Moringa Oleifera

‘Murungai keerai’

Moringa Leaves have been rapidly earning a global reputation as a ‘super-food’, and one can find articles written about them even in lifestyle magazines these days. Yet, this food has been the very foundation of Tamil nutritional cultural heritage. Ironically though, one can’t find these leaves being cooked in any restaurants.

Moringa leaves contain over 7 times the vitamin C of oranges, 4 times the vitamin A of carrots, 4 times the calcium of cow’s milk and 3 times the potassium of bananas! The plant also contains substances known as isothiocyanates, which have been shown to boost human resistance to cancer, and also regulate blood sugar levels.

Moringa leaves boast such a rich profile of amino acids, vitamins and minerals that they act as an impressive natural energy booster, notwithstanding a zero caffeine content!

The Moringa tree is surprisingly easy to cultivate, one need only break off a branch and plug it into moist ground, and it will start to sprout roots beneath, and leaf shoots above in no time. The tree is also considered to be drought resistant, and it grows at a similar rate to most ‘weeds’, attaining up to 20 feet in one year!

The branch is harvested, and the leaflets are removed and cooked with dal, often mashed with a wooden implement called a Mattai in a Chatti (mud pot), which imparts a welcoming, earthy taste to the cooked spinach curry, making the whole offering a delightful gastronomical experience! The leaves are also often dried and grinded to form a tasty powder!

In journeying on your own Road back to Nature, the Moringa leaf could almost be treated as a mascot of hope, thanks to its versatility in being so life sustaining.