If you are into healthy lifestyle and natural food, you've probbaly heard of Moringa. Originally from Asia, this fast-growing and drought-resistant plant can now be found in any tropical region. Often called the drumstick tree, the miracle tree, the ben oil tree, or the horseradish tree, Moringa Oleifera is widely cultivated for its seeds and leaves, and is used as vegetable, herbal medicine or water purification.
Moringa can be consumend in several ways, as many parts of the tree are edible. Although the most popular parts are the leaves (fresh or dry) and seeds, you can also eat the fruit pods, seed oil and roots. And each of them have their benefits. If it's classified as a superfood, it's for a reason.
The moringa leaves are so rich in protein, vitamins and minerals that it is used in many developping countries to treat malnutrition and augment breast milk in
lactating mothers. The main compounds of moringa leaves include:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
- Vitamin B3 (niacin)
- Vitamin B6
- Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
- Calcium
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Manganese
- Phosphorus
- Potassium
- Zinc
Moringa has been used for a long time in herbal medicine by Indians and Africans. The presence of phytochemicals makes it a great natural medicine, and can help curing over 300 diseases. A lot of research and experiments were undergone in the past years, and moringa has proved very efficient in the process of curing diabete and cancer.
And you know what? We have several moringa trees here at Casa Marimba, in our garden. We have enough to share it, and we're using its leaves in our organic salad (accompanying most of our dishes), so every meal you'll have with us won't only be delicious, but also super healthy!
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