Malunggay “Superfood” Health Benefits, Nutrients and Minerals

Malunggay “Superfood” Health Benefits, Nutrients and Minerals

Malunggay is a very common plant or a type of green leafy vegetable in the Philippines and it is now considered as “Superfood” because it is rich in nutrients and minerals.

Dr. Raffy Barrozo organic agriculture expert and board member of Moringaling Philippines Foundation, Inc. (MPFI), he gave emphasis to the numerous health benefits of Malunggay.

He said that for every pound, malunggay has seven times more Vitamin C than oranges, three times more potassium that bananas, four times more Vitamin A than carrots, two times more protein and four times more calcium than milk.

Malunggay is also rich in antioxidants that can prevent several lifestyle-related ailments such as cardiovascular diseases, heart problems, high blood pressure, and cancer.

Malunggay with scientific name Moringa grows anywhere in the Philippines, so Filipinos are very lucky to have this so-called Superfood.

Elena Van Tooren Board secretary of MPFI, Malunggay can be cooked and eaten with rice, though She suggests drying the leaves, blending it until it is pulverized, and adding it to food or juice.

Malunggay leaves can be dried by bundling the harvested branches up and hanging them upside down to dry in the sun. Make sure that a mat would catch the dry leaves that would fall off. 10 kilograms of fresh malunggay shrinks to one kilogram when dried. This process makes dried malunggay richer and more concentrated. It loses its Vitamins A and C content when dried, but it does retain the rest of its nutrients.

Van Tooren also recommends taking one tablespoon a day for people who want to stay healthy, and two tablespoons for those suffering from health issues such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.

For pregnant women, she recommends taking three tablespoons a day. Malunggay is also sold as powder, tea, and capsules.

Source: MPFI