Horseradish tree
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Flowers of the horseradish tree ( Moringa oleifera ) |
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| Moringa oleifera | ||||||||||||
| Lam. |
The horseradish tree ( Moringa oleifera , Syn. : Guilandina moringa ) or Behenbaum , Behennussbaum , Klärmittelbaum , drumstick tree , horse radish tree and like many other plant species also wonder tree , belongs to the family of Bennussgewächse (Moringaceae).
Surname
The German name Meerrettichbaum, like the English Horseradish Tree, is derived from the content of mustard oil glycosides , which cause the roots to smell pungent and burning like horseradish . These were also "discovered" by the English as a substitute for horseradish during colonial times in India .
The term Behennuss derived from the fact that from the seeds , the ben oil , a highly stable oil was obtained, which was especially popular in the watch industry before it by the cheaper olive was ousted and palm oil from the European market.
description
The fast-growing tree reaches a height of 5 to 8 m in the first year of life. A young tree in East Africa and India grows up to 8 m in height per year under natural conditions if it is not pruned. The root is beet-like thickened, the trunk is relatively short with a diameter of up to 25–40 cm. Under certain culture conditions it can thicken like a bottle. It branches into many protruding, thinner, slightly hanging branches. The trunk provides a gum similar to tragacanth .
The leaves are heaped at the tips of the branches . They are arranged in a spiral, have a length of 20 to 60 cm and are two to three pinnate. The oval or ovate to obovate leaflets are 1 to 2 cm long.
The plant has 2 to 3 cm large, hermaphrodite flowers with 5 short sepals, 5 petals, 5 fertile stamens and 5 staminodes . The inflorescences are formed as multi-flowered panicles that are 10 to 25 cm long and arise from the leaf axils. The flowers are fragrant (similar to violets), creamy white in color with yellow spots at the base. The hairy, unicameral ovary is upper and stalked.
The ripe fruits are about 2 cm wide, ribbed and brown, elongated, multi-seeded capsules with a length of 25 to 45 (to 90) cm in length, which is why the plant is also known as the drumstick tree . They hang on the tree for a long time and finally jump up with three flaps.
The brown, up to 1.5 cm large seeds are round or almost triangular and each covered with three paper-like wings. They are arranged in a row in the fruit and embedded in a whitish, dry pulp. Traditionally, fruits and seeds are still referred to as Singhu by the inhabitants of Indian descent in Tanzania (preferably Shija and Bohora sects) .
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 22.
Occurrence and location
The tree originally comes from the Himalayan region in northwest India, but now grows worldwide in the tropics and subtropics - especially in countries in Africa, Arabia, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean islands - and has been intensively cultivated in southern India for decades, which - albeit - only very slowly - also in East Africa. However, there the tree is preferably used as a natural remedy in various areas of application.
The cultivation of Moringa oleifera is increasingly practiced in Honduras and South America. Moringa farmers in Honduras have been supported by the government and private investors since 2012. The cultivation of Moringa should not only provide profitable income as food and feed, but also counteract deforestation . In poor regions (e.g. Niger ), Moringa is grown as the primary food source, as the plant is suitable for combating malnutrition in these regions.
In the old East African-English tradition, the tree is still often referred to as the "newer deat", which is a sign of its almost indestructible endurance in very hot and dry areas. The horseradish tree thrives in hot, semi-arid climates with mean precipitation amounts between 250 and 1500 mm / year, but also grows in areas (up to 1500 meters above sea level) with higher humidity and annual rainfall of up to 3000 mm - but more slowly there. Although the species prefers permeable, slightly loamy sandy soils , it grows quite persistently even on heavy loamy soils. It even endures light frosts for a short time, which, however, if they last longer, damage the tuberous roots. Because of its hygroscopic properties caused by the delicate leaves with their high sodium content, the tree is particularly suitable for hot, dry areas and locations in full sun.
It is particularly important to note that the horseradish tree cannot tolerate stagnant moisture (not even for a short time), because this causes root damage and as a result slows down growth, which is a disadvantage from the point of view of commercial use of the tree.
use
fruit
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Very young, unripe dark green fruits are used like green beans and eaten as a vegetable. They are widespread in South and Southeast Asia. In South India, for example, they are popular under the name drumsticks in a sauce called sambar . These fruits are often harvested around 40 days after flowering, as they form a woody peel during the ripening process.
leaves
The young leaves are eaten much less often than vegetables because the harvest is quite expensive. However, the juice of the leaves is widespread throughout India and regularly used as a supplementary drink or in the juice diets that are widespread throughout Asia to prevent and combat malnutrition and its consequences. In Asia and Africa, this mainly affects diet-related anemia or diabetes (type 2). Juice diets are mainly used by children and the elderly, whose bodies can only tolerate chemical substance treatments poorly or not at all.
The leaves of the plant are also used as animal feed. When used as feed for cattle, it has been shown that under certain circumstances weight gain can be increased by 32% and milk production by 43 to 65%.
root
The beet-like roots of young plants with a height of about 60 cm are dug up or pulled out of the ground and must then be freed from their slightly poisonous bark ( alkaloids ). The roots contain, among other things, benzyl mustard oil , which is responsible for the horseradish-like taste.
Seeds
One of the best and most stable vegetable oils is pressed from the seeds, it has a very long shelf life and does not go rancid. It was previously used as a basis for the manufacture of ointments or as a fine lubricating oil in the watch industry and also as salad oil, or for the manufacture of soap and cosmetics. As behen oil, it can also be used for burning purposes and as biodiesel . The water-soluble bark gum from the horseradish tree is also used as a disinfectant finish in India .
Research over the past few decades has shown that the seeds can be used to purify drinking water. The seeds are freed from the wings, peeled and dried and then ground into powder. This is then poured into water that was taken from rivers, for example, and therefore still has a high proportion of suspended matter and bacteria. A barrel full of this cloudy water can be completely cleared with 200 to 300 mg of the powder if it is stirred slowly and evenly for 15-20 minutes. The suspended matter and bacteria are flocculated by the seed powder and sink to the bottom. After detailed investigations, harmful effects of the powder on humans or on river and farmed fish can be excluded. A corresponding clearing effect was also found in M. stenopetala (Baker f.) Cufod. / also M. oleifera Lam. from the German Biomass, from Optima of Africa Tansania Ltd. (J.Sutherland & Cheyo) or CUFOD from Kenya and Ethiopia , which showed that its seed powder is more effective than that of Moringa oleifera Lam. in Tanzania, which apparently came from the different soil conditions.
ingredients
The horseradish tree is a good example of how a popular vegetable in Asia and Africa can be of high nutritional value. All parts of the plant, especially the turnip roots, contain mustard oil glycosides , from which pungent benzyl mustard oil develops when processed . The bark of the roots contains toxic alkaloids , "spirochins" and "moringinins", which is why these must be removed before consumption.
The edible parts of the plant, especially the leaves, have a high protein content and are rich in vitamins (especially vitamins A and C) and minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and sodium).
The following table shows the various ingredients of Moringa (based on 100 g of edible portion).
| ingredient | Moringa | recommended daily requirement of an adult |
| Provitamin A / carotenes | 6.780 mg | 0.8–1 mg vitamin A retinol (animal only) = 4.8–6 mg all-trans-β-carotene (vegetable) = 9.6–12 mg other provitamin A carotenoids (vegetable) |
| vitamin C | 220 mg | 80-100 mg |
| calcium | 440 mg | 800-1000 mg |
| potassium | 259 mg | 2000 mg |
| Protein / protein | 6.7 g | 0.8 g body weight in kg (e.g. 0.8 75 = 60 g recommended daily requirement) |
Due to the rapid growth, the simple cultivation options (the plant can easily be propagated vegetatively using cuttings) and the diverse uses of the horseradish tree and other Moringa species, numerous projects have been started in developing countries in the tropics and subtropics in which vegetables, powdered seeds or other products are produced and should be marketed.
In September 2014, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) selected Moringa oleifera as its traditional crop of the month. The FAO wants to draw attention to Moringa as an easy-to-grow, nutrient-rich plant that can contribute locally, regionally and internationally to income in agriculture.
Medicine
All plant parts of the horseradish tree are used in the local, traditional medicine of India, Sri Lanka, Java and Africa. The juice is used to stabilize blood pressure. Leaves have anti-inflammatory effects. Rheumatic complaints are cured with the roots.
The alkaloid spirochin and moringine contained in the roots have a bactericidal effect , which is why their use as an antibiotic and in biological plant protection is now being examined. The long unripe seed pods are also said to contain medicinal substances.
Cultivation in Cuba propagated by Fidel Castro
In June 2012, the Cuban revolutionary leader and former President Fidel Castro made the horseradish tree and the mulberry tree the subject of a "reflection" that has been published in all Cuban media since his retirement from active politics. In his text, which lasts just a few lines, he propagated the cultivation of the two tree species "on a large scale" and described the Moringa oleifera as an "inexhaustible source of meat, eggs and milk". On the one hand, the unusual nature and form of these and other recent comments by the former statesman sparked speculation about his state of mind. On the other hand, the horseradish tree in Cuba, with government funding, was increasingly being used as a cheap source of raw materials for plant medicine and as a nutritional supplement for one or two years before Castro's statement, and since the recommendation by the highest authority has been considered all the more as an agricultural hope. In October, Fidel Castro spoke up again with more detailed information about the horseradish tree. In the run-up to the six-monthly session of the Cuban Parliament , the members of the Committee on Agriculture and Food dealt in detail in December 2012 with the results of the massive cultivation of the horseradish tree called for by Castro.
literature
- Wolfgang Franke : crop science. 6th edition, Thieme, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-13-530406-X .
- Geoff Folkard, P. John Sutherland: Moringa oleifera: a tree and a litany of potential. In: Agroforestry Today. Volume 8, Number 3, 1996 pp. 5-8.
- VH Heywood : flowering plants of the world. Birkhäuser, Basel-Boston-Stuttgart 1982, ISBN 3-7643-1305-6 .
- Frank A. Mayer, Elkie Stelz: Moringa stenopetala provides food and low-cost water purification. In: Agroforestry Today. Volume 5, Number 1, 1993, pp. 16-18.
- Lexicon of Biology . Herder, Freiburg 1994, ISBN 3-86025-156-2 .
Web links
- Names of the species worldwide at Multilingual Multiscripted Plant Name Database.
- Video about Moringa trees and the preparation of leaves on You Tube.
- Description of the use of the species at Purdue Univ. (English).
- Description of the use of the species at Missouri Botanical Garden.
- Information on the species at Agrodesierto (Spanish).
- Information on usage on the Miracle Trees Foundation website.
- Moringa oleifera . In: S. Dressler, M. Schmidt, G. Zizka (Eds.): African plants - A Photo Guide. Senckenberg, Frankfurt / Main 2014.
Individual evidence
- ^ Moringa oleifera at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis.
- ↑ The Moringa Tree at Trees for Life.
- ↑ Miracle Tree helps in Niger's food crisis at ABC - Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- ↑ Seed Extract from Moringa oleifera Lam. (Drumstick Tree) for Water Bioremediation , Michael Lea, Low-cost Water Treatment Technologies for Developing Countries, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Curr. Protoc. Microbiol. 16: 1G.2.1-1G.2.14, February 2010 .
- ↑ The “miracle tree” Moringa oleifera information sheet of the Moringa farm on Tenerife, accessed on January 10, 2018.
- ↑ . Gopalan et al .: Nutritive value of Indian foods. Hyderabad, India: National Institute of Nutrition, ICMR, 1989.
- ↑ reference values . DGE website.
- ↑ Moringa. FAO website. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ↑ Udo Eilert: Antimicrobial substances from Ruta graveolens and Moringa oleifera: Attempts to influence production in callus cultures, especially through mixed cultures with fungi. Mathematical and scientific dissertation, Braunschweig 1983.
- ^ Fidel Castro: Nutrition and Healthy Employment ( Memento of October 8, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) In: Granma . dated June 18, 2012, accessed July 8, 2012.
- ↑ Juan O. Tamayo: Fidel Castro leaves people guessing as he writes cryptic, Haiku-like notes ( Memento from January 28, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ) In: Miami Herald. dated June 20, 2012, accessed July 9, 2012.
- ↑ Sandra Weiss: Fidel is 86: Capitalism a la cubana. In: Tagesspiegel. dated August 10, 2012, accessed December 15, 2012
- ^ Janis Hernández: Moringa Plant Catches on in Cuba. In: Havana Times. dated December 19, 2011, accessed July 8, 2012
- ↑ Yanet Lago Lemus: ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: Milagros de Moringa ). In: Periódico. 26, July 8, 2012, Retrieved July 9, 2012 (Spanish).
- ↑ Respuesta de Fidel al lector de Cubadebate Handy Acosta Cuéllar (Fidel's answer to the Cubadebate reader Handy Acosta Cuéllar), in: Cubadebate of October 23, 2012, accessed on December 15, 2012 (Spanish).
- ↑ Sesionan Comisiones de Trabajo permanent del Parlamento cubano (meetings of the standing working committees of the Cuban Parliament), the blog Siempre con Cuba (Spanish) of 11 December 2012 found.
- ↑ El parliamento de Cuba debate los beneficios de la moringa (Cuba's parliament discusses the merits of moringa), video (4:14 min.) By AméricaTeVe of December 13, 2012 (Spanish), accessed on YouTube on December 15, 2012.
