The Nutritional Benefits Of Moringa -By Mariya Shuaibu Suleiman

As one of the world’s most useful plants, Moringa has a lot of nutritional value aside from its economic benefits which cures a lots of diseases and nourishes the skin.

Moringa oleiferais a fast growing drought resistant and slender softwood tree. It is a medium size tree of about 10 meters high belonging to the moringaceae family and  a single genus family with fourteen known species and of these, only Moringa oleifera is the most widely known and exceptional species and is planted in the whole tropical belt.

Moringa trees grow easily from seeds or cuttings. They grow quickly even in poor soils and bloom in eight months after planting. It is a nutritious plant grown in some parts of the world due to its health benefits

According to Verdcourt (1985), the tree is indigenous to Northern India and Pakistan  It is found widely distributed in both tropical and subtropics areas. It grows in the tropics and native to areas of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, South America, and Africa among others and it is also common in Nigeria, as it can be found particularly in rural communities of different parts of the country e.g.  it is much in Langtang, one of the Local Government Areas of  Plateau state.

Very little is known about how Moringa came to Nigeria though it is commonly found in the Northern and Middle-belt regions of the country. The early herbarium Specimen documents it as an ornamental tree, (planted in public parks and private gardens). 

Although Moringa oliefera tree is essentially not indigenous to Nigeria, it has become part of the traditional diet. Reliable information regarding its utilization is crucial but unfortunately in Nigeria, such data are often lacking, despite the economic importance of the plant, very little research has been done on the species although it is widely used by the rural people in Northern and Central regions of Nigeria as a food resource.

Moringa is commonly known by several names in different countries and tribes such as drumstick tree, wonder pant, ben oil tree or the miracle tree, the horse-radish tree, arising from the use of the root by Europeans in India as a substitute for horse radish (Palada and Chang, 2003; Radovich, 2009). In Nigeria it is known as Zogale (in Hausa), Gawara (in Fulfude), Okwe oyibo (in Ibo) and Ewe Igbale (in Yoruba) (Gombe,2009).

A Don, Prof. Zachariah Russom in Langtang North of Plateau State, who is a lecturer  in University  of Jos said”. Moringa is a miracle plant, a wonder plant which has proved to be a cure for more than 300 diseases in the world.”

The tree has leaves, bark, flowers, fruit, seeds, and root. All of them are used to make medicine and it has been used for centuries due to its medicinal properties.

Research shows that, the global Moringa products markets is segmented into tea, seeds, oil, leaf powder and others with the leaf powder category having the leading market share of about 30 percent.

Oil from the Moringa seeds is used in foods, perfume, and hair care products, and as a machine lubricant.

The leaves is seen as the most important part of the tree as it is mostly used in food such as Soup, Salad, Corn Porridge and in other local dishes. It is also turned into powder for various uses such as making it into drugs (medicine), hair care products, etc. And the bark, flowers, fruit and root has important functions too.

Juliana Gosar, a resident of Jos (the capital of Plateau state) said “ Moringa it is a vegetable, and it has leaves and  seeds too. Both of them are useful in human body.  It is a vegetable and is digestive, if you eat food, is good to follow it with vegetable. Hypertensive and diabetics patients use it. Both of the seeds and the leaves are very important in the body.”

Moringa tree is full of minerals, proteins and supporting vitamins and it has anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-depressant properties. It contains many healthful compounds such as vitamin A, Vitamin B1 thiamine, vitamin B2 riboflavin, vitamin B3 niacin, vitamin B6, folate and ascorbic acid vitamin C, calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc. It is extremely low in fats and contains no harmful cholesterol.

The leaves of the tree contain a lot of nutritents. It contains more Bcarotene than carrot, more protein than peas, more vitamin C than orange, more calcium than milk, more potassium than bananas and more iron than spinach (Palada and Chang. 2003; Radovich and Paull, 2008).

Prof. Zachariah R. said “Growing Moringa plant is like growing multi vitamins at your door step as science has proved that the leaves are packed with strengthen our bodies  and prevent many diseases and the leaves contained huge quantities of protein, vitamins C and A, and calcium.”

It is a highly nutritive crop, the tender pods, leaves and flowers of which are used as popular vegetables in cuisines (soup, porridge, salad) for their distinctly inviting flavor (Rajangam et al., 2001).

Mr. Sani Aminu, Jos resident, said “sometime we do it locally and put kulli-kulli and other things and then we consume it like a Salad. And then most of the times, I will ask my wife to extract the water from the Moringa’s leaves  and put it in a bottle for me and then I would be drinking it every day in the morning and in the evening when I come back from work. I used to take the water because it cures a lot of diseases like cancer, diabetes and blood pressure.”

Zainab Muhammad, a resident of Kano state said “I used Moringa leaves to make my delicious soup and Corn porridge. I also use to boil the leaves and eat it with Tomatoes, Onions and Kulli-kulli (as a local Salad) and is very nice and healthy because i’m diabetes patient and my doctor advised me to be eating a lot of Moringa leaves. I used to drink Moringa’s water too.”

Based on the several research conducted by many Medical experts, their findings shows that Moringa Oleifera have many health benefits and its uses range from health and beauty to help prevent and cure diseases. 

Moringa protects the liver, kidney disorder, Cardiovascular system, nourishes skin & hair and reduce blood pressure.

Zainab Muhammad, a diabetes and hypertensive patient said ” I took a lot of Moringa leaves as prescribed by my Doctor and is actually working for me.”

It also treats cancer, diabetes, asthma, anemia and sickle cell, stomach pain, mood disorder, edema from developing-a painful condition where fluid builds up in specific tissues in the body and improves the eye health.

One of the medical expert, Prof. Noel Wonnang said, “when compared Moringa tree to the other bulk of plants that are edible, we realized that it has a lot of potentials. As a medicinal plant, as an immune boaster, it has a good nutritional status.”

He further said “Moringa especially the leaves and oil is good for the eyes. People that have eyes problem can also make used of Moringa products.”

Rose Bako, a nutritionist said “ it is rich in iron which makes it good for people that has anemia i.e. people that have shut of blood in their body, when the take Zogale it can still give them the blood they have lost.”

Moring also fights against bacterial diseases, makes bones healthier and It helps wounds to heal.

Aisha Idris, a resident of Bauchi state said “i used to apply Moringa oil any time I have wound on my body and it heals fast.”

After several research on Moringa tree, many people now appreciates the plant because they have realized its nutritional value and the tend to grow it in their environments (gardens and farms).

Rose Godfrey Dawus said “before people don’t know it but when research has been done, many people are now beginning to like it and many people are beginning to grow it in their houses, around their environment because of its nutritional value and it is also good for the economic.”

There are Moringa factories established in Nigeria, one of which is Eden Moringa Factory established in Abuja which has opened a new lease of life for Moringa farmers with assurance of earning at least N500,000 monthly from its cultivation.

According to Moringa Farmers Association, over two million farmers are needed to service the factory, which specialize in the production of Moringa tea, Moringa oil, Moringa cake and Moringa based vegetable oil.

A farmer, John Ezekiel said, “Moringa is a very good plant and it has a lot of advantages. It has leaves, seeds, oil, etc and each has it own function in the body and generate income for me and my family. Planting Moringa doesn’t requires much efforts, I enjoy growing it and I encourage everybody interested in the plant to grow it too so that it would be everywhere.”

The Moringa business also provides employment opportunities in Nigeria thereby contribute in the reduction of unemployment issue in the country. The National Coordinator of the Moringa Farmers, Dr. Shuaibu Adamu during a press conference in Abuja  said “we need about two million farmers to feed our Moringa factory to get steady supplies. About 600 youths would be provided direct employment at the factory.”

It also connect Nigeria to the outside world in terms of business as the managing director of the Eden Moringa company, Mr. Michael Ashimashiga was quoted saying that other countries are demanding for the product which is even  more than their supply he  said “the current demand for the products has outweighed supply as they have demand from Saudi Arabia, Canada and other European countries.” 

Moringa leaves seller, Juliana Pam said, “Moringa business is very good and a lot of people like it especially the Moringa leaves. Women use the leaves to make soup, porridge, salad etc. Eventhough, it is a little bit expensive now but is still affordable and people use to buy it very much. Moringa business helps me alots.”

A survey was carried out to evaluate the potentials of Moringa within and outside the Kano metropolis of Kano state, Nigeria, where it serves as a vegetable and hedgerow plant for diet supplements and multipurpose utilizations.

The result of the survey indicated that, the plant is rated very high as diet supplements in the state, owing to the fact that it is very rich nutritional, apart from its economic and medicinal values. It is however recommended that nursery propagation be encouraged, and community interest in its cultivation mobilized.

Eventhough Moringa Oleifera has a lot of nutritional value, it also has side effects.  Some medical expert said “There have been very few side effects reported. People are advised to consult a doctor before taking Moringa extract. Anyone considering using Moringa, is recommeded to discuss it with a doctor first because Moringa may possess anti-fertility qualities and is not recommended for pregnant women.”.

Therefore, looking at the high nutritional value of Moringa plant and its economic benefits, people should endeavor to grow it in there environments so as to ensure its availability for consumption and also as a way of generating income.

There is also need for government to establish special market that will link scientists, nutritionist producers, farmers, industrialist, processors, investors, buyers, traders, consumers and traditional leaders as promoter of the crop. This can be done through

training, workshop or conferences of stakeholders.

MARIYA SHUAIBU SULEIMAN

STUDENT OF MASS COMMUNICATION,

BAYERO UNIVERSITY KANO.

Email Address:mariashuaibu234@gmail.com

Contact Address: 08141730146