Moringa
HORSERADISH TREE
Moringa oleifera
MORINGACEAE
Moringa is a small tree native to tropical Asia, cultivated and naturalized in many tropical countries.
It is a tree quite drought resistant, easy to grow, very common in India, throughout southeast Asia, the Philippines, Africa.
It is also present in South America.
Moringa
Its leaves provided little but elegant, decorative, many white flowers, the fruit is a pod persisting long enough to form drumstick (drumstick tree).
The flowers and young pods, twigs and leaves are edible after cooking. The flavor of the root is spicy and reminds horseradish or radish, seeds gives the oil of Ben, but it is a plant commonly used in traditional medicine in India.
COMPOSITION AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
All vegetative parts contain a glycoside pungent flavor that hydrolyses at 100 ° C in the presence of water.
The foliage has a very interesting content
* Protein (equivalent to 90%): 8 to 9% of wet weight, about 25% dry weight
* Vitamin A (almost 2000 micrograms per 100g)
* Vitamin C (180 mg per 100 g) and vitamin B1 (220 micrograms per 100g).
The leaves are also high in calcium, iron and potassium
Remember that other leaves are also very interesting for their content of protein, vitamins and minerals and their ease of culture, for example: amaranth Amaranthus SPSP, cabbage Kanak Hibiscus manihot, cassava Manihot esculenta.
A study in Thailand in 2007 showed that Moringa contains antioxidant substances that are increasingly lower levels of blood lipids, total observed an anti-atherosclerotic. Indeed, administration during 12 weeks of an extract of Moringa in rabbits fed artificially for hypercholesterolemia causes a decrease in blood cholesterol levels accompanied by a decrease of about 50 to 86% of training atherosclerotic plaques. An effect similar to that of synthetic statins.
A Japanese study of 2007 shows that consumption of Moringa leaves improves diabetes natural diabetic rats.
The active compounds of polyphenols seem to be very common and ubiquitous in plants: quercétol derivatives of kaemférol, rutin and some phenolic acids (chlorogenic acid).
The essential oil of leaves and the hydroalcoholic extract (ethanol 70%) of seeds are active on common dermatophytes.
A Chinese study of 2005 confirmed the power of certain antifungal extracts of Moringa on some parasitic fungi of the skin: Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Epidermophyton and Microsporum canis xoccosum. For cons, the hydroalcoholic extract of leaves is almost no antifungal.
The methanol extract of leaves produced in mice that mild hypothermia potentiates the effects of barbiturates. It is a depressant of the central nervous system (CNS) which, in animals, causing some motor incoordination, with loss of muscle tone (muscle relaxant), reduced activity and curiosity (foraging, test maze). For some authors this depressive effect of CNS associated with hypothermia is reminiscent of reserpine or chlorpromazine.
The seeds contain 15 to 35% of an edible oil light yellow, odorless and sweet flavor that is unique in not too rancid and to be very fluid.
It appears that some African peoples have traditionally used the crushed seeds of Moringa to purify drinking water. The cake resulting from oil extraction are also used to clarify and purify water. We know now that it is the seed protein of Moringa used to clarify by coagulation turbid waters and a very special part, the polypeptide "FLO" has a more powerful antibacterial action.
This extract of Moringa is as effective and less expensive than aluminum salts used to clarify and purify water.
The antimicrobial peptide "FLO" is the object of study: improvement of power antimicrobial production by genetic engineering.
USES
The fresh or dried leaves are an excellent food supplement specifically recommended in children for its high protein content comparable. The boiled infant formulas (local cereals, oil palm, peanuts, iodized salt and fluoridated) have been developed in Africa with 10 to 20% of powdered leaves of Moringa.
In Asia the leaves and young pods are a traditional food popular (short cooking like spinach or green beans).
Regular consumption of Moringa oleifera is recommended in cases of mild diabetes type 2, hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis.
In traditional medicine almost all parts of the tree are used. The leaves are slightly heated treatment of fevers "influenza". Cooked longer, they are nutritious, as we have seen, and "refreshing" slightly analgesic (muscular pain, rheumatic).
The aqueous extract is considered antifertilisant.
The juice of fresh leaves, crushed leaves or roots are crushed and used repellents:
* As poultices in the broncho-pulmonary diseases,
* As anti-neuralgics, bark and crushed leaves applied on the head (migraines, trigeminal neuralgia) or on the painful area,
* To remove or reduce the secretion of milk (breast milk production) in friction on the breasts.
One might consider including the methanol extract of leaves in herbal medicines to treat cases of anxiety with agitation, and perhaps ease some pain for migraine.
Ben oil (seed oil), consumed in India, has long served to lubricate clocks and cogs and springs in perfumery for attaching perfumes or maceration enfleurage.
Clarification and purification of water
Example 1: Spray 50 grams of Moringa oleifera seeds for a liter of fresh water to treat. Allow to stand 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, and filter.
Example 2: First prepare a suspension of 2 teaspoons of dried seed powder of Moringa in 1 / 4 liter of clean water or boiled water, mix well, filter. Add the filtrate to 20 liters of water to be treated by stirring the water for ten minutes then let rest.
Note that another Moringa, Moringa stenopetala, originating from Ethiopia, has similar properties: nutrition, dietetic, pharmacological and can also be used to purify drinking water.
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