| Trade Name | Moringa |
|---|---|
| Common Name | Drumstick tree |
| Botanical Name | Moringa oleifera |
| Family | Moringaceae |
| Synonyms | Horseradish tree, ben oil tree, benzoil tree |
| Part used | The bark, sap, roots, leaves, seeds, and flowers |
| Product nature | Dried Moringa Leaves |
Description
Moringa is a fast-growing deciduous tree. Its bark is off-white, surrounded by thick cork. The young branches have purple or greenish-white hairy bark. Flowering begins within the first six months after sowing.
The fruit has dark brown spherical seeds with three whitish paper wings, dispersed by wind and water.
Moringa grows mainly in semi-arid, tropical, and subtropical regions and can tolerate various soil conditions, but prefers neutral to slightly acidic, well-drained, sandy, or loamy soil.
This is a plant that loves sunlight and heat and cannot tolerate frost. India is the largest producer of Moringa with an area of 380 square kilometers and an annual output of 1.2 million tons of fruits.
Moringa leaves are the most nutritious part of the plant because they are rich in B vitamins, vitamin C, provitamin A as β-carotene, vitamin K, manganese, iron and protein, and other important nutrients. This is why Moringa oleifera leaves are used to fight malnutrition, especially in babies and nursing mothers. In addition, Moringa also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and helps to reduce blood cholesterol and sugar levels.