We’ve often heard from our teachers and parents about how nutritious malunggay, also known as moringa, is.
Many of us also know it’s popular among breastfeeding mothers because it helps stimulate milk production.
However, this amazing tree is still underrated—did you know that malunggay is actually considered a superfood?
MALUNGGAY IN THE PHILIPPINES
Malunggay is a native tree in the Philippines.
You can easily spot malunggay trees in most backyards, particularly in the provinces.
The World Health Organization (WHO) called it a “miracle tree” in 1998, and promoted it as a good alternative supplement to combat malnutrition.
Almost all parts of the moringa tree are beneficial—from its leaves, branches, to its fruits.
However, the widely used part is the leaves, which are taken as food for nutrition source.
Even Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao includes malunggay in his diet, especially when he has a scheduled boxing match.
Read: Which makes grilled food taste better: charcoal or gas?
MALUNGGAY FOR EVERYBODY
A few weeks ago, a talk about the benefits of malunggay was held at the launch of Moringa Vita supplement.
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) also sat down with Helen Grace Nebril, plant manager of Marklene Fabricate Corporation, and learned more about its nutritional value when taken as a supplement.
“Actually, sa mga batang babae, age of puberty, sa mga matatanda, yung mga less na ang kinakain, ‘tapos doon naman sa mga nursing moms at saka mga moms to be, the best siya,” she told PEP.
Asked why she specifically mentioned young girls of puberty age, Nebril replied:
“Kasi pagka sa age of puberty, pag nagkaroon ng monthly period ang mga batang babae, ang nangyayari, kulang sila ng iron.
“Di ba, kapag nagbi-bleed kami, kukulangin ng iron?”
It is for this reason that teen girls are advised to look for good iron sources such as malunggay.
She also reiterated the leaves' benefits to new moms: “Para na-i-stimulate na yung mammary glands to produce more milk."
And did you know it's also beneficial to teen boys?
“Kasi yung mga boys naman, very active yung lifestyle, like sports. Yung protein kasi, yung muscle mass ng bata, dapat maganda, pati bones.”
Even elderly people can higly benefit from taking malunggay.
“Elderlies kasi, usually mga soft diet, so less na yung tini-take na protein, so compromised na yung complete nutrition,” explained Nebril.
“Kapag hindi complete yung nutrition ng elderlies, nagde-decline pati mental health, kung minsan pati bone density…”
Another issue Nebril raised is whether people are consuming enough malunggay to actually get the nutrients their bodies need.
She explained that Moringa Vita capsules contain 500 mg per capsule and are formulated to provide the necessary dietary supplement.
Kids as young as 12 years old can take them.
“Hangga’t yung bata marunong nang lumunok, puwede na, kasi nasa capsule form siya.”
WHAT IS IN MALUNGGAY?
Malunggay is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, calcium, potassium, iron, beta-carotine, protein, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds.
Nebril also stressed that their claims are based on research and their product is approved by the Food and Drug Authority (FDA).
“We cannot claim it kapag wala kaming mga patunay na ito yung content," she said.
“We have food supplement certification to prove our claims."
She also shared to PEP the research conducted on their malunggay capsule by the Adamson University Technology Research and Development Center and analyzed by Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), an international testing center that has a branch in the Philippines.
This research was done in 2011 before the product was submitted to FDA for its approval.
It underlined that malunggay has 4X Vitamin A than carrots, 7X Vitamin C than oranges, 15X potassium than in bananas, 4X calcium than milk, and 24X the Iron than in cashew nuts.
Read: What is preauricular pit, the small hole in some people’s ear?