Saturday 8 October 2016

Moringa AKA Saijan




For a tree that has been around for centuries, moringa still manages to keep quite a low profile. This can perhaps be attributed to its large family—a range of 13 known varieties—and its hundreds of names in dozens of languages throughout the world. n Trinidad and Tobago, the leaves and pods are sold in some local markets as a vegetable called ‘saijan’, and are used in salads, stews and curries as seasoning. When the leaves are dried, the nutrients are more concentrated. The dried leaves can then be made into a powder, which is marketed as a supplement.


Moringa is used in many medicines or on its own to treat anaemia, arthritis, asthma, cancer, constipation, diabetes, diarrhoea, epilepsy, stomach ulcers, heart conditions, kidney stones, thyroid disorders, and bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic infections just to name a few!


Fresh Moringa leaves contain 70 to 75% moisture and when they are dried the moisture content goes down to less than 8%, which makes the nutrients become much more concentrated. For this reason, moringa leaf powder is marketed as a supplement.
The powder contains:
  • Protein
  • Fat
  • Carbohydrate
  • Fibre
  • Minerals
  • Calcium
  • Magnesium
  • Phosphorous
  • Potassium
  • Copper
  • Iron
  •  Sulphur
  • Oxalic Acid
  • Vitamin A – B Carotene
  • Vitamin B – Choline
  • Vitamin B1 – Thiamin
  • Vitamin B2 – Riboflavin
  • Vitamin B3 – Nicotinic Acid
  • Vitamin C – Ascorbic Acid
  • Vitamin E – Tocopherol Acetate
  • Arginine
  • Histidine
  • Lysine
  • Tryptophan
  • Phenylanaline
  • Methionine
  • Threonine
  • Leucine
  • Isoleucine
  • Valine

Moringa contains proteins, vitamins, and minerals. As an antioxidant, it seems to help protect cells from damage.

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