peru (Engl.)

A las cuatro is found throughout the Philippines in the settled areas in cultivation and also frequently spontaneous in the vicinity of towns. It was introduced from Mexico by the Spaniards at an early date, and is now pantropic in distribution. It is often cultivated in Manila and in large towns.

This is an erect, nearly or quite smooth, branched plant, growing to a height of 20 to 80 centimeters. The leaves are narrowly ovate, 4 to 10 centimeters long. The involucres are crowded, calyxlike, 1 centimeter long or less, and have one flower. The perianth is white, purple, or yellow, 3 to 4 centimeters long, with a cylindrical tube, which is slightly enlarged upward, and with a spreading limb. The fruit is narrowly ovoid, about 8 millimeters long, black, and finely ribbed.

Uses of Roots

According to Maurin the roots contain oxymethylanthraquinone, but their purgative action is not due to this constituent. Yoshimura and Trier isolated an alkaloid, trigonelline, from the plant. Chopra reports of the purgative action of trigonelline. Wehmer records that the plant yields galactose and arabinose.

Bruntz and Jaloux state that the roots are official in the Danish (2) Pharmacopoeia.

Burkill mentions that the pounded seeds are used in Malaya and elsewhere by Chinese and Japanese women for making a cosmetic powder. Burkill quotes Rumpf, who states that the powdered root was used with rice powder and sandalwood for the same purpose by the Spanish women in Ternate.

In China the flowers are also used for cosmetic purposes.

Burkill says that the big tubers were formerly mistaken in Europe for the source of Jalap, and used as a Continue Reading »

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farmeric January 15th, 2011

Fertiliser
The seed cake, which is produced by pressing the seeds to extract oil, cannot be eaten as it contains harmful substances. However, it contains high levels of protein and makes a good fertiliser for use in agriculture.

Living fence
Planted as a living fence, Moringa provides wind protection and shade. It grows very quickly and if cuttings are planted close together they will form a fence that livestock cannot get through in just 3 months.

Alley cropping
Moringa has a large tap root and few lateral roots so it will not compete for nutrients with the crops. Continue Reading »

Tags: malunggay, moringa, moringa oleifera

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farmeric January 9th, 2011

Propagating Moringa can be done in two ways:
1. Growing from seed
2. Growing from cuttings

Growing from seed

Seeds can be planted as soon as they are mature but should only be kept for up to 3 months in natural conditions. Before sowing, soak the seeds in water for one day then plant the seeds 2cm apart and 1cm deep. Water lightly and they will germinate in 15 days. When the seedlings reach 30cm in height they should be thinned to 10cm apart and when they reach 60 to 90cm tall they can be planted out, but they will be very fragile.

Growing from cuttings

Cuttings of healthy branches with hard wood, 45cm to 1.5m long and 10cm wide, should be taken in the rainy season. Trim any green wood without damaging the bark of the hardwood and leave the cutting ends in a shady place for 3 days to dry. Plant the cutting directly in the soil or in polybags containing 3 parts soil and 2 parts sand. One third of the cutting’s length should be placed in the soil (i.e. if the cutting is 1.5m long, plant it 50cm deep). The soil should be moist but not over watered. Cuttings planted in polybags will take a long time to develop roots and may be planted out after 2 or 3 months.

Production rates
Within 3 years of planting one tree will produce 300 to 400 pods every year and a mature tree can produce up to 1000 pods. Frequent pruning of the growth tips will maintain and increase leaf growth and the height can be controlled to make harvesting easier.

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farmeric January 6th, 2011

Around the world every part of the Moringa tree has been used effectively against varying ailments. Some of the remedies are described here but there is no guarantee they will work for every case!

Leaves

• Leaves rubbed against the temple can relieve headaches.
• To stop bleeding from a shallow cut, apply a poultice of fresh leaves.
• There is an anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effect when applied to wounds or insect bites.
• Extracts can be used against bacterial or fungal skin complaints.
• Leaf tea treats gastric ulcers and diarrhea.
• Eating Moringa food products is good for those suffering from malnutrition due to the high protein and fibre content.

Flowers

• Flower juice improves the quality and flow of mothers’ milk when breast feeding.
• Flower juice is useful for urinary problems as it encourages urination.

Pods

• If eaten raw, pods act as a de-wormer and treat liver and spleen problems and pains of the joints.
• Due to high protein and fibre content they can play a useful part in treating malnutrition and diarrhea.

Seeds

• Used for their antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties to treat arthritis, rheumatism, gout, cramp, sexually transmitted diseases and boils. The seeds are roasted, pounded, mixed with coconut oil and applied to the problem area. Seed oil can be used for the same ailments.
• Roasted seeds and oil can encourage urination.
• They can also be used as a relaxant for epilepsy.

Roots, bark and gum

The roots and the bark have all of the properties described above but are more concentrated. Therefore much more care should be taken if using them as medicines.

Tags: malunggay, malunggay leaves, medicinal plant, medicine

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farmeric January 2nd, 2011

Moringa or malunggay seed powder can be used as a quick and simple method for cleaning dirty river water. The powder joins with the solids in the water and sinks to the bottom. This treatment also removes 90-99% of bacteria contained in water.
Using Moringa to purify water replaces chemicals such as aluminum sulphate, which are dangerous to people and the environment, and are expensive.

Twenty litres of water can be treated in the following way:

1. Remove the wings and brown seed coat and discard any seed kernels that have dark spots or any other signs of damage.
2. Pound the kernels to a fine powder.
3. Add 2 grams (2 small spoons) of powder to one cup of clean water, pour into a bottle and shake for 5 minutes.
4. Filter the solution through a clean cloth into the bucket of dirty water that is to be treated. Continue Reading »
   

   Tags: Food, honey, malunggay, moringa, moringa oleifera, sugar cane, water purifier
   

   • Environment , Food , Health , Plants , Tips , Water Treatment , honey , malunggay
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