Correct The Cause of Your Health Problems

If you think a simple answer to complex health problems can’t possibly be found in one source—much less a natural source? Think again. Moringa oleifera, a.k.a. the “Miracle Tree” could be just what the doctor ordered.

More energy. Less cholesterol. Normal blood sugar. Firm skin. Smooth joints. Even claims like increased breast milk supply and wart-free skin are among the praises sung by Moringa oleifera users.

This nutrient-rich, less-obscure-by-the-minute tree is making its way into the homes of an increasing number of Americans every day. Why? Sheer nutritional value. They just can’t deny that they feel better when they use it. And side effects? Forget about them. This is a plant, not a drug.

Moringa’s Origin

A fast-growing tree, Moringa can reach nine feet, just 10 months after the seed is planted. It tops out at about 36 feet. Deep roots allow Moringa to thrive in its native, drought-stricken African and Indian regions.

Moringa’s traditional lore, taken largely from India’s Ayurvedic medical texts, tells of treatments for more than 300 conditions, from fevers to anxiety to diarrhea. Records of its use date as far back as 150 B.C.; it’s known in 82 countries by 210 different names. Prevalent among these names is the “Miracle Tree.”

Its folkloric appeal has made Moringa the center of scientific studies, and findings from said studies have made it the star performer in dozens of relief organizations’ efforts against malnutrition.

Big Strides in Health

Lowell Fuglie, West Africa director of Church World Service (a relief ministry that partners with indigenous organizations in more than 80 countries), asserts that Moringa is yielding four times more benefit to undernourished people than other dietary aids. The people in West Africa aren’t just ingesting Moringa leaves—they’re also using Moringa seeds as an effective yet inexpensive, chemical-free way to purify their drinking water.

Church World Service is just one among many relief organizations that promotes the use of Moringa in impoverished areas. Trees for Life, an organization based in Kansas, is another, sponsoring cultivation programs in India intent on incorporating Moringa into the local diet.

In addition, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, National Geographic Society, and the National Science Foundation and others have contributed funding to track down and collect all 13 Moringa species.

These organizations have done their homework: they’ve seen the scientific studies, and they’re seeing firsthand the difference Moringa can make in the health of individuals all over the world. It’s making great strides against hunger and malnutrition-related childhood blindness, as well as infant mortality in underdeveloped nations. Moringa is even being used to nourish AIDS patients as they wait for a cure.

Plants: The Best Medicine

Western civilizations, on the other hand, look to healthcare providers, HMOs, and over-the-counter remedies—the “fix it after it’s broken” approach—and we don’t even blink at the mention of side effects. It’s a far cry from the traditional Eastern philosophy of prevention through nutrition.

The value of the holistic approach to curing and preventing health problems and disease is twofold: it is less expensive than pharmaceuticals, and side effects are almost nonexistent. The World Health Organization estimates that 80% of the world’s population relies on traditional medicine for their primary healthcare. Plants are readily available, affordable and trusted.

For all you skeptics, consider this: most drugs prescribed today are modeled after or from plants. In fact, science has always taken from Mother Nature’s wisdom. Aspirin, for instance, is made from the bark of the willow tree. Since 1981, over 70% of anticancer and antibacterial drugs have been synthesized and patented based on research of naturally occurring plants.

Now West is beginning to meet East. An increasing segment of the United States’ population is looking to the natural world and trying to manage their health through diet—and the timing is impeccable.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that five out of every 10 deaths are due to poor diet, and that 35% of cancer deaths result from dietary risk factors. In addition the typical synthetic multivitamin tablet is only about 10% absorbable by the body, while nutrients derived purely from plants (phytonutrients) are close to 100% absorbable. Hence, Moringa’s growing popularity. It’s simply loaded with phytonutrients.

What’s In It For You?

According to Dr. Monica G. Marcu, researcher and clinical pharmacologist, Moringa “is unique because, even in small amounts, it can supply daily a wide gamut of vital nutrients with few calories.”

Gram for gram, Moringa has four times the vitamin A of carrots, twice the protein of milk (and four times the calcium), seven times the vitamin C of oranges, and three times the potassium of bananas. Moringa also has three times the iron of spinach.

Vitamin and mineral content are just the beginning. Moringa has 18 amino acids, including the eight essentials—you know, the ones your body can’t survive without but can’t manufacture on its own; they must be supplied through diet.

Moringa is as good a source of roughage as carrots but has quadruple the beta carotene content. It also has plenty of omega-3 oils and chlorophyll, plus 46 compounds with antioxidant properties and 36 with anti-inflammatory properties.

To the average Joe, Moringa is a simple way to manage many health problems. It can help reduce cholesterol and triglycerides, control blood sugar, and offer anti-aging and anti-inflammatory substances, many of which have anticancer properties.

Women approaching menopause cheer Moringa’s calcium content. But they ’re not alone; lactose-intolerant people benefit as well. While one cup (eight ounces) of milk contains 300-400 mg of calcium, eight ounces of Moringa leaves gives you 1,000 mg.

Another plug for phytonutrients: taking Moringa not only gives you calcium, but its protein content may actually protect your body’s calcium stores—ingesting too much animal protein can deplete calcium stores from the bones.

People who suffer from high cholesterol will benefit from the beta-sitosterol content in Moringa, which naturally helps control cholesterol. The list goes on. Even diabetics report drastic hanges for the better in their blood sugar levels after adding Moringa to their daily routine.

But can this plant really be everything to everyone? While there’s no one “perfect” food, Moringa seems to come close.

Moringa can even benefit the generally healthy—even the athletic—population. Its wealth of nutrients actually does what multivitamins claim to do: fill in the nutritional gaps left by the regular diet. It takes the guesswork out of label reading and meal planning with a complete
collection of phytonutrients that ensures nutritional balance.

Dr. Marcu, who considers Moringa to be “better than soy,” further advises parents to look to the plant for their children’s nutrition: “Instead of supplying oranges for vitamin C, milk for calcium, meat for iron and proteins, greens for magnesium, bananas for potassium, apples and pears for fiber, they could use Moringa as a Jack-of-all-trades regular snack.”

There is, of course, a lot still to learn about Moringa. We are many studies away from finding out all the reasons it’s been such a powerful remedy for so many centuries. There are, no doubt, more beneficial compounds it contains that are yet to be discovered.

In a society with more and more health-conscious people, with a growing tendency to look to natural remedies as an alternative to a cupboard full of little plastic bottles with child-proof lids, Moringa offers a viable option.

Researchers are already calling Moringa the most nutrient-rich plant on the planet—one that could hold the secret to the good health that the world is searching for. At this point, it’s gaining ground in direct selling circles.

Bottom line: as smart as we are, we just can’t outdo Mother Nature. But with nutritive plants like Moringa around, maybe we’ll never need to.

Reprinted with permission from KOS Health Publications. Copyright © 2005 KOS Health Publications. All rights reserved.