Hello Steemit. Are you a tea drinker? If so, this might interest you!
Moringa oleifera is a plant that is often called the drumstick tree, the miracle tree, the ben oil tree, or the horseradish tree. Moringa has been used for centuries due to its medicinal properties and health benefits. It also has antifungal, antiviral, antidepressant, and anti-inflammatory properties. (Google Search)
This is one of 4 moringa oleifera trees growing at the side of our house. They grow so fast that they have to be trimmed at least every 3 months if not they will reach the electric power lines along the road and could be a serious hazard.
My wife and two daughters are tea drinkers and they practically try almost all kinds of tea there is in the market. About a few months ago my wife read about Moringa Oleifera Tea, more popularly called Malunggay Tea in our country, and the health benefits that went along with it. For one, studies showed that Moringa leaves have 7 times more vitamin C than oranges! Not only that. Aside from vitamin C, the potassium in Moringa is 15 times more than bananas. It is also a very good source of antioxidants. Data gathered in one study suggest that the extracts of Moringa oleifera, both mature and tender leaves, have potent antioxidant activity against free radicals, prevent oxidative damage to major biomolecules and afford significant protection against oxidative damage (Source: Pubmed). It also has protein, iron, amino acids and calcium which all help the body to heal, build and be strong.
My wife tries out a box of Malunggay Tea
Curious and excited about this discovery, my wife bought a box of this Moringa Oleifera or Malunggay Tea. The feedback was quite positive, although it was too early to detect any improvement healthwise on the tea drinkers of the house. For one, it is caffein-free which my wife prefers. Second, my wife and daughters love the mild aroma and taste which was good enough to be made a staple tea brand in the house. Third, of course, there was always that bright possibility of the long-term health benefits of the product.
However, my wife had other ideas.
She knew we had 4 super prolific Moringa trees just outside the house. So she thought, "Why not make our own tea?" Good idea. So she asked her ever reliable and good assistant (Read: Me, who else?) to gather some fresh leaves. I took out stems of leaves, as much as my two hands could hold and brought it inside the house. My wife immediately soaked them in water to clean the leaves from dust and other critters hidden there. Then she hanged them to dry. But since these moringa leaves dry quickly, there was no need to dry them out in the sun.
She hanged them by the kitchen window for two to three days until they were completely dry. Afterwards, she removed the leaves from the stems. Some of the small stems to which the leaves are attached are all right to be included. To ensure that leaves are really dried, she roasted them for about a minute or so. This is how it looked like (see photo below):
The next step is to either crush the dried leaves by hand or use a coffee grinder.
AND VOILA! TEA IS READY FOR SERVING!
Aside from drinking this as tea, my wife uses it also in smoothies, soups, salads and many other viands she cooks. She simply sprinkles the ground moringa leaves over them and instantly turns them into health and power foods.
That's it folks. I hope you enjoyed this post. With all the health risks out there, including the new Corona virus (COVID-19) it is better to stack our bodies up with vitamins and antioxidants so we can increase our immune system and fight off infections and sickness. What better way to drink tea!
(Thanks for visiting. All photos are mine taken from my Samsung J2 Prime Cell Phone.)
