The oil from the Moringa Oleifera nut was used by the ancient Egyptians. This extremely fast growing woody species (Moringa oleifera, Moringaceae) could open up a new category of crops: "vegetable trees." It also produces masses of very small leaflets that are boiled and eaten like spinach. Being so small, the leaflets sun dry in just a few hours and can then be put in a jar and stored for the off-season, a time when dietary minerals and vitamins are often scarce. Moringa seeds could be employed to make water safer for drinking and cooking.
right - presscake remaining following oil extraction
Moringa Oil
Moringa "drumstick" flower
Recommended for further reading:
Features about Moringa and the CWS/AGADA project have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, in the International Herald Tribune, and in many other (mainly American) newspapers. CWS published a booklet on the tree in both English and French; the English version can be seen at: www.moringatrees.org
Mark Olson’s Ph.D. research on the Morigaceae family of plants. His research is described in the CWS/CTA publication in the chapter ‘Introduction to the Moringa Family’, and at the website: http://www.mobot.org/gradstudents/olson/moringahome.html
MOST/CIRAN Database of Best Practices on Indigenous Knowledge
MOST Clearing House Best Practices on Poverty and Social Exclusion
