An Extraordinary Medicinal Plant from India

Medical doctors and Allopathic medicines for various kinds of diseases came into existence, as we know of now, just about some 300 - 400 years back, according to my knowledge. What did people do in the earlier period when they fell ill? All kinds of illnesses had been attacking the human beings ever since the first man and woman were created. One would ask, why didn’t God introduce physicians among them to care for their health? No, no my friend. God hadn’t forgotten the medical necessity at all. He had provided it in a very novel way. Man came to know that several herbs, vegetables, leaves, trees, roots etc could be used to heal almost any type of ailment. Man only discovered them but God had put them in place on the ground long back. Some 5000 years ago in India, the rishies and other holy men who had renounced the world and lived in forests, caves and mountains had identified over the years numerous medicinal plants and trees for keeping people free from any health problems; all these by trial and error. Even today in remote Indian villages, people don’t go in for modern medicines but would pluck out some plant, process it into juice form and drink it or use some plants/vegetable in their diet and presto they get cured. Grand mothers would always advise their grand children to eat certain vegetables daily in order to keep themselves hale and hearty or apply a paste of sorts made out of roots, leaves etc as treatment for some skin disease. For each disease a particular “Natural medicine” is available. But, one special medicinal plant was found to be a marvellous magic wand for several purposes. Not only for maintaining good health of human beings but also for animals. Its name is Moringa leaves. Its botanical name is “Moringa olefeira” and was first grown in the Northern part of India. If allowed, it could grow into a huge tree and supply a vegetable called ‘drum stick’. At the plant stage, its leaves, popularly called ‘Murungai keerai’ in the Tamil language, make a nutritious food for children, adults and the elderly. Over the years the tree had spread to most part of Asia, nearly the whole of Africa, South America, southern part of North America and some pockets in Europe. It has been found useful in a variety of departments of daily use such as, in nutrition, agriculture, soil control, water purification, industrial applications, cattle feed etc and also for treating various types of illnesses in humans and livestock as shown in the chart below: rnNutritionrnDisease PreventionrnOintmentrnAlley Cropping rnFertilizerrnErosion ControlrnWater PurificationrnCosmeticsrnTextile PrintingrnInsecticidernFungicidernLubricantsrnTanning LeatherrnDyernFiber ProductsrnFencesrnOrnamentation & ShadernWind BarrierrnCane Juice ClarifierrnHoney ProductionrnCondimentrnCooking OilrnHoney ClarifierrnFoodrn Traditional medicine:rnAnemiarnAnxietyrnAsthmarnBlackheadsrnBlood impuritiesrnBlood pressurernBronchitisrnCatarrhrnChest congestionrnCholerarnColitisrnConjunctivitisrnCoughrnDiabetesrnDiarrhearnDropsyrnDysenteryrnEye and ear infectionsrnFeverrnGlandular swellingrnGonorrhearnHeadachesrnHysteriarnIntestinal wormsrnJaundicernLactationrnMalariarnPain in jointsrnPimplesrnPregnancyrnPsoriasisrnRespiratory disordersrnScurvyrnSemen deficiencyrnSkin infectionsrnSore throatrnSoresrnSprainrnStomach ulcersrnTuberculosisrnTumorrnUrinary disordersrnWoundsrn rnIt looks to be an all purpose medicine, doesn’t it? Perhaps no other leaf possesses such manifold virtues of human use as the ‘Moringa leaf’. The Moringa leaves can be used (without prescription from a doctor!) as a cure for all the diseases mentioned above in addition to being a preventive medicine. It is a par excellence health tonic for all age groups. Scientists have been investigating the traditional claims about Moringa. Let’s take a look at what they have found:rnScientists’ discoveries Nutritional analysis has shown that Moringa leaves are extremely nutritious. In fact, they contain larger amounts of several important nutrients than the common foods often associated with these nutrients. These include vitamin C, which fights a host of illnesses including colds and flu. Vitamin A, which acts as shield against eye disease, skin disease, heart ailments, diarrhea, and many other diseases. Calcium, which builds strong bones and teeth and helps prevent osteoporosis. Potassium, which is essential for the functioning of the brain and nerves, and Proteins, the basic building blocks of all our body cells. Not only that, Moringa leaves also contain a wealth of other complementary vitamins and minerals. Another important point is that Moringa leaves contain amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins and they contains these amino acids in a good proportion. These leaves could be a great boon to people who do not get protein from meat. Further, it also contains argenine and histidine, which are especially important for infants who are unable to make enough protein for their growth requirements. Experts tell us that 30% of children in sub-Saharan Africa are protein deficient. Moringa could be an extremely valuable food source for them. We are all very familiar with the problems of malnutrition in several parts of our world; malnutrition leads to premature death. Moringa leaves provide the solution for malnutrition and could be nearly wiped out if Moringa leaves are included as an item of their daily menu. Scientists have also established that every single part of the Moringa tree has been of great use not only to the human beings in terms of their health in on form or the other but also for their livestock. Moringa makes a great fodder for cattle. The weight of livestock increased up to 32 per cent through Moringa feed. And the milk yield of cows increased by 43 percent. The dried leaves appear to be much more effective. One agriculturist fed his cows with just 2 kg of dry matter of Moringa per day in addition to the normal food he had been feeding them with and the milk production increased by 58 percent. Then he increased it to 3 kg per day, and the milk production increased by 65 percent. Perhaps more research would be needed in this regard. Imagine what would be the result if milk production in developing countries is increased manifold by this method. The health of a country’s populace would witness a quantum jump besides manufacturing various milk products which will provide employment for millions. Case study and more experiments rnIn 1997 to 1998, a test was conducted in Senegal to examine the ability of Moringa leaf powder to prevent or cure malnutrition in pregnant or breast-feeding women and their children. This test was collaboration between Church World Service, whose Senegal representative, Mr. Lowell Fuglie, was a well-known Moringa expert and the Senegalese organization, Alternative Action for African Development (AGADA). rnThe test produced wonders in pregnant women.rnAnother experiment was converting the Moringa leaves into powder form and using it as a spray. This spray has been found to be very effective with soybeans, corn, turnips, black beans, red beans, white beans, cow peas, bell peppers, chia, sunflowers, mung beans, onions, coffee, tea, chili peppers, melons and sorghum in that, their growth was accelerated, plants became firmer and more resistant to pest and other diseases, the life span was enhanced, roots were heavier and so were their stems and leaves; the yield of fruit was very large around 20 to 35 percent. You can also produce methane out of the leaves. Experiments have established that it is possible to produce 4400 cubic meters of bio-gas per hectare per year. That is up to twice as much methane as can be produced per hectare per year from sugar beet leaves, a common plant material for bio-gas. Further experiments are needed to examine this potential use of Moringa. Large scale productionrnIf Nations are to be benefited, each country should resort to producing the plant on a large scale. The scientists have proposed growing Moringa intensively, as a field crop at a spacing as close as ten to fifteen centimeters. You don’t have to allow the crop to grow into trees but the leaves could be plucked from time to time keeping the height at a low level. Thus, Moringa could be cultivated over a large area like paddy or wheat crops. ConclusionrnHaving noted down the volumes of advantages of the Moringa leaf, you in your own small way may like to grow it in your backyard garden. How to go about it? Buy from the market a couple of drumsticks; they would be around 15 - 20 inches long. Dry it and extract out the seeds. Plant the seeds in your garden and within days the plant will sprout out and mature into a grand mini tree and later as a full fledged one with eye catching green leaves. Use the leaves and the Moringa vegetable in your daily meals. Nothing could be a cheaper health protector and health giver for ordinary people than Moringa. In your own small way, get into some R & D activities and share your findings with others. Say for instance, you have migraine. Apply the Moringa paste on your forehead or make juice out of it and drink it. If it gives you relief, publish your findings in Bukisa or some other e-magazine so that more people could come to know of its veracity. Like this, you can try it out for various day to day uses and common ailments. Not to worry. There will be no side effect of any kind if you eat the leaves or drink its juice. It is a harmless material and would work only towards your better health. Don’t hesitate to experiment on it. You never know, you may turn out to be the inventor of some medicine or technology. So much about individual use. Next, pass on the idea to your government who could take it up for larger scale production and use in various fields on national level. They may go over to doing many experiments including clinical studies and research work in their own spheres on its use.