THE NEXT SUPER SUPERFOOD: MORINGA

Move over maca, matcha, and spirulina -- there’s a new green superfood at the ready to punch up smoothies and green juice. Moringa powder, made from pulverized dried leaves of the moringa oleifera tree, boosts you with extra doses of vitamins, important nutrients, and other bio-benefits.

While moringa is just starting to trend in the US, it is old news to many indigenous people in tropical regions. Moringa trees have been used to combat malnutrition, especially among infants and nursing mothers for thousands of years.  It has also been used both culinarily and medicinally for centuries. Recent research studies are showing that moringa can do great things for us all.

Moringa is said to help manage blood sugar and stabilize histamine production. And although it is totally caffeine-free, it’s a great natural energy booster. Medicinally, moringa is used for its antifungal, antiviral, antidepressant, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Moringa trees are native to India, Pakistan, Nepal, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, where its leaves and pods are make their way into stews and vegetable dishes. Moringa grows wild and is cultivated in Central America and the Caribbean, as well as tropical regions of South America, Africa, and Oceania. Thanks to increased interest in moringa for its superfood and medicinal qualities, Hawaii is now cultivating moringa for market.

Moringa trees are prized for their leaves, their beautiful flowers, and their long fleshy seedpods. A two-year old tree produces around 300 pods, a 3 year old tree can produce 400-500 pods, and a mature tree can yield over 1,000 pods per year.

The immature seed pods are called "drumsticks." Steam them, stew them, add them to curries. They keep their high vitamin C content even with cooking. Drumsticks are stewed with lentils in the South Indian dish known as sambar. The Thai dish kaeng som is a sour curry made with drumsticks and fish.

Pop the seeds out of mature pods and eat them like peas or roast them, like nuts!

The leaves are the most nutritious part of the moringa plant. They are packed with vitamins B, C, A, and K. They are high in protein, dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, and manganese. Cook them like spinach. Or shred tender leaves and sprinkle on salads or in clear broth-based soups, such as the Filipino dishes tinola and utan.

The leaves are commonly dried and crushed into a powder which you can now readily buy, wherever you live. Mix it into soups and sauces. Add it to smoothies and bowls.

Shred moringa’s piquant roots and add them to a salad or sandwich for a supercharged bite.

Sprinkle moringa blossoms to make dish more beautiful.

In some regions of India, the flowers are mixed with gram flour and spices, then deep fried into pakoras to be served as snacks

The best moringa is harvested by hand, hand-washed, and then rinsed. If leaves are to be dried, it is best done in a temperature controlled dryer and that they are not heated above 114°F. While sundried leaves sound like a good option, it’s actually the worst -- Open sun drying of the leaves, for example, causes the highest level of nutrient loss while shade drying is slow and puts the product at high risk of contamination.

Quality moringa leaf powder is a deep and vibrant green. It smells potent and fresh. You don’t want grayish brown powder -- it has oxidized.It’s important to keep the powder in a dry and dark environment to keep it from degrading.

You can purchase Moringa online at A Healthy Leaf. This small family run business sells only USDA Certified Organic Moringa Oleifera, available in powder, capsules, tea, fresh leaves, and drumsticks.  

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Barry Stock. “Flowering Trees of South Florida.”
2. Image: Courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr. Mature moringa tree in Hawaii grows heavy with dried pods.
3. Image: by Dennis Candy. “Drumsticks.”
4. Image: by Michael Goode. “Moringa oleifera.”
5. Image: by Books for Life. “Hands with Moringa Leaves.”
6. Image: “Moringa Powder.” Courtesy of A Healthy Leaf.
7. Image: by Jose Amorin. “Moringa oleifera.”
8. Image: by Joe Saade, UN Women. “Guinea - Rural Women's Cooperative Generates Income and Improves Community Life.”
9. Image: “Mango Moringa Smoothie Bowl.” Courtesy of The Histamine Friendly Kitchen.
10. Image: by Tatters ✾. “The Miracle Tree in Brisbane (Moringa oleifera).”
11. Image: by Shijan Kaakkara. Moringa drumsticks.
12. Image: Courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr. Mature moringa pods. Hawaii.