Archive & Product of Cambodia: Moringa (Moringa oleifera), a plant with many virtues

Moringa (Moringa oleifera), known in Khmer as ‘mrum’, is a fashionable plant. For some years now, it has been attracting the sustained attention of many herbal medicine enthusiasts, who are sensitive to the tradition of Ayurvedic medicine, according to which this plant is capable of curing more than 300 illnesses.

Moringa seeds on sale in a Chinese shop (Photo Pascal Medeville)

Moringa is known in French by various names: ben ailé, ben oléifère, néverdier... Its seeds are called ‘noix de ben’. The plant is native to India and Pakistan, but has spread widely to other parts of South-East Asia. It is even found in southern China, notably in the provinces of Yunnan and Guangdong, as well as in Taiwan. Moringa has also been transplanted to Africa.

Almost all parts of the plant are useful: leaves, flowers, pods and seeds can be eaten directly. In Cambodia, the young leaves are used in various soups: sâmlâ koko, sâmlâ srâlâk; the pods can be added to ‘sour soups’ (sâmlâ mchu). The seeds, enclosed in a soft husk, can be nibbled like peanuts. The plant itself is sometimes used as an ornamental.

In phytotherapy, moringa leaf powder is indicated for stimulating the immune system, reducing fatigue, lowering blood pressure, improving digestion and transit, boosting cognitive capacity, etc. Food supplement formulas offer moringa leaf powder either on its own or in combination with other ingredients. The qualifier oleifera in the Latin name of moringa indicates that this plant produces an oil, which is extracted from the seeds. It can be used as a food oil, but it is mainly used in perfumery because of its ability to bind aromas.

Moringa leaves are rich in nutrients, but they also contain components that are not harmless to health, in particular alkaloids and flavonoids. They are therefore not recommended for consumption by pregnant women, people with high blood pressure or asthma, or babies under six months old.

Moringa is also a plant recommended for diabetics. The leaves are rich in numerous nutrients (iron, proteins, vitamin C, vitamin A), but above all they help to regulate blood glucose levels. The virtues of moringa are such that the WHO has actively promoted it in Africa, where moringa leaf powder is used as a nutritional supplement, particularly for malnourished children, breast-feeding mothers suffering from anaemia and people living with HIV. Finally, it should be noted that moringa seed extracts are also widely used in the cosmetics industry.

By Pascal Medeville - Sinogastronomie