The Moringa Tree

All right, now really - when was the last time you heard about, read about, or saw an edible tree; I mean a tree that you could plant from seed, and actually - eat? Never? Well, THAT is about to change! Once you become acquainted with Moringa, you will be addicted... period. The first time I saw one, I liked it. The first time I smelled one, I was enchanted. The first time I tasted the leaves, I was enamored, and with me, it was "love at first bite" - literally. The romance started in 2007, and has become a full-fledged love affair!spectacular plant. There are so very few really good sources of complete protein in the vegetable world; plants that contain all of the essential amino acids necessary for a human being to survive. It is also hard to find a balanced vegetarian source of usable calcium. Well, this one has them all, and then some! If you are into organic gardening - the "green scene" - if you enjoy plants that grow fast, if you just love trees, if you gravitate towards the unusual, or if you simply want to make every mouthful of food count, delve into Moringa. One taste of its lush, green leaves, and you will say, as I do - "I love Moringa"!

Allow me to introduce you to the incredible edible Moringa tree! Oh, by the way, that's pronounced "MORE-ING-GAH", emphasis on the middle syllable! I type so much about Moringa, that I have a hard time typing the word "morning" anymore!

My search for edible landscaping, rapidly brought me "smack-dab", face-to-face, with Moringa.

Once I discovered the wonders of the Moringa Tree, I decided that we needed a mascot, so...I created "Morey", the Moringa Oleifera Seed. He holds a place of honor, on my desk - where I can see him at all times.

"Morey" is the "billboard" that I use, to get people's attention. Most people would never glance twice at the Moringa Fact Sheets that I designed, to educate people about Moringa - without his darling face on it. That strange fact just serves to enforce my opinion, that people would usually rather be entertained, than educated by someone simply throwing a lot of facts at them. "Morey" is quite the entertainer, which relegates ME to the position of educator.

Don't you think he is adorable?

Practically speaking, there are only so many greens that you can comfortably eat, on a daily basis. It seems that most people consider that they have had a "good daily dose" of greens, if they eat a salad.

The book featured below, will give you all sorts of good reasons for you to eat Moringa. I own it, and consider it to be the most complete book written on the ever-amazing Moringa tree!

...any way you want to...

So many people have asked me how to eat Moringa? Well, I eat it:

• raw, right from my trees
• sautéed
• stir-fried
• in soup
• in chili
• on pizza
• in quiche
• in wraps,
• in dips
• in salad
• in scrambled eggs
• mixed into peanut butter

When I think about it, there are so many ways to add Moringa to your diet, that I have only scratched the surface! You can use the fresh leaves, the dried leaves, the Moringa leaf powder, the Moringa buds and blossoms, and the seeds. I tell people to be creative. Think about it - how many ways are there, to prepare eggs, or corn, or tomatoes, or rice, or chicken? LOTS!

Are there any ways NOT to eat Moringa.? Yes! DO NOT OVERCOOK IT! Not only will you destroy a lot of the vitamins, and alter how the minerals are assimilated in your system - but if you overcook it, the taste turns bitter.

There are many other places to learn about the amazing Moringa Tree. If more people knew about it, there would be less photos like the one at the right.

I have included a few links below, to illustrate how Moringa can overcome worldwide hunger, how we eat Moringa, and how to grow a Moringa tree. At one of the links, you can view photos of young Moringa trees, seeds, seedlings, flower buds, flower blossoms, leaves, and pods. You will see both Moringa Oleifera and Moringa Stenopetala photos, and a few photos of the other varieties. Even if you cannot grow Moringa outside, due to your climate, you can still plant them as an annual, and eat their leaves all summer long!

Do your health a favor, and make the acquaintance of the incredible, edible Moringa tree. Better yet, tell others about it. At a couple of the links, you'll meet our copyrighted characters, "Morey" and "Stan", too - they're just NUTS about Moringa, and rightly so - they are where it all begins!

What is the first thing you think of, when you conjure up an image of a salad? Head lettuce - right? If you polled most Americans, they would tell you that they usually eat a salad that starts with Iceberg Lettuce. It is certainly cold and crisp and crunchy, but how much nutrition does a serving deliver? In the United States, the most commonly greens appear to be those below. We have listed some vital nutrients that 100 mg of each in its RAW state, supplies - and THEN - look at what you derive from MORINGA.

Just look at the Protein, the Vitamin C, and the Calcium content!

~ Nutrition Facts on Iceberg Lettuce, Romaine Lettuce, and Spinach - courtesy of the USDA.

~ Nutrition Facts on Moringa - courtesy of The Moringa Tree, published by CTA and CWS - 2001 - edited by Lowell J. Fuglie.

Moringa is good to eat, but that's not all!

Most of us who are familiar with the plant family technically known as Moringaceae, generally think of it in regards to its health benefits, but Moringa has a lot more practical uses than that! People in other countries use the bark to make a lovely blue dye, and in one country, its name literally means fence post wood. That should give you an idea of what THEY use it for!

The wood pulp from Moringa trees can be effectively used to make paper. In a pinch, Moringa wood can be used for firewood, although it is not the best wood to use. We have found that the stripped branches, chopped in 6"-10" pieces, make excellent mulch. In fact, the Moringa mulch we made, has consistently outperformed any commercial mulch we have purchased.

The trees are used for shade in many countries, and beekeepers love them, because bees are drawn to the Moringa flowers, for their sweet nectar. The bees help the Moringa farmers, too, because they keep those flowers pollinated, which is a benefit to everyone. The oil that comes from the Moringa seeds of any variety of Moringa, is very fine, and used in the watch industry to lubricate the works in timepieces.

So, the next time you think about Moringa, remember - it is not just a tree that supplies extreme nutrition in a very small serving of its leaves. Moringa has so many valuable uses, that it should has its rightful place in the "Most Valuable Trees Hall of Fame". Oh, that's right - there isn't one...well, perhaps we need to establish it.

Well, that's what they call me...

One of my sons actually started this one, because he noticed I have a lot of Moringa "babies", and because I talk about it all of the time, to anyone I can get to listen to me. So,...it "sort-of" stuck, just like I am "stuck" on Moringa!

Actually, I feel like a Moringa Mama, because I really love those trees, passionately. From the moment when I plant a new seed, to when it germinates, puts up a stem and leaves, and bears flower blossoms and pods - I "mother" them.

When one of the little seedlings doesn't make it, for one reason or another, it bothers me. If one looks a bit "peaked", I want to know why. Once, when a neighbor's cat pulled up several of my Moringa Stenopetala seedlings to play with them - I was pretty "miffed".

I got my first seeds of that variety, from Africa. I import them with my USDA permit, and they are not inexpensive! That form is commonly called the African Moringa, and I am one of the few people who like to grow them, here in the US. It is a good thing I didn't get my hands on that cat who "yanked" it out of the ground!

Never will I be called a "tree hugger"; that's just not my mindset, BUT I do love Moringa. I believe people are to be hugged, God is to be worshipped, and our world and everything in it, is to be appreciated. Ever since I first learned what incredible trees Moringas are, I have been "shouting it from the rooftops", and trying to get others to appreciate it, too.

If we have to eat, which we do - then, why not pack the most intense nutrition possible, into our daily fare? After all, being a human being is 100% fatal, at least for life here on Earth as we know it, so why not be as healthy as we can? Now, I am all for eating as close to nature as you are able to, but I don't think it is advantageous to be fanatical about it.

However, if you can replace a few things that you normally eat, with a similar food that tastes good, but delivers a whole lot more nutrition - why not?

Please read...

We caution people NOT to eat the root of the Moringa tree. Many people do. It is not a good idea. The root bark contains a neurotoxin, and as of yet, no one has been able to give us clear factual evidence of how much you need to eat, before you are in trouble. That's enough for me - just don't eat the roots.

In some of our other links, you'll hear me talk about it - over and over again. It bears repeating, even at the risk of being redundant.

DON'T EAT THE ROOTS of the "Horseradish Tree", another common name for Moringa. I don't care HOW much they taste like horseradish. It is not worth the risk - everything else is non-toxic. So --- go buy some horseradish, or grow it. Leave the roots alone!

None of the products or books featured here are mine.

I grow Moringa, and sell it online, from my own website. I do not know any of the suppliers that we feature here who have Amazon products, but I DO KNOW that Moringa, and its bounty are superb.

For your health's sake - please investigate Moringa - it's called "The Miracle Tree" for a very good reason!

There are millions of people who know about Moringa, worldwide.

Many rely on it for essential vitamins and minerals, from a vegetarian source.

Are YOU familiar with it?

Unless specifically noted, all images were photographed by me. E. Tack