Drumstick Curry

Ingredients:

• 3-4 drumsticks, cut into 1-2″
• 2 tomato (medium size)
• 1 onion (medium size)
• 1 tablespoon of chilli powder
• 1 tablespoon of coriander powder
• 2-4 tablespoon of groundnuts (grind)
• turmeric
• salt

Instructions:

1. Bring 1 litre of water to boil. Add 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder and salt per your taste into the boiling water.
2. Add the drumsticks into the boiling water.
3. Close the lid and allow them to boil until they are 80% cooked and keep them aside together with the water.
4. In another pan, pour in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
5. Add a teaspoon of cumin and mustard seeds to the pan and fry until they are aromatic.
6. Add 5-6 smashed garlic cloves to the pan and fry them for a while.
7. Add a few curry leaves.
8. Add in the chopped onions, stir fry for a while then add in 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder.
9. Continue to stir fry it until the onions become soft.
10. Add two finely chopped tomatoes and continue to stir fry it until they become soft.
11. Add in 1 tablespoon of chilli powder and 1 tablespoon of coriander powder. Mix well and continue to stir fry until there is less moist and until the oil starts to appear.
12. Pour the Moringa pods and the water in. Mix it well with and close the lid for about 3-4 minutes on medium flame.
13. Add the grind groundnut in the pan and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes on medium flame
14. Lastly, add in the coriander leaves.

Moringa Drumstick Curry

Indian Drumstick Curry >>

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Indian Drumstick Curry

Ingredients:

• 3-4″ drumsticks cut into 2 to 3cm long. Rinse thoroughly.
• ¾ cup moringa leave
• 1 onion medium-size, chopped finely
• 8-10 curry leaves
• 100ml of coconut milk
• 30g assam paste rinsed
• 2 tbsp chickpeas flour mixed with 4 tbsp water.
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• ½ cup coriander chopped
• salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Soak tamarind paste in 200ml of warm water. Stir and squeeze the Assam pulp. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, add in drumsticks, sufficient water to cover the drumstick, a pinch of salt and turmeric powder. Cook it on high heat for 8 minutes. Cook till the drumsticks are tender, but at the same time remain intact. Do not overcook them. Set aside.
3. In a heated pan with olive oil, add in mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Fry till it splutters. Add in turmeric powder, curry leaves, onions and Moringa leaves.
4. Stir fry till the onions turn translucent. Add coriander powder, chilli powder and the tamarind water along with tamarind.
5. Once it starts boiling, add the drumsticks along with the water and mix gently.
6. Add in the chickpeas-water mixture to the boiling curry. Continue to stir till the curry thickens. Reduce the flame.
7. Add coconut milk, mix it gently and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
8. Have a taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
9. Garnish with coriander and enjoy with a warm bowl of rice.

Indian Drumstick Curry

Moringa Thai Salad >>

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Moringa Thai Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Moringa pod
• 5 pieces of chopped straw mushrooms
• 2 red onions
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• ½ plate of hard white tofu
• some lettuce
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1.5 teaspoons of syrup
• 7 small hot chilli

Instructions:

1. Cut the hard white tofu into small dice and deep fry them until crispy.
2. Peel the outer layer of Moringa pods and cut them into 1-2″.
3. Bring water to boil and put the Moringa pod to blanch until cooked. Scoop up, soak in a cold water bath and put it in a sieve to drain the water.
4. Make a spicy salad sauce by mixing all the ingredients together in a prepared cup.
5. Put the blanched Moringa seeds into the mixing bowl. Add straw mushrooms, red onion, followed by spicy salad sauce made in step 4. Scoop over, place on a plate with lettuce and sprinkle the fried tofu.

Moringa Chicken Peanut Soup >>

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Moringa Chicken Peanut Soup

(For vegetarian, replace chicken meat with mock meat or tofu)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of peanut butter
• 2 tbsps of tomato paste
• 1 tbsp of smoked paprika
• 1 cup of shallots
• a handful of fresh basil
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 small ginger (Chopped)
• 1 tsp of black peppercorn
• 1 large chicken thighs (cut Into Pieces)
• 1 tbsp of salt
• 2 small tomatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 5 scotch bonnet peppers
• 1 cup of fresh Moringa leaves (washed)

Instructions:

1. Pour the peanut butter into a small saucepan, add the tomato paste, smoked paprika, water, stir into a smooth mixture and place on medium heat.
2. Stir continuously until oil appears on the surface for 10 minutes. Take off heat and set aside.
3. Pour the shallots into a blender, add basil, garlic, ginger, black peppercorn, water and blend into a smooth mixture.
4. Pour the chicken into a saucepan, add the blended mixture, add salt, stir and let simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes, onion, peanuts mixture, stir and let it boil for 7 minutes.
6. Take out the tomatoes, onion, pour into a blender, add scotch bonnet pepper and blend into a smooth mixture. Pour this mixture back into the soup.
7. Allow it to boil for 15 minutes, then add the Moringa leaves, stir and let simmer for 3 minutes.
8. Moringa chicken peanut soup ready to serve.

Moringa Soup (Thai) >>

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Moringa Soup (Thai)

Ingredients:

• 8 Moringa pods (best to get the super young tender ones)
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 4 cups of water
• 1 lemongrass stalk
• 3 garlic cloves
• ½ teaspoon of red chilli peppers
• 1″ piece of ginger, peeled
• pinch of curry leaves
• 2 tablespoons of fish sauce

Instructions:

1. Prep Moringa pods by peeling the tough outer layer with a veggie peeler and then cutting the pods into 2″ sections.
2. Smash garlic, ginger, and chilli in a mortar and pestle with salt.
3. Heat veggie oil or grapeseed oil in a dutch oven on medium high heat. Fry the garlic, ginger and chile mixture into the hot oil and stir for a minute for two until it becomes fragrant.
4. Add water, coconut milk, lemon grass, curry leaves and fish sauce to the pot and let it come to a boil.
5. Toss Moringa pods into the broth and let them cook for about 10 minutes or until tender.
6. Meanwhile, heat a pot of salted water until boiling. Add one package of soba noodles to boiling water and cook for no more than 4 minutes. Strain the noodles and then immediately coat them with sesame oil.
7. Add the noodles to the bottom of a bowl and then pour soup over. Garnish with fresh basil and lemon or lime juice.

Stir Fried Moringa Flowers (Indian) >>

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Stir Fried Moringa Flowers (Indian)

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp of mustard seeds
• 1 dried chilli
• 1 tsp of dhal
• 1 tsp of turmeric powder
• 1/2 cup of grated coconut
• 1 tsp of cumin seeds
• 1 green chilli
• Some curry leaves
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 small onions

Instructions:

1. Blend the grated coconut with cumin seeds, curry leaves, garlic and small onions.
2. Wash the Moringa flowers and leave to soak in water. Add in the turmeric powder into the water. After 15 minutes, drain the Moringa flowers and keep aside.
3. Heat up the pan and add in some cooking oil, add in the mustard seeds followed by the dried chilli and stirred fried until fragrant.
4. Add in the dhal and cook it until it turns brown.
5. Add in the Moringa flowers and mix well
6. Add in the blended grated coconut and salt to taste
7. Cover the pan with lid and cook with medium to low flame for about 5 minutes.
8. Serve when Moringa flowers have become soft.

Stir fried Moringa Flowers (Indian)

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Transcript

Vickie Domingo: There is a taste in here that you cannot find in other vegetables, and the more you eat, the more it becomes tasty, and you keep on, you know, asking for it.

What this farmer in Hawaii is talking about is not a vegetable, it’s a tree. And while Vickie Domingo says it has an unusual flavour, there’s more to this tree that meets the taste buds.

Vickie Domingo: You keep on eating and eating, and you can feel your body is more energetic, more healthy, and you can see the difference. You are not drooping, you know you keep on, you know just so active. You have to remove one by one like this.

Domingo says she has grown this tree on her farm for more than 25 years. She harvests Moringa twice a week all year round.

Every week Domingo sends a thousand pounds of Moringa to the mainland. The rest of it ends up here at a Honolulu farmers market where most of her customers have eaten it their entire lives.

Vickie Domingo: Well, in the Philippine is a third country, in other words, not a rich country. We cannot afford to go to the doctor for medicinal purposes. So, we use this in our daily lives so we can have more energy, more vitamins to supplement our daily nutrition in our body.

The tree is called Moringa or as the Filipinos called it Malunggay.

Dr. Will McClatchey: An awful lot of cultures have one or more plants that are kind of markers that people think of themselves when they think of that plant.

Dr. Will McClatchey is an Ethnobotanist at the University of Hawaii. He studies the way that humans interact with plants.

Dr. Will McClatchey: If you drive around Honolulu here you’ll see a lot of houses have at least one Malunggay in the yard, maybe a little forest of them and that’s a pretty good indicator that there’s a Filipino family there.

Vickie Domingo: Jokingly, we say it’s our Filipino Banner, which is our Filipino flag. Once you see this, that means, a Filipino stays there.

Domingo says there are many nutritional and medicinal uses for Moringa.

Vickie Domingo: All parts of the tree are usable, from the roots to the stem, to the leaves, to the flowers and to the pods. The roots you can use that as a tea and then the trunk, you can scrape it, squeeze it, get the juice, put it in your cut skin and your skin will heal.

Some of this may be folktale, but some cultures have used Moringa as a medicinal plant for thousands of years. McClatchey says Moringa is worthy of its reputation as a tree with unusual nutritional properties.

Dr. Will McClatchey: Moringa is one of these trees that is a multi-purpose plant that fulfils such a high percentage of kind of basic needs that when people get used to using it, they really can’t see what it’s like to live without it.

And many cultures don’t. Today, Moringa is used as a remedy and in essence, a multivitamin in many of the world’s warmest regions.

Dr. Will McClatchey: Moringa is used widely in Africa and South Asia, and it’s been introduced into South America and Central America where it’s also being used. So, you know, this is not just a plant of a single community.

Dr. Mark Olson: We’re just talking this morning with one of the owners of this plantation, and he was just telling me how he did last time he was here he had a handful of Moringa leaves, and he worked all morning on it and felt great.

Dr. Mark Olsen is a botanist and a leading expert on Moringa. He teaches at Instituto de Biología Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in Mexico City. Here, he is visiting a new Moringa farm about 2 hours outside the city limits.

Dr. Mark Olsen: So they just planted these here, and soon they’ll be nice and big.

Olson says that while Moringa can grow in places like Mexico or Hawaii, the tree is native to arid subtropical regions, places like Africa and Southern India, hot places where Moringa has proven its persistence.

Dr. Mark Olsen: This is a plant that really does extraordinarily well in some of the most difficult areas and areas that are very hot, areas that are very dry, areas where other things are very difficult to cultivate. Look at the little tuber there, this is one of the reasons it survives so well in dry areas. Also, they are storing lots of water in the wood, so that’s one of the reasons this is a remarkable tree. They don’t have particularly deep roots. That’s sort of a myth about Moringas that they survived because they have deep roots. No! They’re storing water in their roots and their trunk.

But Moringa, says Olsen, does a lot more than just survive despite the trees’ sometimes scraggly appearance.

Dr. Mark Olsen: I don’t think they’re actually the most attractive tree. They’re more a tree that you look at and sort of love the way you love a scruffy friend or a scruffy dog, because the branches sort of splay here and there. They get burdened down with huge quantities of fruits on them and that actually makes the tree so remarkable, as it is such a generous tree.

And that’s because people have found multiple uses for so much of the tree including its seeds.

Dr. Mark Olsen: They are full of oil. You press the seeds, and this wonderful aromatic oil comes oozing out, which you can use for cooking, can be used for cosmetics or lubrication or whatever. And the cake, the pressed cake, the stuff that’s left over after pressing the seeds, that is what’s used for water purification.

Water purification Olson says, is especially useful in developing countries where clean water is hard to come by, but the benefits don’t stop there.

Dr. Mark Olsen: Some other things, I think are most exciting about Moringa, for example, the high vitamin content. There is a lot of vitamin A in the leaves, and worldwide that’s a problem. A lot of people have problems in development of their eyes because they don’t have enough vitamin A.

Moringa’s vitamin A content and its content of vitamins in general, has caught the attention of scientists around the world.

Dr. Monica Marcu: I started to read about Moringa and I was absolutely amazed about the richness in nutrients in many antioxidant compounds and vitamins.

Dr. Monica Marcu is a pharmacologist who has studied many plants. She has done extensive research on Moringa and says it has significant nutritional potency. This subject is one of the topics of her recently published book, Miracle Tree.

Dr. Monica Marcu: To me, it was just a natural pathway from my scientific background and my love for trees to writing this exciting book on one of the most exciting and extraordinary trees of our world.

Marcu spends much of her time looking at trees and plants, both as a pharmacologist and as an artist. While Marcu the nature photographer is grabbing shots of plants, Marcu the pharmacologist says she has a bigger concern.

Dr. Monica Marcu: We are having an epidemics of cancer and cardiovascular diseases and many other chronic diseases. It’s because we basically do not eat what we are supposed to eat. Most of the plants are famous for a particular type of nutrients. For instance, the orange or the lemon is famous for high content of vitamin C. The spinach for instance, on the other hand, is famous for its iron content. Moringa is very unusual because this single plant contains a wide variety of nutrients but also in quite very high amounts.

Marcu says this concentration of nutrients combined with low calories and low sodium content makes Moringa an ideal energy food or supplement that can help offset the typically unhealthy western diet.

Dr. Monica Marcu: Many of the westerners are also deficient in antioxidant and anti-ageing substances that are mostly found in plants.

Antioxidants, according to the National Institutes of Health, protect the body cells and may prevent cancer and Marcu says Moringa is a treasure trove of antioxidants that happen to work hand in hand.

Dr. Monica Marcu: Antioxidant substances and antioxidant vitamins work together in the body. For instance, it is known that selenium works better in the presence of Vitamin E. Moringa has high amounts of selenium and also has vitamin E.

While many plants contain antioxidants, Dr. McClatchey says that Moringa is also high in the nutrients we usually associate with meat.

Dr. Will McClatchey: Moringa is well known for being a good source of leafy green vegetable protein, and you don’t get a lot of protein out of many vegetable foods other than like beans and things like that. So, getting it out of leaves is really a big deal.

While there are a few other plants like soy that are protein-rich, Olson says Moringa is special.

Dr. Mark Olsen: I have a lot of food allergies. I’m allergic to wheat, allergic to eggs. Soy tends to be a fairly highly allergenic food, causes allergies easily in many people. We think that this is because of the form that some of the proteins are in, in soy. There are apparently in a form that’s very simple and fairly easy for the body to assimilate in Moringa.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Moringa contains 18 of the 20 amino acids, building blocks of protein that are found in the human body. As says Marcu, Moringas one of the few plants that contains all of the essential amino acids.

Dr. Monica Marcu: Moringa contains all the nine essential amino acids that actually we cannot produce. Their presence but also their ratio is very beneficial, and it is estimated that this ratio is very good for absorption and for being bioavailable to our bodies.

Further research is needed to establish the bioavailability of all of Moringas nutrients. But in some places, scientific studies may be too long a pursuit and take a backseat to a harsh reality.

Lowell Fugllie: In most of the sub-Saharan Africa, any baby has a 20% chance of dying before he reaches the age of five, in some countries up to 40%. And even those who survived past the age of 5 up to half or more will suffer from malnourished physical and mental development.

These are lesions caused by malnutrition, around the neck and around the waist. They are dry now but will become permanent scars.

As the former regional representative for Church World Service in Senegal for 16 years, it was Lowell Fugllie’s mission to help local clinics develop ways to save children at risk to malnutrition.

Lowell Fugllie: Having been born myself into a middle-class American family, I thought it’s just by chance that I was born in these conditions and not in the condition of a poor African family in the bush of Africa and living a malnourished life. And so I have a certain obligation to share what I received.

In his quest to combat malnutrition, Fugllie came across Moringa in the late 1990s.

Lowell Fugllie: It contains more vitamins and minerals in various combinations that you find in any other possible vegetable, and I thought to myself if this source of nutrition could be made available at the village level, then this could be a very effective tool in preventing malnutrition.

What Fugliie says he didn’t know at that time was that the Senegalese people were already familiar with Moringa.

Lowell Fugllie: It was only through a Peace Corps volunteer working in forestry who told me that Moringa is already growing in Senegal.

Not only it was growing; the people had been using it for generations, only they didn’t refer to as Moringa. They called it “Neva Die” which Fugllie suspects comes from the English word “Never die” after the tree’s resilience.

Lowell Fugllie: I asked any Senegalese, do you know the Neva die tree? Oh yes, my mother makes a sauce from this leaves of this tree. We called it Mboum. Every Senegalese knew this tree.

The problem says Fugllie was it was prepared and used in ways that diminish Moringa’s nutritive content.

Lowell Fugllie: They boil the leaves too long. They throw out the water that is boiled in where many of the vitamins are located, and they lose a lot of the benefits of the leaves could provide.

So Fugllie went to work both planting Moringa trees and more importantly educating healthcare workers on how Moringa can help stave off malnutrition.

Madame Blanche Sambou Diatta: I was trained in 1998, and right away we saw the virtues of using Moringa because of it’s very high nutritional value. So we began using it right away on an experimental basis.

Health care workers learn to grow their own Moringa trees, dry the leaves and pound them into powder, maintaining all the nutrients. Nursing mothers were taught to add a spoonful of Moringa to their food morning, day and night to increase their milk production. They were also told to add Moringa to all their family’s meals.

Lowell Fugllie: When we introduced this tree in Senegal or uses of the tree and different ways of using it, the reactions of the people there was “This is our tree. You know, you just adding on what we know already.”

As people change their habits, Fugllie says the results were clear, especially among children.

Lowell Fugllie: They looked happier, they have more energy, they’ll smile. When they came to the clinic, limp eyes, drooping, no energy and within three weeks, you see them bigger, healthier and smiling.

Madame Blanche Sambou Diatta: We observe that it was much much more effective than the classic system we had been using, which was based on imported and costly products such as milk powder, sugar and vegetable oil. With Moringa, people can go into town and find it themselves.

Lowell Fugllie: Moringa is still being used, is still being promoted, still being very valued even without our input from the outside. Moringa, it doesn’t die. It can continue on its own.

Vickie Domingo: So you have to eat the Moringa on a daily basis, and all the grandkids are eating it every now and then. Even my own children and they are already professionals, and yet they come home and eat it.

And while Moringa is mostly considered an ethnic food, the trend says McClatchey, is that more nutritious plants like Moringa are finding their way into the mainstream.

Dr. Will McClatchey: Our diets are pretty bad, although they are improving. But one of the reasons they’re improving is because we’re starting to adopt more and more these kinds of plants.

Dr. Mark Olsen: I’ve been in villages where the only trees that survive and grow well are Moringa Oleifera. Which is really amazing when you consider how many useful things the tree provides.

Dr. Monica Marcu: Moringa has come very close to a perfect source of nutrients in terms of variety and concentration. So that is I think very unique about this Moringa tree.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and ease of understanding.

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Transcript

Moringa plant is beginning to gain more popularity as a new superfood for its highly nutritious profile and powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and tissue protective properties among many other health benefits.

Moringa Oleifera, also known as horseradish tree, ben tree, or drumstick tree is a small tree from India, Pakistan and Nepal. That has been used for generation in eastern countries to treat and prevent diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, anaemia, arthritis, liver disease and respiratory, skin and digestive disorders.

Moringa has become popular as a natural leaf powder supplement. Although the pods, roots, bark, flowers, seeds and fruit are also edible. It’s used as a traditional remedy for many ailments, and here are 10 scientifically backed health benefits of consuming the Moringa leaf.

It’s nutrient-packed.

Moringa is a rich source of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. It contains significant amounts of vitamin A, C and E, calcium, potassium and protein.

Antioxidants fight free radicals, molecules that cause oxidative stress, cell damage and inflammation. Moringa contains antioxidants called flavonoids, polyphenols and ascorbic acids in the leaves, flowers and seeds. A study found that leaf extracts had higher antioxidants activity, free-radical-scavenging capacity and high inhibition of lipid, protein and DNA oxidation than flowers and seeds. This means it prevents the damage and degradation that free radicals cause in the cells of different organs in the body, keeping them healthy and functioning at their best.

It fights inflammation.

Inflammation can lead to chronic diseases like diabetes, respiratory problems, cardiovascular disease, arthritis and obesity. Moringa reduces inflammation by suppressing inflammatory enzymes and proteins in the body, and Moringa leaf concentrate can significantly lower inflammation in the cells.

It helps reduce some diabetes symptoms.

Moringa leaf powder has been effective in reducing lipid and glucose levels and regulating oxidative stress in diabetic patients. Which means it lowers blood sugar and cholesterol and improves protection against cell damage.

It protects the cardiovascular system.

Moringa leaf powder has heart-healthy benefits, particularly in blood lipid control, the prevention of plaque formation in the arteries and reduced cholesterol levels.

It supports brain health.

Moringa supports brain health and cognitive function because of its antioxidant and neuro-enhancer activities. It is also been tested as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease with favourable preliminary results. Its high content of vitamins E and C fight oxidation that leads to neuron degeneration and improving brain function. It also able to normalize the neurotransmitter serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline in the brain, which play a key role in memory, mood, organ function, responses to stimulus such as stress and pleasure, and mental health, for example, in depression and psychosis.

It protects the liver .

Moringa contains high concentration of polyphenols in its leaves and flowers that protect the liver against oxidation, toxicity and damage. Moringa can reduce liver damage and fibrosis, and reverse oxidation in the liver. Moringa oil can also restore liver enzymes to normal levels, reducing oxidative stress and increasing protein content in the liver. The liver is responsible for blood detoxification, bile production, fructose metabolism, fat metabolism and nutrient processing and it can only fulfil the functions with the aid of liver enzymes, so it’s vital that they stay at normal levels. For instance, lower levels of hepatic enzymes can impair its ability to filter the blood.

It contains antimicrobial and antibacterial properties.

Moringa has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties that fight infections. It’s been effective against types of fungi that cause infections on skin and strains of bacteria responsible for blood and urinary tract infections, and digestive problems.

It enhances wound healing.

Moringa has blood-clotting properties in its leaves, roots and seeds that benefit wound healing and can reduce clotting time. Which means it reduces the time it takes for scratches, cuts, or wounds to stop bleeding.

How to use it.

You can add moringa powder to your smoothie or drink it as a tea. The leaf powder was deemed safe in human studies, even in larger doses than normal. The Moringa has a mild flavour. So it makes for a light Moringa tea with a slightly earthy taste. But you might want to stay clear of seed extract consumption as they have shown a level of toxicity in immune cells. Moringa can have laxative effects in large quantities. So, a safe dose to introduce it into your food or diet or avoid digestive problems is 1/2 to 1 teaspoon per day.

Hope you enjoy the video. Remember to like and share. Thanks for watching.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and ease of understanding.

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Transcript

The Moringa Miracle Tree

A variety of microorganisms and vermin can attack the nascent Moringa if planted in a natural tropical soil. The best way to avoid this is to germinate the Moringa seeds on filter or kitchen paper in the humid and warm environment before planting the seedlings outside.

Only the roots of now more resistant seedlings, here Moringa Stenopetala should be put into the soil and carefully cover with earth leaving the endosperm which contains all the nutrients for the young seedling above the ground.

The second species now planted is Moringa Oleifera.

On the 21st of June, 44 days after germination, the young plants are set into their final place. And soon they thrive and prosper.

So our Moringa tree has now grown to about 70 centimetres in height and it would continue to grow vertically without making many side branches. But since our main aim is to produce as much as possible leaves, we are cutting the tree now, the upper 20 or 15 centimetres to encourage the tree to grow horizontally to build more side branches and produce more leaves near to the ground. So here we cut it now. Just the same that we have just done to our Moringa Oleifera tree with a small leaf, we are doing now to the second species we have planted here the Moringa Stenopetala.

Only a few days later, we can see the first side branches appear. Now it is time for the second cut to grow our Moringa tree even more bushy. We will cut it again about 20 to 30 centimetres from the top and the leaves we are gaining, we will dry and with this, we form out first Moringa leaf powder. This is it. We have another one here. We also cut it.

Today is the 21st of October, six months after the seeds of this Moringa tree germinated. During these six months, we cut them down to a height about one meter to sixty centimetres to allow the trees to grow more branches and despite of this cutting down, some of the branches have grown up to four meters in height. Now the dry season is approaching, the leaves of the lower branches are turning yellow and it is time for us to cut the tree the third time. This time again down to about 1 meter. We harvest the green leaves for drying and prepare the tree to produce more branches and more leaves the next season to come.

The leaves must dry completely in a shady place to be properly preserved before being pulverised. As the rainy season with a relative air humidity of over 70 per cent already has arrived, we use an electrical oven for the final drying process.

For the final and gentle drying of the leaves, we use the oven in convection mode and at the temperature of about 40 centigrade and for a time of about 30 minutes. Since we are lacking is a small mesh cooking grate, we are using a clean cotton wool fabric to place the leaves on.

The door of the oven remains a slit open to allow the humid air to flow out. For the final step of the process, the blender is used to pulverise our dry leaves.

Why Moringa

Dried leaves contain almost everything the human body needs.

10 of 20 amino acids, 8 essential amino acids, 25 anti-inflammatory substances.

4x more vitamin A than carrots, 4x more Folic Acid (vitamins B9) than beef liver, 4x more vitamin E than wheat

4x more calcium than milk, 15x more Potassium than banana, 25x more iron than spinach, 6x more polyphenols then red wine

46 antioxidants (ORAC value 76,000 is highest known of all plants)

Same protein as chicken eggs.

and all the other parts of the tree can be used.

Moringa helps fight malnutrition in children of developing countries

This transcript has been edited for clarity and ease of understanding.

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