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2 (11), 2010,775-781
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Khawaja Tahir Mahmood et al /J. Pharm. Sci. & Res. Vol.2 (11), 2010,775-781
conjunctivitis, cough, diarrhea, eye and ear receiving an annual rainfall as low as 300 mm,
infections, fever, glandular, swelling, although such sites are probably irrigated or are
headaches, abnormal blood pressure, hysteria, characterized by a high water table. In Puerto
pain in joints, pimples, psoriasis, respiratory Rico, Reseda has become naturalized to a
disorders, scurvy, semen deficiency, sore limited extent on sites with an annual rainfall
throat, sprain, tuberculosis, for intestinal between 1000 and 1800 mm. {14, 26, 33, 34,
worms, lactation ,diabetes and pregnancy The 36, 38}. Moringa oleifera is cultivated in Sind
healing properties of Moringa oil, have been province of Pakistan. {32}.
documented by ancient cultures. Moringa oil The taxon name moringa comes from
has tremendous cosmetic value and is used in murunggi or muringa from Tamil and
body and hair care as a moisturizer and skin Malayalam. Moringa is available and known by
conditioner. Moringa oil has been used in skin more than 50 common names in Asia Africa,
preparations and ointments since Egyptian Europe South and Central America, Caribbean.
times. {17, 33, 38, 39, 44 }. Some are Drumstick tree, Horse radish tree,
The present review is intended to create public Mothers best friend, West Indian ben are in
awareness regarding benefit of an edible plant English , Ben, rbol del ben, Morango,
Moringa which is also known as miracle tree. Moringa in Spanish, Mupulanga in Zimbabwe:,
There are about 13 species of moringa trees in Aleko, Haleko in Ethiopia: and Bn ail,
the genus Moringa of family Moringaceae Benzolive, in French. Suhanjna is the common
These are Moringa oleifera M. arborea,M. name in Pakistan {8, 32, 34, 44}.
borziana,M. concanensis,M. drouhardii, M. Moringa is very impressive and amazing plant
hildebrandtii,M. longituba,M. ovalifolia, M. due to its tested, trusted and potential benefits
peregrine,M. pygmaea,M. rivae, M. ruspoliana, from nutritional as well therapeutical point of
and M. stenopetala The most widely known views. This friendly plant is of great
species Moringa oleifera reported as significance as shown to be useful in water
Mpringa{34,44}. purification, cosmetics, livestock fodder, plant
Moringa oleifera is indigenous to south Asia, growth enhancer and biogas. In the last ten
where it grows in the Himalayan foothills from years, hundreds of research articles, theses,
northeastern Pakistan to northern West Bengal, reports, and patents have been published on
India. It has been introduced and become Moringa. Newspapers, scientific journals,
naturalized in other parts of India, Pakistan, documentaries {Discovery Channel} feature
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Southeast Moringa more and more. The Church World
Asia, West Asia, the Arabian peninsula, east Service recently organized the first ever
and west Africa, southern Florida, throughout Moringa Tree International Conference to
the West Indies, and from Mexico to Peru, educate about Moringa's use as an indigenous
Paraguay, and Brazil. In Puerto Rico, it is resource for fighting hunger and malnutrition
grown chiefly as an ornamental and in {15, 16, 17, 33,44}.
fencerows and hedges and has become
naturalized along roadsides on the coastal USES / BENEFITS OF MORINGA
plains and lower foothills. In its native habitat, Moringa oleifera is the most nutrient-rich plant
annual temperature fluctuations tend to be very yet discovered. This humble plant has been
large, with minimum and maximum shade making strides in less-developed societies for
temperatures ranging from -1 to 3o C and from thousands of years, and significant nutritional
38 to 48o C during the coldest and warmest research has been conducted since the 1970s.
months, respectively. In this region annual Moringa provides a rich and rare combination
rainfall ranges from 750 to 2200 mm. Reseda is of nutrients, amino acids, antioxidants,
highly drought tolerant and is cultivated in antiaging and anti-inflammatory properties
semiarid and arid regions of India, Pakistan, used for nutrition and healing. Moringa is
Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and east Africa, sometimes called "Mother's Best Friend" and
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Khawaja Tahir Mahmood et al /J. Pharm. Sci. & Res. Vol.2 (11), 2010,775-781
"Miracle Tree." Since 1998, the World Health yogurt}.But the micro-nutrient content is even
Organization has promoted Moringa as an more in dried leaves; {ten times the vitamin A
alternative to imported food supplies to treat of carrots}, {17 times the calcium of milk}, {15
malnutrition {27, 32, 43, 44, 45}. times the potassium of bananas}, {25 times the
iron of spinach} and {nine times the protein of
Nutritional Uses/ Benefit; A large number of yogurt}. However, Vitamin C drops to half that
reports on the nutritional qualities of Moringa of oranges{23,31,32,33,44}.
now exist in both the scientific and the popular
literature. Moringa has been in use since Table.1 Nutritional value of Moringa compared
centuries for nutritional as well medicinal with other food
purposes. These include vitamin C, which
fights a host of illnesses including colds and Content of Moringa other food
flu; vitamin A, which acts as a shield against Vitamin A 6,780 mg caroot: 1,890 mg
eye disease, skin disease, heart ailments, Vitamin C 220 mg Orange: 30 mg
diarrhea, and many other diseases; Calcium, Calcium 440 mg cow milk: 120 mg
which builds strong bones and teeth and helps Potassium 259 mg Banana: 88 mg
prevent osteoporosis; Potassium, which is Protein 6. 6 g Cow milk: 3,2 g
essential for the functioning of the brain and
nerves, and Proteins, the basic building blocks Moringa is an alternative to imported food
of all our body cells. Another important point is supplies to treat malnutrition in poor countries.
that Moringa leaves contain all of the essential Moringa trees have been used to combat
amino acids, which are the building blocks of malnutrition, especially among infants and
proteins. It is very rare for a vegetable to nursing mothers. Three non-governmental
contain all of these amino acids. And Moringa organizations in particularTrees for Life,
contains these amino acids in a good Church World Service and Educational
proportion, so that they are very useful to our Concerns for Hunger Organizationhave
bodies. These leaves could be a great boon to advocated Moringa as natural nutrition for the
people who do not get protein from meat. tropics. Leaves can be eaten fresh, cooked, or
Moringa even contains argenine and histidine stored as dried powder for many months
two amino acids especially important for without refrigeration, and reportedly without
infants. Argenine and histidine, are especially loss of nutritional value. Moringa is especially
important for infants who are unable to make promising as a food source in the tropics
enough protein for their growth requirements. because the tree is in full leaf at the end of the
Experts tell us that 30% of children in sub- dry season when other foods are typically
Saharan Africa are protein deficient. Moringa scarce. Leaves were also used for food
could be an extremely valuable food source {2, fortification{15, 16, 17, 30, 31, 44}.
8, 15, 16, 17, 30, 32, 35}. In 1997-98, Alternative Action for African
Given its nutritional value, it can be utilized in Development {AGADA} and Church World
fortifying sauces, juices, spices, milk, bread, Service tested the ability of Moringa leaf
and most importantly, instant noodles. Many powder to prevent or cure malnutrition in
commercial products like Zija soft drink, tea, pregnant or breast-feeding women and their
and neutroceuticals are available all over the children in southwestern Senegal. Malnutrition
globe. A comparative study of Moringa fresh was a major problem in this area, with more
leaves gram for gram with other foodstuffs puts than 600 malnourished infants treated every
Moringa on top.{Table.1} It contains {seven year. During the test, doctors, nurses, and
times the vitamin C of oranges}; {four times midwives were trained in preparing and using
the vitamin A of carrots}, {four times the Moringa leaf powder for treating malnutrition.
calcium of milk}, {three times the potassium of Village women were also trained in the
banana} and {two times the protein of
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Khawaja Tahir Mahmood et al /J. Pharm. Sci. & Res. Vol.2 (11), 2010,775-781
preparation and use of Moringa leaf powder in supplemented with 2 kg dry matter and milk
foods. Result had indicated that children production increased by 58 percent. Then feed
maintained or increased their weight and supplemented with 3 kg dry matter per day, and
improved overall health, pregnant women milk production increased by 65 percent.
recovered from anemia and had babies with Imagine what would be possible if milk
higher birth weights and breast-feeding women production in developing countries could be
increased their production of milk.{17,41} increased in this way. It could prevent untold
Therapeutic uses/ benefit Phytochemicals suffering of people with protein deficiency.
refers to only those chemicals which may have {13, 14}
an impact on health, or on flavor, texture, Plant growth enhancer; Lab experimentation
smell, or color of the plants, but are not had shown that Moringa spray had a wide
required by humans as essential nutrients. range of beneficial effects on plant crops.
Moringa contains a range of fairly unique Effects of spray indicated accelerated growth of
phytochemicals. containing the simple sugar, young plants. Plants were firmer, more resistant
rhamnose, and it is rich in a fairly unique group to pests and disease. longer life-span, heavier
of compounds called glucosinolates and roots, stems and leaves, produced more fruit,
isothiocyanates. Six such phytochemicals have larger fruit, increase in yield 20-35% If even a
been reported to have hypotensive, anticancer, fraction of these results could be reproduced in
and antibacterial activity include benzyl the field, it could be a great help in increasing
isothiocyanate , niazimicin , pterygospermin, food supplies for millions of hungry people.
benzyl isothiocyanate , and 4-{a-L- {13}
rhamnopyranosyloxy}benzyl glucosinolate Water purification: A billion people across
{4,10 11, 15, 16, 17,}. Asia, Africa, and Latin America are estimated
Numerous studies now point to the elevation of to rely on untreated surface water sources for
a variety of detoxication and antioxidant their daily water needs. Of these, some two
enzymes and biomarkers as a result of million are thought to die from diseases caught
treatment with Moringa or with phytochemicals from contaminated water every year, with the
isolated from Moringa have shown, antiulcer, majority of these deaths occurring among
effect on immune response, spasmolytic children under five years of age.
activities, hypocholesterolemic effects , Powdered seed act as a natural flocculent, able
antibacterial activity. sympatholytic activity to clarify even the most turbid water Seed
and antiviral activity against herpes simplex powder can be used as a quick and simple
virus type-1. {18, 19, 21, 22, 24, 25} method for cleaning dirty water. The powder
Antioxidants play an important role in joins with the solids in the water and sinks to
inhibiting and scavenging free radicals, thus the bottom. This treatment also removes 90-
providing protection to human against 99% of bacteria contained in water, water
infections and degenerative diseases. The data purification by flocculation, sedimentation,
obtained in suggests that the extracts of antibiosis and even reduction of Schistosome
Moringa oleifera both mature and tender leaves cercariae titer. Using Moringa to purify water
have potent antioxidant activity against free replaces chemicals such as aluminum sulphate,
radicals, prevent oxidative damage to major which are dangerous to people and the
biomolecules and afford significant protection environment, and are expensive. Twenty litres
against oxidative damage. {43, 46} of water may be purified by adding 2 grams of
Animal feed fortification; Moringa leaves powder to one cup of clean water, pour into a
added to cattle feed increased their daily weight bottle and shake for 5 minutes. Filter the
gain by up to 32 percent. Feed of milk cows solution through a clean cloth into the bucket of
was supplemented with 15 to 17 kilograms of dirty water that is to be treated. Stir the water
fresh Moringa leaves daily, and the cattles quickly for 2 minutes and slowly for 10 to 15
milk production increased by 43 percent. Feed minutes {do not use metal implements}.Leave
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Khawaja Tahir Mahmood et al /J. Pharm. Sci. & Res. Vol.2 (11), 2010,775-781
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Khawaja Tahir Mahmood et al /J. Pharm. Sci. & Res. Vol.2 (11), 2010,775-781
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Khawaja Tahir Mahmood et al /J. Pharm. Sci. & Res. Vol.2 (11), 2010,775-781
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