Moringa benefits: A vitamin rich supplement

Scientific Name: Moringa oleifera Lam.

Family: Moringaceae

English name: Horse-radish tree, Drum stick plant

Sanskrit: Shobhanjan, Shigru, Mochak, Sharpen

Hindi: Drumstick, Drumstick, Sohajan, Moringa

Marathi: Shevga, Shegata

Bengali: Shajina

Punjabi: Sohanjana

Telugu: Munga

Introduction

Drumstick trees are found in abundance in the wild state in the foothills of the Himalayas. The pods of wild trees and the pods of planted trees are used for sweet and vegetable purposes. Based on the colour of the flower, the scholars have divided Shobhanjan into two types – white and red. The white variety is bitter, and the red variety is sweet. Bitter shigu is easily available everywhere, but sweet shiyu is rarely found.

External appearance

Drumstick is a small or medium sized tree. Its bark and wood are soft, due to which

the branches often break when the tree is laden with pods. This saying is famous for drumstick- when drumstick flourishes and bears too much, then there is loss of stems. Leaves are compound, leaf-shaped 1-2 inches long, from which 6-9 pairs of leaflets are a quarter inch to 45 inches long, oval shaped, attached in opposite order. Flowers are bluish white in colour and come out in bunches. Pods are 6-18 inches long, have 6 veins and are grey in colour. Seeds are winged, triangular and bitter.

Nutritional Value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Nutrient	Moringa oleifera Leaf (Raw)	Moringa oleifera Pod (Raw)
Energy	64 kcal (270 kJ)	37 kcal (150 kJ)
Carbohydrates	8.28 g	8.53 g
Dietary Fiber	2.0 g	3.2 g
Fat	1.40 g	0.20 g
Protein	9.40 g	2.10 g

Vitamins

Vitamin	Quantity (Leaf)	%DV (Leaf)	Quantity (Pod)	%DV (Pod)
Vitamin A equiv.	378 μg	42%	4 μg	0%
Thiamine (B1)	0.257 mg	21%	0.053 mg	4%
Riboflavin (B2)	0.660 mg	51%	0.074 mg	6%
Niacin (B3)	2.220 mg	14%	0.620 mg	4%
Pantothenic acid (B5)	0.125 mg	3%	0.794 mg	16%
Vitamin B6	1.200 mg	71%	0.120 mg	7%
Folate (B9)	40 μg	10%	44 μg	11%
Vitamin C	51.7 mg	57%	141.0 mg	157%

Minerals

Mineral	Quantity (Leaf)	%DV (Leaf)	Quantity (Pod)	%DV (Pod)
Calcium	185 mg	14%	30 mg	2%
Iron	4.00 mg	22%	0.36 mg	2%
Magnesium	147 mg	35%	45 mg	11%
Manganese	0.36 mg	16%	0.259 mg	11%
Phosphorus	112 mg	9%	50 mg	4%
Potassium	337 mg	11%	461 mg	15%
Sodium	9 mg	0%	42 mg	2%
Zinc	0.6 mg	5%	0.45 mg	4%

Other Constituents

Constituent	Leaf	Pod
Water	78.66 g	Not provided

Chemical composition

The root skin contains two alkaloids called Moringan. The root contains an active antibiotic element called Terigospermin. It prevents the growth of many bacteria and fungi. The leaf juice also has antibacterial properties. A gum comes out from the stem. Which is found to have initial capacity.

It is white in colour and later turns reddish brown. Originally it contains a very bitter and foul-smelling volatile oil. On pressing, a stable oil comes out which is pure. It is devoid of seeds and is colourless and thick. In the trade, it is sold as Ben or Behan oil.

Properties:

Paste of its skin and leaves is astringent, anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer. Seed powder is used for nasal purgation. Seed oil is pain-relieving and anti-ulcer. It stimulates the nervous system. In internal use it is a laxative, digestive, anti-ulcer, absorbent, pain-relieving and anti-worm. Sweet Drumstick is purgative due to its viscous and sweet juice. Due to its heat, it stimulates the heart, increases blood weight and is anti-ulcer. It is anti-phlegm. Due to its sharpness and heat it stimulates the kidneys. It increases the alkalinity and quantity of urine. Heat causes menorrhagia, Shukraghna, Medaghna and Vishaghna. It is sweat producing and fever reducing. Its seeds are used for writing and eye health.

Medicinal use

Headache:  For headache, mix equal quantity of jaggery with the juice of its root and give 1-1 drop of it. It is beneficial in headache.

In this disease also, boiling its bark in water and putting one or two drops of it in the nose and consuming it is beneficial.

Headache

1. Grind black pepper in its leaves juice and apply it to get rid of headache.

2. Grind its leaves with water and apply it to get rid of cold or other types of headaches.

Eye disease

1. Grind its leaves, make a tablet and tie it on the eyes to get rid of mucus infection.

2. Mixing 2 teaspoons of honey with 50 grams of juice of its leaves and applying it to the eyes is beneficial in curing all eye diseases including darkness.

3. In the case of eye inflammation caused by bile, phlegm or typhoid, mixing its mantras in equal quantity of honey and pouring 2-2 drops in the eyes relieves the pain.

In Tyatnag Swarabhag also, gargling with the decoction of its root provides relief.

Dental diseases: Tooth decay is cured by keeping its paste in mouth.

In the case of epilepsy and dysentery in women, giving 20-50 grams of decoction of its roots in the morning and evening is beneficial.

Respiratory disease can be cured by mixing equal parts of juice of drumstick roots and ginger juice and giving 10-15 grams of it regularly in the morning and evening.

Poor digestion:

1. Grind its fresh root, mustard and ginger in equal parts and make 1-1-gram tablets. Consuming 2 tablets each in the morning and evening is beneficial for spleen and poor digestion.

2. To cure ulcers in the mouth and throat, boil two teaspoons of its root powder in 400 ml water and gargle with the remaining one-fourth decoction.

The digestive power increases by feeding 2 grams of dry ginger mixed in 10 grams of its root juice every morning and evening.

For flatulence, abdominal pain, mix 5 grams of asafoetida and 20 grams of dry ginger in 100 grams of its bark and grind it with water and make 1-1-gram tablets. Taking 1 tablet of these 2-3 times a day relieves abdominal pain, flatulence and gas pain.

Intestinal worms die by eating the vegetable made of drumstick beans. Or worms do not grow in the intestines.

Dysuria (urine) can be cured by eating 10 grams of its gum with curd regularly for 7 days.

Ascites: Giving small quantities of ice or extract prepared from 50 grams of its root in 200 grams of water cures ascites.

The decoction of its bark or root should be given in the quantity of 20 grams thrice a day.

• By mixing 20 g of Guru (powder) with 100 grams of Amla bark and feeding it to the patient, the Amla falls off quickly.
• All types of swelling are cured by rubbing its bark in water and consuming 10 grams of it. Its bark is called indigenous penicillin.
• Applying a paste of its bark externally in case of pneumonia, ribs pain, abdominal pain etc. relieves swelling and provides relief. Its paste is beneficial in every type of swelling, whether inside or outside.
• Massaging with the oil of its seeds is beneficial in arthritis, rheumatism or gout.

Virility: Boiling 8-10 of its flowers in 250 grams of milk and drinking it morning and evening increases virility.

• Applying paste of its root bark mixed in water on herpes is beneficial.
• Grinding the leaves of Anvansh Drumstick, garlic, turmeric, salt and black pepper in equal parts and applying it on the cut area reduces swelling and cures fever. Consuming 10-15 doses of this paste in the morning and evening is also beneficial.
• Boiling 20 grams of its fresh roots in 100 grams of water and drinking it cures periodic fever.
• In liver cancer, making a paste of 20 grams of its bark and consuming it three times a day with 2 tablets of Arogya Vardhini is beneficial.

  Abscess– Grinding its root bark and Bachch-nag and applying it as a paste cures abscess.

1. * Grinding its fresh root with ginger and mustard and applying it cures arthritis.
2. 1 Applying its gum cures arthritis swelling.
3. Grinding its leaves with water and applying it as a paste cures gas pain.
4. Grinding its leaves finely with equal quantity of oil and applying it as a paste cures chronic knee pain.
5. Grinding its leaves with oil and applying it as a paste and sitting in the stool cures pain of injury and sprain.
6. Grinding its bark and mustard and applying it as a paste cure swelling under the ear.
7. 7. Grinding its root bark and applying it as a paste cures Lyme disease.
8. Cooking its root paste in mustard oil and burning it and applying it cures itching.
9.  8. Grinding its root, heating it and applying it as a paste cures shleepad.
10. 10 Heating its paste in sesame oil and dropping 2-2 drops in the ear cures earache.
11. 11. Heating 20 ml of its root juice, 125 mg of rock salt, one spoon of honey and 50 ml of oil and dropping 2-2 drops in the ear cures earache.
12. 12. Grinding drumstick root and devdas root in equal parts with kanji and applying it as a lukewarm paste cures incurable pain.

Consuming the greens of ittaki buds is very beneficial in cases of liver, spleen, blood vessels, pain in the rectum, nervous weakness, numbness of any part, pus filled boil and leprosy.