Introduction to Moringa – The Miracle Trees

Moringa is the sole genus of flowering tropical and subtropical species in the small plant family of Moringaceae, sometimes referred to as the horseradish, drumstick or bottle tree family.  Owing to the vast diversity of uses and benefits they offer to mankind we believe that this group of plants should be called the miracle tree family.  Research and development of new products from moringa, establishing an International Moringa Seed Bank and promotion of moringa is a major crop in Hawaii have become the primary activities of our company.

Species of Moringa

There are 13 species of Moringa with forms ranging from small herbaceous plants to massive trees.  They are indigenous to northern and northwestern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Madagascar, Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.  Most of these have limited distribution in nature and have received very little research attention.  The three species most widely cultivated are Moringa oleifera, M. stenopetala and M. peregrina.

Moringa oleifera, referred to in English as the horseradish, drumstick or miracle tree, or simply as “moringa”  is native to the southern foothills of the Himalayas in northwestern India.  It is by far, the most widely cultivated species.  Plantings are expanding rapidly in all tropical regions of the Americas, Asia and Africa.  It may have more uses than any other plant.  To avoid confusion with other species we will refer to this species as “Indian moringa” on this website.

Numerous named cultivars of Indian moringa have been developed and we have prepared a compilation of these.  The compilation is a work in progress and we welcome information from plant breeders to add to the compilation.  There are probably many distinct landraces and ecotypes that have arizen as moringa cultivation has extended far beyond the areas where it was endemic.

We now have the world’s largest and expanding selection of Indian moringa seeds from domestic and international sources in our moringa seed bank.   Many of these are listed in our Moringa Seed Catalog and are available for purchase from our online store.

Moringa stenopetala, referred to in English as the cabbage tree or mother’s helper, and on this website as “African moringa” is a large tree endemic to Ethiopia and Kenya.  It is in cultivation but to a much more limited extent than Indian moringa.  We believe that this

species has significant advantages over Indian moringa in some uses, particularly for production of large leaves and as an attractive, long-lived landscaping tree.  Viable seeds of African moringa have been difficult to obtain.  We have been distributing seeds and seedlings of this tree for field trials and to improve the seed supply.  Early information from these trials indicates that African moringa is generally well adapted to Hawaii.  On Hawaii Island it grows in diverse climates ranging from the leeward dry forests of the Kaʻū District to the very wet windward areas of the Hamakua Coast.  With abundant water and favorable growing conditions it can grow rapidly to a massive size.  However, the

size of the mature trees, flowering and seed production from trees grown in Hawaii varies significantly.  This appears to be primarily determined by the source of seeds from which the trees were grown (their ecotype?) and the availability of water.

Limited quantities of the first Hawaii-grown seeds from Oahu, Hawaii Island and Molokai are now listed in our Moringa Seed Catalog and are available for purchase from our online store.  Seedlings from our germination testing work are sometimes also available and can be produced to order.

 

 

Moringa peregrina, referred to in English as the ben, ben oil or wispy-needle yasar tree is endemic to very arid deserts in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea area.  It is in limited cultivation

and wild populations area reportedly in decline.  The species has been used as a food and oil source, and for medicinal and cosmetic purposes since antiquity.  On this website we refer to this species as “Arabian moringa”.

Based on limited information from our first plantings on Hawaii Island and Molokai it appears poorly adapted to some Hawaiian conditions and grows very slowly here in Discovery Harbour.  Arabian moringa is endemic to areas with very hot, arid desert climates yet the trees seem tolerant of wet, well-draining soils and our cooler climate.  Trees planted in the ground here do poorly and tend to enter into prolonged periods of dormancy, apparently triggered when our highly porous “new” volcanic soils dry out quickly.  Some never come out of dormancy and eventually die. Plants grown in large containers with similar soils do well and produce tubers if they receive consistent water.  In small containers they rapidly become rootbound, forming knotted tubers.  They are sensitive to transplanting into the ground These trees usually perish.

Arabian moringa seeds are increasingly scarce.  One of our trees on Molokai Island has bloomed and produced viable seeds.  Very limited quantities of seeds sourced from Saudi Arabia are available from our online store.  Seeds from Molokai  may be available in late 2020.

Moringa ovalifola, also referred to as the phantom tree, is endemic to the desert and semi-desert areas of Namibia and southwestern Angola.  It is a dominant component of the woodland known as the Fairy Tale Forest in Etosha National Park in Namibia.  It is not cultivated as a crop but supports wildlife and is used in traditional medicine by the indigenous people of the area.

We have had little success in growing this species in our area of Hawaii.  The seeds germinate readily but many perish within a few weeks from unknown causes.  Most seedlings planted in the ground do poorly and like the Arabian Moringa tend to go into prolonged periods of dormancy and do not recover.  One tree planted at Discovery Harbour is growing very slowly and has survived for several years.

We have seeds of this species collected from Karibib, Erongo Region, Namibia and limited quantities are available from our online store.

Other species.  Refer to the Moringaceae Page in the Plant Information Section of this website in for additional information on these and other species of moringa.

 

 

The Many Uses of Moringa

Indian moringa probably has more numerous and diverse uses than any other plant and potential new uses are being reported every year.  Here we can only provide an overview of moringa’s many uses.  These may be broadly grouped into these categories: foods for human, livestock and fish consumption; medicines for human and veterinary use; agricultural applications in soil remediation, as bee fodder, biopesticides and plant growth stimulants; biofuels; and in water and wastewater treatment.

There are many excellent review articles and books on moringa. A selection of these and the other publications used as information sources for this introductory section are listed at the end of this page.

Food and Feed

A Superfood.  Almost all parts of the moringa tree have uses as food or in beverages but the trees are primarily cultivated for production of leaves and immature pods, referred to as drumsticks.  (The name moringa is derived from the Tamil word for drumstick: murungai).  To a lesser extent the flowers, seeds, roots and tubers are also consumed.  A very high quality, rancidity resistant  oil for cooking, cosmetics, lubricants and other purposes is extracted from the seeds.

The leaves are the most nutritious part of the plant and are a significant source of vitamins, minerals, protein and soluble dietary fiber. They can be eaten fresh, cooked as a vegetable or dried and made into a powder for addition to soups, stews, bread and other dishes.  The powder is light weight and easy to transport, does not require refrigeration, resists pest infestations and retains much of its nutritional and medicinal properties in storage.  These properties make it an ideal food supplement for use in programs to combat malnutrition, and iron and vitamin A deficiencies in remote areas that have limited infrastructure and resources.

 

Livestock Feed.  The use of moringa as an economical feed for livestock may become one of its most important and highest volume use.  Moringa leaves in fresh and dried forms, and seed cake are highly nutritious and can be used directly as fodder or as feed supplements for poultry, rabbits, goats, horses, pigs, sheep and cattle.  Moringa feed supplementation can produce significant improvements in animal health, weight gain and milk production and improve the digestibility of other feedstocks. It also has anthelminthic activity and may reduce or eliminate parasite loads, improving animal health and nutrition.  The leaves and stems can be dried, ground and pelletized to facilitate handling, transportation, storage, mixing and dispensing.

Aquaculture.  Moringa can provide a lower cost, more sustainable alternative to fish and soybean meals in the production of feed for catfish, tilapia and carp.

 

Medicinal Uses

Indian moringa and several of the other moringa species have been used in traditional medicinal practices for treatment of about 300 different diseases and some of these have been carried out since antiquity.  Today, a rapidly growing body of scientific literature is confirming the efficacy of many of these uses and is pointing to new applications in prevention and treatment of infectious and chronic diseases.  In August 2018 our search for publications on Moringa oleifera in PubMed Central (PMC), the free archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM), yielded over 1,300 references.

Potential Replacement for Antibiotics.  One of the most important traditional medicinal uses of moringa has been for treatment of diseases that we now know are caused by infectious agents.  Extracts from all parts of the plant but particularly those from the leaves, have shown significant antimicrobial activity against a very broad spectrum of pathogens (disease causing organisms) ranging from parasitic worms to bacteria and viruses.  Many pathogenic bacteria have developed strategies for resisting conventional antibiotics and this is a matter of enormous public health concern.  There is now increasing interest in the use of botanical extracts as alternatives or adjuvants to antibiotics in treating resistant bacterial infections.  Moringa extracts, with their low toxicity, low cost of production and well-documented activity against many different pathogenic bacteria, may become one of the most important botanical drugs for use in combatting these infections.  We are unaware of any evidence of  pathogens developing resistance to moringa extracts.

Agricultural Applications

Bee Forage and Honey Production.  Moringa flowers provide year round nectar and pollen sources, supporting bee populations needed for crop pollination and honey production.

 

Biopesticides.  Research and development of moringa based biopesticides is a high priority for our company.  Extracts from moringa leaves and moringa seed oil have been used as natural insecticides and research indicates that they also may be effective against many other types of pests and diseases affecting human health, livestock and crops.  Moringa based biopesticides offer many potential advantages over synthetic pesticides: they have low mammalian toxicity and may in fact be edible; present minimal risks to applicators; and may have activity against some pests for which there are no current control options.  They are easy to produce – some can be made from plant materials on farms at or near the point of use and they should be acceptable for use in production of certified organic crops.

In Hawaii moringa-derived, locally produced biopesticides could also provide alternatives to pesticides used to control vectors of emerging human diseases such as dengue and rat lungworm, and the invasive agricultural pests that infest coffee and other local crops.

The low potential for patentability and profits; high costs of research and pesticide registration; and perishability of leaf extracts are among several factors that are currently impeding development of these biopesticides.

Plant Growth Stimulant.  Moringa leaves contain zeatin, a cytokinin phytohormone that  promotes the growth of shoots and roots.  Leaf extracts are sprayed on coffee, maize, melon, onions, soy beans, melon, sorghum and other crops to stimulate plant growth, improve yields – as much as 35% and for other benefits.  Foidl, et al. (2001)  cited in Balbir (2006) found that the spray produced the following additional beneficial effects:

• Accelerated the growth of young plants
• Plants were firmer, heavier roots, stems and leaves
• Greater resistant to pests and disease
• Longer life-span
• Produced more and larger fruit

Biofuel Production

Moringa seed oil is now being developed as an alternative feedstock for production of biodiesel.  Currently, jatropha (Jatropha curcas), is being widely planted in tropical areas worldwide for this purpose.  Biodiesel is the only significant product produced from jatropha and this toxic, non-food crop is taking up large amounts of land and using up water supplies that are needed for other higher uses.  Jatropha is also potentially invasive. Moringa is not invasive and has significant advantages over jatropha in that it concurrently produces food and many other useful products in addition to biodiesel from its seed oil.

Water and Wastewater Treatment

Solids remaining after extraction of oil from moringa seeds (referred to as seed cake) have been used for clarification and purification of drinking water since antiquity.  Today, numerous research articles have been published confirming the efficacy of moringa for these purposes and also for treatment of wastewater and removal of algae and a wide array of chemical contaminants.

 

Hope for the Future

Moringa is fast growing, tolerant of most soil types, drought tolerant, can be grown in many dry regions without irrigation and fertilization, and continues to produce edible leaves during dry seasons when other crops may be unproductive. The trees are also well suited to growing in areas with depleted soils and they can help to restore those soils and prevent erosion.  It’s an excellent choice for windbreaks, fencing, intercropping, agroforestry and permaculture and can be grown as an annual or perennial plant.  Moringa can be grown on any scale – on from large plantations, in home gardens as “edible landscaping” or indoors in containers where climatic conditions are unfavorable.

Here in Hawaii moringa has important potential applications in reducing insecurity and economic impacts associated excessive reliance on imported food, restoring and reutilizing lands from abandoned sugar and pineapple plantations, and in new biopesticides compatible with the islands’ fragile and unique ecosystems.

With the worldwide patterns of increasing drought associated with climate change, water pollution and shortages, degradation of soils, loss of agricultural land, competition from invasive species, emerging diseases, growing human populations and hunger, moringa may be the only multipurpose crop that can help to address all of these problems.  We hope to be at least a small part of that solution.  Our moringa initiatives will be presented in the next section.

 

General References on Moringa

Abd Rani, N. Z., Husain, K., & Kumolosasi, E. (2018). Moringa Genus: A review of phytochemistry and pharmacology. Front Pharmacol 9:108. http://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2018.00108

Anwar F, Latif S, Ashraf M, Gilani. 2007. Moringa oleifera: a food plant with multiple medicinal uses.   Phytother Res 21(1):17-25.  PMID: 17089328, DOI: 10.1002/ptr.2023

 Babu, Alemayehu. 2016. Moringa oleifera as a potential feed for livestock and aquaculture industry. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alemayehu_Babu/publication/297196860_Moringa_oleifera_as_a_Potential_Feed_for_Livestock_and_Aquaculture_Industry/links/56dd8b4b08aedf2bf0c85b5e/Moringa-oleifera-as-a-Potential-Feed-for-Livestock-and-Aquaculture-Industry?origin=publication_detail  [accessed 16 August 2018]

Balbir M.  2006.  Moringa for cattle fodder and plant growth.  https://www.tfljournal.org/files/Moringa%20for%20fodder%20&%20spray%20(screen).pdf  [accessed 16 August 2018].

Bhargave A, Pandey I, Nama KS, Pandey M.  2015.  Moringa oleifera Lam. – Sanjana (horseradish tree) – A miracle food plant with multipurpose uses in Rajasthan-India-An overview. Int J Pure App Biosci 3(6):237-248.  DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.2169

Bukola B.  2016. A systematic review of studies investigating Moringa oleiferea leaf meal as a feed for livestock. J Fisheries Livest Prod 4:2 (Suppl)  DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2332-2608.C1.006

Delelegn A, Sahile S, Husen A. 2018. Water purification and antibacterial efficacy of Moringa oleifera Lam. Agr Food Sec 7:25.  DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40066-018-0177-1

De Saint Saveur A, Broin M.  2010.  Growing and processing moringa leaves.  Ghana: Moringa Association of Ghana.  http://www.moringanews.org/documents/moringawebEN.pdf  [accessed 14 August 2018]

Probably one of the most practical, best illustrated and comprehensive manuals available in English on growing and processing products from moringa.

Egwui PC, Mgbenka BO, Ezeonyejiaku CD. 2013.  Moringa plant and it use as feed in aquaculture development: A review.  Animal Res Intl  10(1): https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ari/article/view/95456  [accessed 19August 2018]

Fahey JW. 2005.  Moringa oleifera: A review of the medical evidence for its nutritional, therapeutic, and prophylactic properties. Part 1.  Trees for Life J 1:5.  https://www.tfljournal.org/article.php/20051201124931586  [accessed 18 August 2018]

Foidl, N., Makkar, H.P.S. and Becker, K., 2001. The potential of Moringa oleifera for agricultural and industrial uses. In: The Miracle Tree: The Multiple Attributes of Moringa.  Fuglie, LG Ed.  The Netherlands: CTA, Wageningen

http://www.moringanews.org/actes/foidl_en.do [access failed 16 August 2018]  Cited reference in Balbir (2006).

Gandji K, Chadare FJ, Idohou R, Salako V, Assogbadjo A, Glele K, Lucas R. 2018. Status and utilisation of Moringa oleifera Lam: A review. Afr Crop Sci J 26(1):137-156.  DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/acsj.v26i1.10

Gupta PD, Birdi TJ. 2017. Development of botanicals to combat antibiotic resistance. J Ayurveda Integrative Med  8(4), 266–275. PMID: 26057747,  DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2017.05.004

IMGC (International Moringa Germplasm Collection).  2017.  http://moringaceae.org/index.html  [accessed 14 August 2014]

Their collection houses living material of 12 or the 13 Moringa species; a blog section of website provides a wealth of information, particularly on species other than Moringa oleifera; and the website has moringa information in Spanish. 

Iqbal A, Hussain M, Waheed, M, Ali M, Rizwan M, Irfan Fareed, M. (2013). Allelopathy of moringa. A review. Sci Agr 3(1): 9-12.  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278019706_Allelopathy_of_Moringa_A_review  [accessed 19 August 2018].

Kansal SK, Kumari A.  2014.  Potential of M. oleifera for the treatment of water and wastewater.  Chem Rev  114 (9):4993-5010.   PMID: 24495201, DOI: 10.1021/cr400093w

Leone A, Spada A, Battezzati A, Schiraldi A, Aristil J, Bertoli S. 2015. Cultivation, genetic, Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Moringa oleifera leaves: An overview.  Int J Mol Sci 16(6) 12791–12835.  DOI: http://doi.org/10.3390/ijms160612791

Leone A, Spada A, Battezzati A, Schiraldi A, Aristil J, Bertoli S. 2016. Moringa oleifera Seeds and oil: Characteristics and uses for human health. Int J Mol Sci 17(12), 2141.   PMCID: PMC5187941, DOI: 10.3390/ijms17122141

Marcu MG.  2005.  Miracle Tree.  American Fork, UT: Soundconcepts.

Murphy M.  2017.  Sustainable Bioresources.  Landscape Hawaii Mag.  September/October 2017 edition.

Nouman W, Basra SMA, Siddiqui MT, Asmeen A, Gull T, Alcayde MAC.  2014.  Potential of Moringa oleifera L. as livestock fodder crop: a review.  Turk J Agri For  38:1-14.  DOI: 10.3906/tar-1211-66

Olson ME.  2014a.  Moringa home page.  http://explorelifeonearth.org/moringahome.html  [accessed August 14, 2018]

Probably the only reference with photos, distribution maps and information on all of the known species of moringa.

 Olson ME, Razafimandimbison SG. 2000. Moringa hildebrandtii: A tree extinct in the wild but preserved by indigenous horticultural practices in Madagascar. Adansonia sér 3 22(2) 217-221.  http://www.explorelifeonearth.org/people/Olson&Raza.pdf  [accessed August 13, 2018]

Olson ME, Sankaran RP, Fahey JW, Grusak MA, Odee D, Nouman W. 2016. Leaf protein and mineral concentrations across the “miracle tree” genus Moringa. PLoS ONE 11(7): e0159782. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159782

The most comprehensive reference available comparing the protein and mineral content of the various species of moringa.

Price ML 2007.  “The Moringa Tree.”  ECHO Technical Note.  North Fort Myers, Florida: ECHO.  https://www.chenetwork.org/files_pdf/Moringa.pdf  [accessed August 13, 2018].

A comprehensive and well-illustrated manual on moringa.  Presents information from research projects conducted by the BIOMASA program in Nicaragua.

Puycha K, Yuangsoi B, Charoenwattanasak S, Wongmaneeprateep S, Niamphithak P, Wiriyapattanasub P.  2017.  Effect of moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaf supplementation on growth performance and feed utilization of Bocourti’s catfish (Pangasius bocourti).  Ag Nat Res.  51(4): 286-291.  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452316X17305148DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anres.2017.10.001

Saini RK, Sivanesan I, Keum, YS.  2016.  Phytochemicals of Moringa oleifera: a review of their nutritional, therapeutic and industrial significance. 3 Biotech 6: 203.  DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-016-0526-3

Sánchez NR, Spörndly E, Leden I.  2006.  Effect of feeding different levels of foliage of Moringa oleifera to creole dairy cows on intake, digestibility, milk production and composition.  Livestock Sci  101(1) , 24-31.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livprodsci.2005.09.010

Sapp M. 2016.  Indian researchers make breakthrough in Moringa development.  Biofuels Digest November 7, 2016.  http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2016/11/07/indian-researchers-make-breakthrough-in-moringa-development/   [accessed 16 August 2018].

Schill SR.  2008.  Multidimensional moringa.  Biodiesel Magazine.  http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/articles/2380/multidimensional-moringa  [accessed 16 August 2018]

Thurber MD, Fahey JW.  2009. Adoption of Moringa oleifera to combat under-nutrition viewed through the lens of the “diffusion of innovations” theory. Ecol Food Nutr 48:3, 212-225. DOI: 10.1080/03670240902794598

TLI (Trees for Life International).  2018.  Moringa Tree.  https://treesforlife.org/our-work/our-initiatives/moringa [accessed August 13, 2018).

An excellent source for multilingual educational materials, contacts etc.

TNAU (Tamil Nadu Agricultural University). Undated.  Advances in Production of Moringa.  Periyakulam,Tamil Nadu, India: Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.   http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/horticulture/pdf/Moringa%20English%20book.pdf [accessed 13August 2018]

Probably the most exhaustive reference on moringa and how it is grown in India.  Extensive information on varieties of Moringa oleifera developed in India.

Yuangsoi B, Masumoto T.  2012.    Replacing moringa leaf (Moringa oleifera)  partially by protein replacement in soybean meal of fancy carp (Cyprinus carpio).  Songklanakarin J Sci Technol 34 (5): 479-485. https://miracletrees.org/moringa-doc/moringa-fish-diet.pdf  [accessed 19 August 2018]

Page last updated November 29, 2020.