by Amy R. RemoMEN WHO MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SIRE children can soon count on the "malunggay" plant to work its magic on them.
A recent study conducted by experts at the Bureau of Plant Industry showed the fruit of the malunggay helped "immensely" in raising the sperm count of men who ate it, according to BPI"s Vivencio Mamaril.
Malunggay, scientific name Moringa oleifera Lam, is enjoying huge popularity after its high micronutrient content was discovered.
According to the Department of Agriculture’s Biotechnology Program Office, the malunggay has been found by biochemists and molecular antropologists to be rich in vitamin C and A, iron, and high density lippoprotein or good cholesterol.
It is also seen to help combat malnutrition and, at the same time, provide a source of income to farmers.
By the same token, eating malunggay fruit is seen to lead to higher semen count, which translates into increased opportunity for the sperm to fertilize an egg.
Most nutritious on planet
According to the BPI report, this "scientific finding will certainly have an impact on current malunggay consumption since only leaves had been nurtured and purchased by companies for fortifying processed food that includes instant noodles."
In the same article, Mamaril said the malunggay was "perhaps the most nutritious vegetable available in the planet."
"My reading had revealed that malunggay has seven times the calcium in milk, four times the vitamin A in carrots, twice the protein in milk, and three times potassium in bananas," he said.
Aside from increasing sperm count and providing the bulk of the daily dietary nutrient requirement of humans, the malunggay has been found in India to have many medicinal uses.
Treats fever, too
A study conducted by Indian experts in 2001 showed the fresh root of the young tree can be used to treat fever.
Asthmatics are advised to drink the infusion from the roots of the plant.
In battling ascites, which are cause by cirrhosis and other liver and spleen prolems, sufferers are advised to drink the juice of boiled malunggay root.
Normally, the liquid from ascites has to be drained using a needle or other surgical procedure.
Tender malunggay leaves also reduce phlegm and are administered internally for scurvy and catarrhal conditions, while the flowers are used to heal inflammation of the tendons and abscesses.
Mamaril said unripe pods can prevent intestinal worms, while the fruit also prevents eye disorders.
Secura Philippines Inc., a biotech firm, has offered the government a contract to grow malunggay and a donation of products like malunggay leaf powder for study.
DA-BPO chief Alicia Ilaga said the agriculture department is encouraging experts from the public and private sectors to work together for the wider cultivation and processing of malunggay.
They include the Department of Health, the National Nutrition Council,the Bureau of Plant Industry, the national Anti-Poverty Commission, and the Food and Nutrition Research Institute.
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer
Health Benefits:
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* Malunggay can help restores skin condition, controls blood pressure, relieves headaches and migraines.
* Malunggay tea can help strengthen the eye muscles.
* Malunggay tea can help heal inflammation of the joints and tendons.
* Malunggay tea can prevent intestinal worms.
* Malunggay can help increase semen count.
* Malunggay help normalize blood sugar level therefore preventing diabetes.
* Malunggay has anti-cancer compounds (phytochemicals) that help stop the growth of cancer cells.
* Malunggay helps relax and promotes good night sleep.
* Malunggay tea is used to treat fever and asthma.
* Malunggay help heals ulcers.
* Malunggay is high in calcium (four times the calcium in milk), therefore lactating mothers are advised to consume malunggay leaves to produce more milk for their babies. The young malunggay leaves are also boiled and taken as tea.
* Malunggay contains three times the potassium in bananas.
* Malunggay contain four times the vitamin A in carrots.
* An ounce of malunggay has the same Vitamin C content as seven oranges.
* Malunggay leaves contain two times the protein in milk.
* Malunggay seed is used to clean dirty or polluted water.
A large number of reports on the nutritional qualities of Moringa now exist in both the scientific and the popular literature. It is commonly said that Moringa leaves contain more Vitamin A than carrots, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, more Vitamin C than oranges, and more potassium than bananas,” and that the protein quality of Moringa leaves rivals that of milk and eggs. However, the leaves and stem of M. oleifera are known to have large amounts of their calcium bound in calcium oxalate crystals,which is not a form of calcium available to the body. Whether the claim of "more calcium than milk" includes this non-bioavailable calcium needs to be addressed. The oral histories recorded by Lowell Fuglie in Senegal and throughout West Africa report countless instances of lifesaving nutritional rescue that are attributed to Moringa. In fact, the nutritional properties of Moringa are now so well-known that there seems to be little doubt of the substantial health benefit to be realized by consumption of Moringa leaf powder in situations where starvation is imminent. Nonetheless, the outcomes of well-controlled and well-documented clinical studies would still be clearly of great value
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