Moringa (Sohanjna): Real Nutrients, Powder Amounts and the BP Caution (Video)

Transcript

Moringa: A Simple Green

Ever wonder why the sohanjna tree drops green pods on every courtyard in Sindh, yet nobody calls it a superfood? Let’s look at what this humble green really brings to the table.

What is Moringa?

Moringa, or sohanjna, is the drumstick tree. Its leaves, pods, and flowers are all edible. It’s a genuine green vegetable with real nutrients, a few cautions, and a marketing halo it doesn’t need.

At a glance

In short, moringa gives you beta-carotene, vitamin C, calcium, iron and modest protein. A daily dose is a teaspoon or a katori of cooked leaves. Be careful if you’re on blood pressure, diabetes, warfarin or thyroid medicines.

Leaf nutrients

Fresh leaves are dark green and behave like any other leafy veggie. About a cup of cooked leaves supplies beta-carotene that turns into vitamin A, a fair amount of vitamin C if you don’t boil it too long, useful calcium, some iron and a modest amount of protein.

Traditional uses

In Sindh and southern Punjab the pods are cooked with meat or potatoes, or turned into a sour achar. Flowers are stir-fried with onion and eggs in spring. Leaves go into saag, dal, or are dried and ground into flour. Hakeems called the tree hot and dry, using pods for joint complaints and leaf for poultices.

Ways to eat

There are three everyday ways. Pick slim, bright green pods, cut them into bite-size pieces and cook them with meat or potatoes, two or three pods per person is normal. For leaves, strip the bitter stalks, wash, and start with half a level teaspoon a day, building to one or two teaspoons as you like. Pair with something sour or a little fat to help iron and beta-carotene absorption.

Choosing powder

Good moringa powder is bright deep green, fine, and smells like fresh-cut grass with a hint of bitterness. Brown or olive powder has lost most of its beta-carotene. A musty smell means it’s been stored damp. Drop some in water, a good powder turns the water green, while a cheap one leaves grit or a sand layer.

Cautions with meds

Moringa’s mild effects line up with several common medicines. Blood-pressure tablets can get a little extra boost, so dizziness on standing should be reported. Diabetes medicines may cause low blood sugar if you change intake suddenly. Warfarin’s effect can be altered by the leaf’s vitamin K, so keep your green-veg intake steady and tell your clinic.

Myth bust

The claim that moringa has seven times the vitamin C of oranges only works on paper, because it’s based on 100 g of dried powder, a amount no one eats. Three grams of powder give you far less vitamin C than one orange, less calcium than a glass of milk, and less iron than a katori of dal with lemon. What it does offer is a dense pinch of beta-carotene, calcium and protein for almost no calories.

Who to be careful

Pregnant women should stick to cooked leaves and pods as food; the root, bark and concentrated extracts are traditionally avoided because they’re linked to miscarriage. Breastfeeding mothers should keep leaf intake to a teaspoon in food or less, as high-dose powders aren’t well studied. Children can have a little cooked leaf or a pinch of powder in dal, but not large amounts.

Where it fits

Sohanjna belongs in the same kitchen drawer as methi, palak and kari patta, a strong, cheap, locally grown green that makes dal richer and a diet a bit more complete. If you have a tree, use the pods in season and dry the leaves in shade for winter. If not, buy a small pouch of good powder and use a teaspoon a day as a seasoning. And if anyone tells you it will replace a tablet, that’s a marketing myth.

Takeaway

For more details, read the full post on thecareonline.com, and remember this isn’t medical advice.