Moringa Oleifera
"The Miracle Tree"
What is Moringa?
Before we begin if you are already familiar with the benefits and function of Moringa and just want to know how BestStar grow and control Moringa standards internationally click here to jump to the bottom.
Moringa species belong to the family of Moringaceae – a single genus family with 14 known species. Amongst them, the Moringa oleifera species (Synonym: Moringa pterygosperma Gaetner) is the most widely known and grows throughout the tropics and sub-tropics. It is originated from sub-Himalayan tracts of northwest India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. In English it is commonly known as Horseradish tree, Drumstick tree, Never Die tree, West Indian Ben tree, and Radish tree (Ramachandran et al., 1980).
During the last decades, Moringa has become one of the most prized and valuable tropical trees due to its many valuable properties and potential uses. These comprise the high protein content of the leaves, petioles and stems, the high protein and oil contents of the seeds, the presence of growth factors in the leaves and the high sugar and starch content of the entire plant. Moringa is a fast-growing plant with about 5 feet of monthly growth for regularly harvested configuration but for just seed production the tree can grow to 6-7 meters, with averagely less than 400 mm per year (Odee, 1998). It is a perennial tree and can reach a maximum height of 7-12 m and a diameter of 20-40 cm at 5 feet height and can be produced easily and well on hillsides and elevations of up to 1,000 m above sea level, but it is more frequently found growing on pastureland or in river basins.
Moringa can be produced easily because it can propagate through both sexual and asexual ways and in soil, poor nutrients and under water stress. The fruits of Moringa are trilobal capsules hanging down with lengths of 20 to 40 cm, which contain about 12- 25 seeds per fruit. The seeds are round with dark brown colour and three whitish wings and one adult moringa tree (three years old) can produce about 15,000-25,000 seeds per year, whilst a plantation can produce 3000 kg of seeds per hectare. This quantity offers an equivalent of 900 kg oil per hectare (i.e., 30%) and is comparable to soybean which needs yearly cropping and yields an average of 3000 kg seeds per hectare with only 20% oil yield (Mohammed, et al., (2003).
Beststar has the goal to make a difference, and in the times when the world is facing a pandemic the management set out to find a solution to address hunger and nutritional problems. Moringa is one of those products that will go a long way to being the solution. Yet, it still has not been addressed by farmers and producers with the needed diligence for it to be fully compliant as a food-grade and medicinal grade.
Beststar is developing Moringa based products through smart cultivation and processing improved nutritional values, while introducing products for commercial use based on the prominent pharmacological properties. Moringa oleifera grows in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is commonly known as the ‘drumstick tree’ or the ‘horseradish tree’. Moringa can withstand severe drought conditions and hence it is widely cultivated. Due to the Moringa tree being an excellent cover crop it is a prominent participant in the regenerative farming and agriculture programmes BestStar run.
Extracts from the Moringa leaves are used to treat malnutrition augment breast milk in lactating mothers. Additionally, it is used as an antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and antimicrobial agent; and there have been documented cases of using Moringa as a cure for diabetes, a cure for cancer and water treatment.
Moringa is easily cultivated. As a result, it is a sustainable remedy for malnutrition. It is rich in nutrition owing to the presence of a variety of essential phytochemicals in its leaves, pods, and seeds. One of the most fantastic things about moringa is that it contains ZERO harmful cholesterol is extremely low in fats and contains an abundance of healthy compounds such as:
The Potential of Moringa
Moringa is touted as being the latest wonder-food, after the infatuation with kale from a few years ago, you may be wondering is this just another fad? Whilst it’s true the obsession with kale may have been over-hyped it cannot be denied that it is indeed good for you, and should not be ignored. Now, though, let us take a look at what ailments Moringa has the possibility of treating, as always you should seek medical advice before self-diagnosing or medicating.
Several medical journals have reviewed Moringa and whilst studies are still in the early stages they do show promising news. Medical News Today has an article with several benefits/afflictions that show the potential efficacy of Moringa in treatments, such as:
Protecting and Nourishing Skin and Hair
The oil from the Moringa seed contains proteins making it beneficial at protecting hair against free radicals and skin cells from damage, it can be successful in curing skin infections and sores, as well as helping wounds close and heal whilst reducing scarring from acne and other reasons.
Fighting Bacterial Diseases and its Effectiveness in the Stomach and Kidneys
Moringa has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties, and it is surmised that Moringa extracts can combat infections caused by Salmonella, Rhizopus and E.coli among others. These properties also lead to the possible treatment of stomach complaints and disorders such as constipation, gastritis and ulcerative colitis. The antibacterial and antibiotic attributes of Moringa may help to inhibit the growth and replication of various pathogens.
The indigestion process is aided by the high vitamin B content. The anti-oxidants in Moringa might aid people with high toxicity levels in the kidneys and help to make people less likely to develop stones in the kidneys, bladder or uterus by taking a Moringa extract.
Blood, Bones, Edema and the Cardiovascular system
Moringa extract contains powerful antioxidants that can potentially prevent cardiac damage and have been demonstrated to help maintain a healthy heart. In addition, Moringa contains isothiocyanate and niaziminin these are compounds that have been shown to stop arteries from thickening, which can be a leading cause of high blood pressure. The properties of Moringa might help a body to absorb more iron which increases the red blood cell count, so taking the plant extract is very helpful in treating and preventing anaemia and sickle cell disease.
The presence of calcium and phosphorus in Moringa help maintain bone health and strength, the anti-inflammatory properties of the plant extract can also help treat conditions like arthritis and is possible to even heal damaged bones. In the case of oedema where specific tissues suffer from a fluid build-up causing severe pain, Moringa may be effective in preventing the development or reducing the effects within the body.
Diabetes and the Eyes
It has been shown that Moringa can improve haemoglobin levels and protein content in those tested, by reducing the amount of glucose in the blood and sugar/protein levels in the urine.
Due to once again its high anti-oxidant levels Moringa can improve eyesight, by stopping the dilation of retinal vessels, preventing the thickening of capillary membranes and thereby inhibiting retinal dysfunction.
Asthma and Lung Function
Moringa extract due to its properties can help to reduce the severity of some asthma attacks, mainly because it has been shown to improve lung function and overall breathing ability.
Treatment and Prevention of Cancer
Is it possible that there is a natural cure for the dreaded “C” word, we have all been affected by this terrible disease in one way or another, if not ourselves personally then we know a relative or friend who has been affected. Moringa extract contains properties that might help prevent cancer from developing, the presence of niazimicin within the plant extract is hugely encouraging due to this bioactive compounds ability to promote anti-tumour activity within the body and to suppress the development of cancer cells.
Side Effects and Notes
Before ingesting Moringa in any form consult your doctor first. There have been very few cases reported of side effects, but if you do start to take it and feel strange symptoms stop immediately and consult your physician/doctor for advice.
Always read the labels and follow the correct dosage recommendations.
The BestStar Moringa Operation
The BestStar Commitment
BestStar is committed to exceeding international standards for food safety and hygiene in all stages of our production, the minimum standards we adhere to and comply with, are, HACCP, GMP and ISO standards.
These rigorous standards are applied at every one of our worldwide locations and strictly monitored to ensure the best Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QAQC) possible, from preparing the soil for the crop, sowing seeds, harvest, drying and processing until the final packaged product is delivered to the end customer.
No persistent chemical fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides are used, instead, a conglomerate of enzymes, bacteria, microbes and minerals are employed to ensure plant health and wellbeing, whilst also increasing the level of chlorophyll within the leaves giving a deep green colour as the plant can effectively photosynthesize creating a vastly superior product with higher levels of proteins and other compounds than our competitors. Here’s how.
Beststar is using a multi-pronged approach to many of the problems the world faces for example the growing and cultivation of moringa forms a part of the foundation of our reverse desertification efforts to regenerate farmlands all over the world and to fight the effects of the creeping desert.
How BestStar Operates and Maintains Standards
BestStar ensures that all Moringa producers follow the same exacting standards to ensure quality across all continents producing Moringa for our operations. To do this there are checks at all points in the process, regular oversight, testing and site visits by the executive team to ensure these standards are upheld. The key points for any grower and processing plant are;
Reliability of Quality – Clean and sterile as required in certain areas, totally in compliance with food standards as recommended and enforced by organisations like the HACCP and others. Reliability of matching the minimum specifications for moringa leaves, roots, oils, powder, pellets and capsules etc.
Supply Reliability – All of the producers for BestStar are thoroughly vetted and investigated to ensure they can deliver the required volumes and quantities specified on the predetermined timescales.
BestStar ensures that all facilities where applicable equip and maintain processing areas that surpass international standards for food grade and pharmaceutical grade products fit for human or animal consumption, to maintain sterile environments closed areas are created that have safe level ultraviolet light tunnels to decontaminate personnel entering controlled areas. During off-duty hours stronger ultraviolet-C lighting is used along with an ozone treatment.
Within processing areas there are ventilation systems to reduce the risk of exposure to workers and to mitigate health and safety concerns from the noxious odours that can be produced, air quality monitors are strategically placed to ensure worker safety included in the controlled air environments are also changing rooms and toilets for personnel so that they may prepare for work and clean up post-work without the risks of contamination spreading within the environments, or externally. The workers within this facility enter at the start of their shift and do not leave until they are finished with whatever tasks they need to complete during their on-duty period.
In the event of a facility breakdown or scheduled downtime, there are ozone assisted refrigeration units within holding rooms to ensure the product is maintained in a controlled atmosphere and that the risk of contamination in the production and processing area is negated.