In the summer of 2008 I began to take moringa powder. I was introduced to this leaf by the staff of ECHO, a non-profit organization that trains people in agricultural methods for working in third-world countries. There are 13 varieties of Moringa; the most well known is Moringa Oleifera. It is an exceptionally nutritious vegetable tree. The leaves contain: 27 % protein, 2 to 8.5 times more protein than yoghurt. They are a rich source of vitamins B, B1, B2, B3 and have 7 times more vitamin C than oranges, 4 to 16.5 times more calcium than milk, 4 to 10.5 times more vitamin A than carrots, 3 to 15 times more potassium than bananas and 12 times more iron than spinach.

My point in bringing up these figures now is that moringa seems to be making a difference. Twelve weeks after beginning to use the moringa power I had my usual lab tests. My oncologist was amazed at the change in my M-Spike count. It had dropped from 3.4 to 3.1. In the previous two years I had had a steady drop in the M-Spike after going “vegan” but the drop was only from 3.9 to 3.4.
So I am continuing to take moringa as capsules—4 capsules 6-8 times a day. And I occasionally make a tea out of the powder.
 

Moringa as a Food

The young, tender, mustard-favored leaves can be eaten raw in salads. The cooked leaves can also be used in soups. The powdered leaves were sprinkled over spaghetti when I had lunch at ECHO. The young leaves can be used for tea—better than using the powder but I don't have access to a tree!

From what I have read, the flowers are edible and taste similar to radish. People can cook the immature pods whole remove the seeds and cook as peas. The mature seeds are roasted and eaten as nuts. The oil of the mature seeds can be used in cooking. Even the roots can be ground and used like horseradish.

According to Frank Martin, the edible parts are exceptionally nutritious. In his book, Survival and Subsistence in the Tropics (Martin, Franklin W. and Ruberte, Ruth M., San German: Tropifarm, 1978, Paperback), he says that "among the leafy vegetables, one stands out as particularly good, the horseradish tree. The leaves are outstanding as a source of vitamin A and, when raw, vitamin C. They are a good source of B vitamins and among the best plant sources of minerals. The calcium content is very high for a plant. Phosphorous is low, as it should be. The content of iron is very good . . . They are an excellent source of protein and a very low source of fat and carbohydrates. Thus the leaves are one of the best plant foods that can be found."

Moringa the Tree

Moringa as a tree is known by many different names: Drumstick tree, Horseradish tree, Benzolive tree (French), Munaga (Urdu and Hindi), Kalor (Malay), Mulangai (Tagalog), Murungai (Tamil) and Marum (Thai) just a name a few.