Notes to Broadcasters on Moringa oleifera:

    | December 17, 2007

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    As described in the text, Moringa oleifera has multiple uses and can be important for people with HIV. According to Lise Helene Pourteau Adjahi, head of the Médecins du Monde project in Benin, several parts of Moringa oleifera can be consumed. “The leaves can be eaten as a salad for example, or as spinach. You just have to be careful not to over cook them because otherwise you lose some vitamins. The leaves can be dried and turned into powder, which has the advantage of easy storage. The advantage of the powder is that when it is put in the sauce, it is colourless. The Moringa’s flowers can be consumed in the form of fritters, and it seems that it tastes like mushrooms. The roots of the tree can also be fried. Simply remove the bark because the bark is not good to eat as it gives a bitter taste. Everything in this tree is eatable.” Also, in order to get the best nutritional value from Moringa leaves, it is better to boil leaves only once and use the water in which they were boiled as a nutritional beverage. Moringa leaf powder is rich in iron and calcium, so it is recommended that pregnant and lactating women consume it. Also, drying the leaves in the shade helps preserve more than half of the vitamin A it contains.

    In addition, the high levels of selenium, a micronutrient in Moringa oleifera leaves, have significant positive impacts on people living with HIV. Studies have shown that people who eat dried Moringa leaf powder have a greater appetite and consequently increase their weight. According to Dr. Pourteau Adjahi , “selenium would have the advantage of strengthening the immune defences of people who use it, especially HIV patients. What we found is that these patients, who are receiving nutritional support, recover their immune, meaning their lymphocytes, faster than others who have no support.”

    The Moringa tree has many other benefits beyond the nutritional value mentioned here. You can learn more about the Moringa tree through DCFRN scripts such as The Many Uses of the Moringa Tree (Package 71, Script 3, June 2004), Grow Moringa for Food and Fodder (Package 71, Script 4, June 2004), Use Moringa Seeds to Clean Dirty or Polluted Water (Package 54, Script 11, January 2000).

    You can also find more information about the Moringa tree and its leaves on the following websites:
    http://www.moringanews.org/
    http://www.echotech.org/mambo/images/DocMan/Moringa07.pdf
    http://www.echotech.org/mambo/images/DocMan/MorLeafPowder.pdf
    http://peacecorps.mtu.edu/resources/studentprojects/moringa.htm
    http://www.health24.com/news/HIV_AIDS/1-920,38986.asp
    http://www.treesforlife.org/moringa/
    http://www.worldagroforestry.org/newsitems/worldaidsday.asp
    http://www.new-agri.co.uk/07/01/focuson/focuson1.php

    Finally, here is a website that gives you some Moringa recipes:
    http://www.echotech.org/mambo/images/DocMan/MoringaR.PDF