The wonders of ‘malunggay’

It has seven times the Vitamin C of an orange, four times the Vitamin A of carrots, 13 times the Vitamin A of spinach, and four times the Vitamin B of pork. Even more astonishing, it has 63 times the potassium of milk (three times that of bananas), 30 times the R-Amino Acid of brown rice and 50 times the Vitamin B2 of sardines.

What is this wonder food and why isn’t it a part of everyone’s regular diet? The wonder food is the seemingly ordinary plant we know as malunggay, known throughout the world as moringa. In my youth, I knew only of malunggay and corn soup, which was recommended for lactating mothers because it reportedly enriched one’s breast milk supply. But otherwise, it was considered an ordinary backyard plant, and hardy figure in the everyday diet of the ordinary Filipino.

But these days, moringa or malunggay is all the rage, judging from the number of products being marketed here, ranging from malunggay chips, malunggay powder, malunggay tea, malunggay capsules and even malunggay oil used to treat gout and acute rheumatism, prostate and bladder problems, and as a tonic and purgative. Extracts from the seeds, say promotional materials, may even be used to “prolong sexual activity in women,” though I’m told even men can benefit from it for what one observer said was their “flag-raising ceremony.”

Who knew that from such a humble plant, whose leaves, flowers and pods grow on low-hanging branches of trees that are found most everywhere in tropical countries, would come what promises to be a cure-all for so many ailments?

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Maria Elena “Bing” Primicias van Tooren has been president of Moringaling Philippines Foundation Inc. since last year. Moringaling is a grouping of Filipino malunggay enthusiasts across the supply chain, from growing, production, marketing and consuming.

A classmate from high school, Bing discovered malunggay when she was afflicted with diabetes some years back. Prescribed the usual diabetes medications, she found that instead of making her feel better, the medicines would make her feel nauseous a few hours later. “My doctor kept assuring me that I would get used to it,” she said.

But soon tiring of the cycle, Bing decided to research on her own for alternative treatments. This was when she discovered, through the Internet, studies that had been done on the efficacy of moringa, particularly in lowering one’s blood sugar levels.

So she decided to give it a try, beginning with two spoonfuls of malunggay powder twice a day, which she mixed in juice and poured into a cup with a cover, “to disguise the smell of chlorophyll,” she says. After some time, after performing blood sugar tests on herself, she found her sugar levels stabilizing. “Now I don’t take any other medication,” she exults.

Having moved to Pangasinan after her retirement (her late father was a governor and congressman), Bing got involved in civic affairs (joining the provincial Namfrel and helping in the family orientation sessions for beneficiaries of the 4Ps program), and soon turned her eye on income generation for the rural families. This was when she decided to wed her civic mindedness and advocacy for malunggay.

In time, she established a malunggay-drying operation, buying malunggay leaves from community women and using solar power to dry the leaves so they could be transported.

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Apparently, fresh malunggay cannot be transported because once bunched up they “heat themselves” and become unusable.

The dried malunggay was then delivered to small manufacturers who would process the leaves, stems, pods and seeds into many applications.

An example of an integrated operation is JPM, which stands for “Japan-Philippines Malunggay,” located in a farm in Bae, Laguna, where several hectares of malunggay plants have been planted, and where the leaves and other parts of the plant are dried and processed.

How JPM came into being is a story in itself. Gina Matsuoka, a Filipino, was living in Japan when her Japanese husband was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. Seeking alternative forms of treatment, they heard about moringa and went to the Philippines after hearing that an abundant supply could be found here. They established their malunggay plantation on a hilly stretch of land, far from roads and the highway to avoid contamination from toxic smoke and other pollutants from vehicles. Malunggay plants should also not be planted near pig or poultry farms, says Ma. Cristina Gragasin, of the Department of Agriculture Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization, since waste matter and other harmful elements could affect the plants’ efficacy.

Gragasin acted as a consultant for JPM, overseeing every step of the process from harvest, drying and processing, and testing batches of the products to ensure quality and safety.

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This year, Moringaling is at the helm of events designed to draw national and international attention to the benefits of moringa and its potential as a product in this health-conscious world.

There is the First International Symposium on Moringa on Nov. 15-18, in partnership with the International Society for Horticultural Science based in Belgium, and the AVRDC-The World Vegetable Center in Taiwan.

Another event is the sixth National Moringa Congress as part of the Natural Products Expo Manila on Nov. 10-11.

Both events are expected to draw even more attention to the promises and benefits of this “wonder food,” while building popular appreciation for this common and overlooked plant which could, indeed, save the world.