Miracle tree in Madison County
The happy gardener who has not grown everything yet was enticed a year ago by the glowing description in the seed catalog of dwarf moringa, reportedly “our most nutritious vegetable.” It is a small tree proclaimed to be an ideal container plant which could be brought indoors in winter. The happy gardener has a deck for the summer and a sunny window as home base for the winter, so why not!
At least four millennia ago, folks in Nepal, northern India and Pakistan realized the medicinal value of the leaves, bark and flowers of the moringa tree, and they referred to it as “the Miracle Tree.” Regular folks like us, up to the upper crust, consumed it to enhance mental acuity and boost overall health. It was part of the Ayurvedic medicine regimen and fed to soldiers to help them heal faster.
In its native subtropical climate, moringa trees might grow to almost 40 feet tall. They abide dry soil and don’t ask for much. They will spread naturally in their native habitat, but they are not considered a significant invasive species. My dwarf specimens in their large pot have not bothered anybody nearby, and probably are the only two moringa trees in Madison County.
As traders crossed westward from Asia to the Levant and northern Africa, they brought with them silk, acupuncture, paper and moringa. Egyptians made oil from moringa seeds and used it as sunscreen. Nosy Greek sightseers carried moringa back to their side of the Mediterranean and confirmed for themselves the health benefits already well-known back home in India and Nepal.
Those of you not from Nepal might not know all the health benefits moringa can offer, so let us entertain you…
Iron helps our bodies build healthy red blood cells which oxygenate the brain, heart, liver and other parts, and that’s important. Spinach is famous for its iron content, but in a quarter-mile iron content race, moringa would finish before spinach rounded the first turn. If iron content were an Algebra I test and spinach got an A-, moringa would be cruising through calculus.
Moringa is also packed with way more Vitamin A than carrots, and Vitamin A boosts liveliness of the gonads, so viva moringa! It is also essential for eye health and upkeep of skin cells so we can maintain a youthful complexion, but not like Dorian Gray.
Nothing against oranges because, for one thing, they are orange, and for another thing, they are famous for Vitamin C content. Just ask Anita Bryant. Vitamin C boosts the immune system so we can fight off colds and creepy diseases, but you guessed it, moringa reportedly has seven times more C than oranges… but citrus is still good. Eat up.
But there’s more to moringa. Researchers have tested the bioactive compounds in the leaves and bark in clinical trials and determined moringa extracts have the potential for stopping the proliferation of lung, breast, colon and pancreatic cancer cells! This is the word from smarty pants people in lab coats with test tubes and grant money. Again, viva moringa! And grant money!
Moringa products are common in markets in Asia, and it is now cultivated in subtropical habitats worldwide. Farmers in India grow the most, but it is also grown elsewhere in southern Asia and in Central America and Africa… plus at least one site in Madison County.
Leaves right off the branch can be chewed on the spot or collected and added to soups and stews or mixed into a green smoothie. The dried leaves can be combined with herbs in teas. Moringa powder added to whatever you’re baking will make it nutritious and turn it green. There are also capsules available.
The Miracle Tree crop in Madison County is holding its own so far. I wonder how long dwarf moringa trees live? Maybe years… viva moringa!