Thursday, December 17, 2009
One of the many vegetables that I really respect and love is Malunggay (scientific name: Moringa Oleifera). Regarded as a "miracle tree" by research scientists and nutritionists, it boasts numerous medicinal and health benefits. The tree can thrive on up to 48 degrees centigrade temperature but it is said to be best suited for 15-35 degrees environment. It's easy to grow and doesn't require too much tending and care. We have two malunggay trees now in our backyard courtesy of my mother.
Per analysis, the dark green oval-shaped leaves contain more Vitamin A than carrots, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, more Vitamin C than oranges, and more potassium than bananas and that the protein quality of Moringa leaves rivals that of milk and eggs. Most breastfeeding mothers here in the Philippines are advised to eat malunggay to produce more milk for her baby.
On the medicinal benefits, malunggay is known long before for its antibiotic and antifungal properties. However, claims on this note needs to be supported with placebo controlled, randomized clinical trials. Although scientific evidences were available for over 50 years, much of these are completely unknown to western scientists. Also, recent pronouncement from Bureau of Plants Industry says that eating malunggay helps to increase the sperm count of men. Aw, men, this must be a very welcome news for all of you out there who has problem with numbers down there.
Aside from being eyed as a solution to hunger and chronic malnutrition to impoverished areas here in the Philippines, it is also being considered as a potential source of biofuel. The seed of malunggay is said to be 36% oil. According to Engr. Manayaga, President and CEO of Secura International Corp., a local biotechnology company, they need at least 20,000 hectares to support the available market for malunggay products like food fortification, animal feeds, cosmetics, edible oil and water treatment among others. The market is there, but sad to say, there is no sustainable supply to go with it. Secura will buy the seeds of malunggay from the growers at a farmgate prize of P10 per kilo for the production of moringa oil. For this, they need around 500,000 hectares of malunggay trees. Further, Secura earlier declared that it is keen on forging supply contracts with farmers planting malunggay.
There! A shoutout to those who have idle lands for possible earning big sum of money.
Source info:
http://www.tfljournal.org/article.php/20051201124931586 written by Jed W. Fahey, Sc.D.
http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&fi=p080401.htm&no=26 written by Rizalie A. Calibo
