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African Moringa

Botanical Name

Moringa stenopetala, Moringa oleifera

 
Family
Moringaceae

Common names
Cabbage tree, African moringa tree (En). Moringa éthiopien (Fr).

Origin and geographic distribution

In ancient Egypt Moringa oil (known as "Bak") was used by the more wealthy to anoint the body and to keep skin supple. Egyptian medicine incorporated Moringa Oil into remedies for stomach ailments, headaches and earaches. In Central Africa it was used to treat skin infections and the powdered root is mixed with salt and used as a poultice to combat headache. The oil is produced from nutlike seeds found in the fruit pods. 

Currently Moringa is being used raw, unprocessed by many countries from Australia, Fiji, Senegal to Brazil and for some, Moringa is saving lives.

Moringa is a remarkable tree whose leaves gram for gram have seven times the Vitamin C found in oranges, four times the Vitamin A of carrots, three times the iron of spinach, four times as much calcium as milk and three times the potassium of bananas plus eight essential Amino Acids*

MORINGA OLEIFERA Nutritional Value of Leaves and Pods
Analysis of Moringa pods, fresh (raw) leaves, and dried leaf powder have shown them to contain the following per 100 grams of edible portion*

Moringa stenopetala is endemic to East Africa, where it occurs in northern Kenya and in Ethiopia. In Ethiopia it is widely cultivated. The cultivated trees may have been derived from a wild population at Chew Bahir (Lake Stephanie), which is now extinct. Moringa stenopetala is presently only known in the wild from five localities, all in northern Kenya. Records for Djibouti and Somalia are probably based on misidentifications or on recent introductions, and records from Sudan and Uganda probably refer to cultivated specimens. In recent years Moringa stenopetala has been dispersed and promoted in many tropical countries, e.g. Senegal and Malawi.

Uses
In Konso (Ethiopia) the leaflets of Moringa stenopetala are separated from the rachis and plunged into boiling water. Salt or sodium carbonate is added to the water. While the leaves are cooking, a mixture of flours is prepared, then kneaded and made into balls 2–5 cm in diameter. These are tossed into the water as well and after about 10 minutes the balls and the leaves are ready to serve. The addition of fat (grease or butter), small-sized cereal balls and a large amount of leaves are considered to make this dish a good-quality meal. Young, soft fruits can also be added, but the slightly bitter taste restricts the use to periods when food is in short supply. During the dry season the average consumption of leaves by adults in southern Ethiopia is 150 g/day, corresponding with 19% of the energy and 30% of the protein requirement. Over 5 million people consume Moringa stenopetala as a vegetable.

Moringa stenopetala has many other uses. The Turkana people of northern Kenya make an infusion of the leaves, which is used as a remedy against leprosy. The Njemp people in Kenya chew the bark as a treatment against coughs, and use it to make fortifying soups. In the Konso area of Ethiopia the smoke of burning roots is used as a treatment for epilepsy and the leaves of certain Moringa stenopetala trees are renowned for their effectiveness against diarrhoea. In the Negelle and Wolayeta Sodo areas (Ethiopia) the leaves and roots are used as a cure for malaria, stomach problems and diabetes. The leaves are also used to treat hypertension, retained placenta, asthma, colds, as an anthelmintic, to induce vomiting and to promote wound healing. 

The wood is very soft and useful for making paper, but it makes low-grade firewood and poor-quality charcoal. In the Negelle and Wolayeta Sodo areas the seeds are used to purify water. Although in cultivation the primary goal is vegetable production, the tree can also play a role in erosion control, as a live fence, as a windbreak, for shade and as a bee plant. In Ethiopia the leaves, especially of trees with bitter leaves considered unsuitable for human consumption, and young fruits are fed to livestock. The Turkana people also feed the leaves to their livestock. In some areas of southern Ethiopia the seed oil is used as a lubricant, in perfumery and in soap production.

Properties
The raw leaves of Moringa stenopetala contain per 100 g dry matter: energy 1235 kJ (295 kcal), protein 9.0 g, fat 5.8 g, carbohydrate 51.8 g, crude fibre 20.8 g, Ca 793 mg, P 65.6 mg, Zn 0.53 mg, vitamin A 31 IU and ascorbic acid 28 mg (Abuye et al., 2003).

The composition of the seed oil is not well known but likely to be similar to that of Moringa oleifera. Analysis of a sample from Uganda indicated fatty acid composition as: palmitic acid 6%, stearic acid 4%, oleic acid 75%, arachidic acid 3%, behenic acid 6%. The unsaturated fatty acids account for 78% of the total. The oil further contained sterols 0.5% (mainly β-sitosterol and Δ⁵avenasterol) and tocopherols 200 mg/kg (mainly α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, and δ-tocopherol).

Defatted and shell-free seeds of Moringa stenopetala contain the glucosinolates 4-(α-L-rhamnopyranosyloxy)-benzyl glucosinolate and glucoconringiin (2-hydroxy-2-methylpropyl glucosinolate). On hydrolysis the former yields 4-(α-L-rhamnosyloxy)-benzyl isothiocyanate, an active bactericide and fungicide. The seeds of Moringa stenopetala yield a higher amount of the glucosinolate than those of Moringa oleifera and can therefore be used at a lower dosage. The isothiocyanate gives the crushed seeds their pungent horseradish smell. The glucosinolates in the leaves were found to cause goitre but to a lesser extent than expected on the basis of their concentration. However, in a diet poor in iodine it may be a contributing factor.

The seed contains a protein (cationic polyelectrolyte) that acts as a flocculant in water purification. It can be extracted from the ground seed with salt water.

Ethanol extracts of leaves and roots have shown promise in control of Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania donovani in in-vitro experiments. The leaf extract causes increased uterine smooth muscle contractions in mice and guinea pigs. The medicinal use of leaves to expel a retained placenta may be related to these increased contractions. A crude seed extract strongly inhibited growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Shigella sp. and Candida albicans. The hypoglycaemic effect of an aqueous extract of Moringa stenopetala leaves was confirmed in non-diabetic rabbits. In in-vivo experiments the extract and glibenclamide were compared. The plant extract was found to lower blood glucose concentration although it was less potent than glibenclamide. The effect was observed to increase with time and with increasing dose of the extract.

Adulterations and substitutes
Moringa oleifera and Moringa stenopetala have many characteristics in common. Use as a vegetable and water purifier are similar. They share several medicinal uses and both have high contents of oil in the seeds. Moringa oleifera has a faster development and yields fruits and seeds quickly. Moringa stenopetala is better suited to a drier climate; yields of seeds are higher and they have a higher coagulant content.

Description
Small tree up to 10 m tall; trunk up to 100 cm in diameter, swollen, bottle-shaped; bark whitish, pale grey, silvery or blackish, smooth; crown strongly branched.; young shoots densely pubescent. Leaves alternate, many-flowered panicle up to 60 cm long. Flowers bisexual, regular, cream flushed pink; petals free, with long hairs inside, white, pale yellow or yellow-green;.  Fruit, reddish with greyish bloom, many-seeded. Moringa comprises 13 species, of which 8 are endemic to the Horn of Africa. The wild populations of Moringa stenopetala are found at 400–1000 m altitude in areas with mean annual temperatures of 24–30°C.

Bosch, C.H., 2004. Moringa stenopetala (Baker f.) Cufod. [Internet] Record from Protabase. Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands.