The Miracle Vegetable

Apr 18th, 2009 by Angelo Villamejor

This edible plant is little known in the Western world probably because it is native only to the foothills of the Himalayas. However it is now widely cultivated in Africa, Central and South America, Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia and the Philippines.

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What vegetable has 25 times more iron than spinach, 10 times more vitamin A than carrots, 15 times more potassium than banana, 9 times more protein than yogurt, 7 times more vitamin C than oranges, and 17 times more calcium than milk?

Sounds impossible? This vegetable actually exists.

This edible plant is little known in the Western world probably because it is native only to the foothills of the Himalayas. However it is now widely cultivated in Africa, Central and South America, Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia and the Philippines.

This vegetable is called Moringa or Moringa Oleifera. It is actually a vegetable tree, which can grow as high as 10 m. The leaves of this plant are full of vitamins and minerals like beta-carotene, vitamin C, protein, iron, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. The leaves are cooked and used like spinach. Other parts of the tree like its bark, roots, fruits, flowers, and even seeds are also used as an effective treatment for rheumatism, venomous bites and other similar conditions because of the plants’ antiseptic properties. Modern science also found a way to extract oil from this plant which can be an abundant source of bio-fuel in the near future. Moringa is such powerful and useful plant, no wonder it’s called the Miracle Vegetable.

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The Moringa tree is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree. It grows best in dry sandy soil and can survive even in poor soil conditions. In fact, this plant can be cultivated even in coastal areas.

Despite Moringa’s astonishing health benefits, it makes you wonder why the Western world is not yet embracing this plant.

Joshua_Miguel

Written by Angelo Villamejor

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Comments

luckeydev, over a year ago
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You are absolutely correct, this plant is very much used as a food in my part of the world and it is really a cheap source of iron as the plant can grow in very dry climates also.

Nanc, over a year ago
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Interesting.

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