Nature's Bounty - My Drumstick (Moringa) Tree

My drumstick tree is loaded with fruit. The drumsticks are very fleshy and about 2.5 feet long. I am not exaggerating. One is enough for a sambhar. Normally drumsticks are about 1.5 feet long. I have been sharing the bounty with family and friends. Its such an incredible joy to eat produce from your own garden.

The Drumstick Tree (Moringa Oleifera) is an ideal tree to plant in a home garden. You will have an organic nutrients factory in your own backyard. It grows tall in just about 5 to six months. Practically everything is edible - the slender fruit, the flowers and the tender leaves. According to the Trees for Life organisation, Moringa leaves contain

7 times the Vitamin C in Orange

4 times the Calcium and 2 times the Protein in Milk

4 times the Vitamin A in Carrots

3 times the Potassium in Bannanas and 3 times the Iron in Spinach.

To top this, it contains all ammino acids and mineral nutrients like manganese, zinc, selenium, copper and sulfur. The nutrition content in Moringa is very impressive for a plant. It is a true super food that is well known in Asia and Africa but little known in the West. Moringa is being used to combat malnutrition. Ancient Indian literature mentions the Moringa plant and its uses as far back as 150 B.C. Traditionally in India, pregnant and lactating mothers are advised to eat drumstick leaves and drumsticks due to their nutritive value. Drumsticks are a common vegetable in Indian homes and are available at any vegetable store or supermarket. You'll find the leaves in stores occassionally. Its best to plant your own tree. I think like the tomato it is really a fruit but considered to be a vegetable.Its known by different names - Muringakka in Kerala, Nugaikai in Karnataka, Muringai in Tamil Nadu and Malunggay in the Philippines.

The fruit is fleshy, long and contains seed pods. They look like drumsticks.You need to scrape off a thin layer of the outer skin and chop them up into little sticks about 3 inches long. Cook till soft and add to a sambhar or curry. Be careful not to overcook it as it will break apart. Eating it is a hands on sensory affair. You hold the stick to your mouth and suck out the curry trapped inside. You then gently break it apart by running your finger nails along its length. Eat the seed pods and suck the flesh off the the outer skin. Discard the outer skin. It has a delicate asparagus kind of flavour.

Ben oil can be extracted from the drumstick seed pods. It was a prized cosmetic ingredient in ancient India, Egypt, Rome and Greece. Cleopatra most likely used ben oil in her body creams and perfumes. Historic records mention the trade in ben oil between India and Egypt. Egyptian perfumes were renowned in the ancient world. Ben oil was used as a carrier oil in perfumery. It is an odourless oil which does not go rancid. Ben oil is supposed to be the most stable oil in nature. I was thrilled to find that Body Shop carries a Moringa line of products.

Drumstick seed powder can be used to purify water. Just swirling a bag containing the seed powder in a glass of dirty river water makes it drinkable. It reduces the suspended bacteria and coagulates any solid matter in the water so that it sinks to the bottom. It works better than aluminium sulfhate which can be toxic.

Various parts of the Moringa plant have medicinal value too - it has very high antibiotic and antioxidant properties, lowers blood sugar and blood pressure, reduces swelling, calms the nervous system and heals gastric ulcers. The Ayurveda mentions more than 300 medicinal uses for the moringa tree. The Drumstick or Moringa Tree is a truly miraculous plant that needs more attention.