Moringa oleiferaDer WunderbaumMoringa oleifera

the miracle tree

Why do we call Moringa oleifera a miracle tree?

First, because of its nutritional properties

The leaves contain

• Vitamins

• Protein

• Minerals

Moringa leaves contain

Source: Trees for Lifewww.treesforlife.org

Moringa oleifera contains

Per 100g Moringa leaf powder

Fresh leaves

Calories 205.0 92

Protein (g) 27.1 6.7

Fat (g) 2.3 1.7

Carbohydrate (g) 38.2 12.5

Fibre (g) 19.2 0.9

Source: Fuglie, Lowell J., ed. The Miracle Tree: Moringa oleifera: Natural Nutrition for the Tropics. Training Manual. 2001. Church World Service, Dakar, Senegal.

<www.moringatrees.org/moringa/ miracletree.html>, May 2002.

Moringa oleifera: Minerals

Per100g Moringa leaf powder

Fresh leaves

Ca (mg) 2.003 440

Mg (mg) 368 42

P (mg) 204 70

K (mg) 1.324 259

Cu (mg) 0,6 0,07

Fe (mg) 28 0,85

Moringa oleifera: Vitamins

mg Moringa leaf powder

Fresh leavesr

Vitamin A - B carotene 16.3 6.78

Vitamin B1 - thiamin 2.6 0.06

Vitamin B2 - riboflavin 20.5 0.05

Vitamin B3 - nicotinic acid 8.2 0.8

Vitamin C - ascorbic acid 17.3 220

Vitamin E - tocopherol acetate 113.0 k.A.

Essential Amino Acidsmg per 100g Moringa leaf

powderFresh leaves

Arginine 1325 406

Histidine 613 150

Isoleucine 825 300

Leucine 1950 492

Lysine 1325 342

Methionine 350 118

Phenylalanine 1388 310

Threonine 1188 118

Tryptophan 425 107

Valine 1063 375

Moringa leaf powder

How do we make moringa leaf powder??

1. Pick the leaves.

2. Wash them in salt water and then again in fresh water.

3. Dry them in the shade.

Moringa leaf powder

4. When they are completely dry, pound them.

5. Rub them through a sieve.

Moringa leaf powder

6. Store in labelled jars or bags and keep in a dry, dark place.

Moringa leaf powderThen it is ready for use

As here, with

under-

nourished

children,

in Adi,

D. R. Kongo

Use moringa leaf powder

especially with …

• undernourished children

• pregnant women

• breast feeding mothers

• AIDS Patients

And how?

Mix one heaped

teaspoonful three times a day into the

food.

Simple!

Side effects

All are positive! For example:

• Diarrhoea ceases.

• Fungal infections on the skin disappear.

• Diabetes is stabilised.

• Anaemia improves.

• Tummy problems are helped.

One may also use the flowers

As tea to treat colds. In

omelettes they taste like

mushrooms.

Caution: flowers may prevent conception, and if used during

pregnancy they may cause abortion

And also the pods

When they are young, cook the pods as a vegetable.

When older, cook the white seeds like peas.

Take Moringa oleiferaevery day with the meals. Used together with Artemisia annua anamed tea, it can be just as effective as anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs, but without the usual side-effects.

Also use with HIV/AIDS

Patients

Use moringa to purify water

For 20 litres of water one needs 10 seeds

Procedure

1. Remove the shells.

2. Pound the white seeds.

3. Put the pounded seeds into a soda bottle with a little clean water and shake vigorously for 5 minutes.

4. Pour through a sieve

5. Stir slowly for 15 minutes

6. and wait!

In Kendu Bay, on the shores of Lake Victoria

it really was like a miracle.

Heavy rains had caused the lake water to turn brown.

After using moringa seeds, we could drink tea made with lake water – and taste the tea!

Almost every part is useful

• Leaves

• Flowers

• Seeds

• Roots

• Pods

Where does this tree grow?

• In tropical and sub-tropical semi-arid climates up to a height of about 1500 m.

• Where the rainfall lies between 250 and 3000 mm per year

• On light clay or sandy soils.• Even where droughts occur• And even where short term flooding occurs.

Everyone should plant many moringa trees!

Sow the seeds in good earth or damp paper

Set up a nursery!

like here in Bassar, Togo

Make a hedge, or a plantation

• Transplant into good earth in a large hole.

• Put a lot of compost in the hole and then cover the ground with mulch.

Constantly trim the

branches!

in order to produce the maximum amount of leaves and seeds!

In tropical climates the trees can be cut back 7 or 8 times a year. In a plantation one can produce up to 120 tons of dry leaves per

hectare and year!Source: Prof. Dr. K. Becker, University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim

Can you now believe that Moringa oleifera is a miracle tree?

Moringa stenopetala

There are other very important moringa trees.

M. Stenopetala grows in Ethiopia.

It has similar properties to M. oleifera.

Moringa stenopetala…is also used as a vegetable.

The tree is bigger than M. oleifera – leaves, pods, seeds, everything.

But it has not been so thoroughly researched.

Moringa oleifera

Thank you!