Moringa Tree

Appearance

"M. oleifera" is a fast-growing, deciduous tree. It can reach a height of 10–12 m and the trunk can reach a diameter of 45 cm. The bark has a whitish-grey colour and is surrounded by thick cork. Young shoots have purplish or greenish-white, hairy bark. The tree has an open crown of drooping, fragile branches and the leaves build up a feathery foliage of tripinnate leaves.

The flowers are fragrant and bisexual, surrounded by five unequal, thinly veined, yellowish-white petals. The flowers are about 1.0-1.5 cm long and 2.0 cm broad. They grow on slender, hairy stalks in spreading or drooping later flower clusters which have a length of 10–25 cm.

Flowering begins within the first six months after planting. In seasonally cool regions, flowering only occurs once a year between April and June. In more constant seasonal temperatures and with constant rainfall, flowering can happen twice or even all year-round.

The fruit is a hanging, three-sided brown capsule of 20–45 cm size which holds dark brown, globular seeds with a diameter around 1 cm. The seeds have three whitish papery wings and are dispersed by wind and water.

In cultivation, it is often cut back annually to 1–2 m and allowed to regrow so the pods and leaves remain within arm's reach.

Naming

"Moringa" derives from the Tamil word "murungai".

Reproduction

In India, from where moringa most likely originated, the diversity of wild types is large. This gives a good basis for breeding programs. In countries where moringa has been introduced, the diversity is usually much smaller among the cultivar types. Locally well-adapted wild types,though, can be found in most regions.

Because moringa is cultivated and used in different ways, exist different breeding aims. The breeding aims for an annual or a perennial plant are obviously different. The yield stability of fruits are an important breeding aim for the commercial cultivation in India, where moringa is cultivated as an annual. On less favorable locations, perennial cultivation has big advantages. Erosion is much smaller with perennial cultivation. In Pakistan, varieties have been tested for their nutritional composition of the leaves on different locations.
The different breeding aims result in a different selection. India selects for a higher number of pods and dwarf or semidwarf varieties. Breeders in Tanzania, though, are selecting for higher oil content.

Uses

Moringa has numerous applications in cooking throughout its regional distribution. It may be preserved by canning and exported.

In Bangladesh, it is made into a variety of curry dishes by mixing with coconut, poppy seeds, and mustard or boiled until the drumsticks are semisoft and consumed directly without any extra processing or cooking. It is used in curries, "sambars", "kormas", and "dals", although it is also used to add flavor to cutlets and other recipes.

The fruit meat of drumsticks, including young seeds, is used for soup. Young leaves can either be fried with shrimp or added as a topping in fish soup.

Several traditional Cambodian dishes use leaves of the moringa tree known as "daum m'rum", such as "korko". As it is a favorite vegetable, Cambodians traditionally grow moringa trees close to their residences.

Tender drumstick leaves, finely chopped, are used as garnish for vegetable dishes and salads. It is also used in place of or along with coriander. In some regions, the flowers are gathered and cleansed to be cooked with "besan" to make "pakoras".

The leaves may be fried and mixed with dried-fried tuna chips, onions and dried chillies. This is equivalent to a "sambal" and eaten along with rice and curry. In one area in the Maldives, a soup is made with these leaves and rice, and eaten especially for breakfast during Ramazan. It is also a common ingredient in an omelet. The pods are used to cook a mild curry.

In the Punjab region of India and Pakistan, moringa, called "soanjhna", flowers are first separated from the stem, boiled, mashed, and cooked. Curdle is an important element of its recipe to create a specific taste and favorite dish.

In Tamil Nadu, Moringa is known as "Murungakkai" and is used in Sambar.

The green pods, leaves, and flowers are used in a variety of Thai dishes, such as curries, stir-fries, soups, omelets, and salads. One of the most traditional dishes is sour Thai curry made with the drumstick pods and fish.

In the Philippines, moringa leaves, known as "kamunggay", "malunggay", or "marungay", are commonly added to broth as a simple soup. The leaves may also be used as a typical ingredient in "tinola", a traditional chicken dish consisting of chicken in a broth, moringa leaves, and either green papaya or another vegetable or in the all vegetable dish known as "utan". The leaves can also be processed with olive oil and salt for a pesto-like pasta sauce that has become popular on the Filipino culinary scene. Moringa juice may be mixed with "lemonsito" juice to make ice candies or cold drinks, possibly more palatable to those who dislike vegetables.

In 2007, Filipino Senator Loren Legarda campaigned for the popularization of moringa. She asked the government to make moringa among its priority crops for propagation, citing a Bureau of Plant Industry report about moringa's nutritional content. The leaves may also be used in making "polvoron", biofuel, and ben oil.In developing countries, moringa has the potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development, and support sustainable landcare. It may be used as forage for livestock, a micronutrient liquid, a natural anthelmintic, and possible adjuvant.

Moringa has been used in folk medicine, including Siddha medicine and Ayurvedic traditional medicines and in the Philippines. In Ayurvedic traditional medicine, the leaves are believed to affect blood pressure and glucose levels. In Africa, Indonesia, and the Philippines, moringa leaves are given to nursing mothers in the belief that they increase lactation.