Moringa oleifera

Common Names (Synonyms)
in English: African moringa, ben, bentree, drumstick tree, horse radish tree, oil of ben tree, radish tree

in Burma: dandalonbin

in China: la mu, la mu shu

in India: achajhada, achuram, akshiba, aksiva, asasuram, badadishing, bahala-pallavah, bahalah, bahumula, chaditoye, chaksushya, chalusha, chhai, chhui gaccho, chhuin, damsamula, danshamula, dravinaandhata, dvishigru,

dvisigru, gandhaka, haritapatra, haritashaka, jalaproya, janapriya, kakshivaka, kalibaka, kaminisha, katukanda, komalpatraka, krishnagandha, krishnashigru, kshamadansha, madhugunjana, madhushigruka, madhusravah, mechaka, mocaka, mocha, mochaka, moringa, moringu, mosing, mouringou, mukhabhanga, mukhamlda, mulaga chettu, mulakaparni, munaga, munaga chettu, munaga gatch, munagacha-jhad, munagachajhada, munagha, munga, mungai, muniga, munigaa, munigha, muninga, muniya, muniya gatch, murangi, muringa, murinkai, murinna, murungai, murungai-maram, murungi, musik, nashana, nugge, nugge kayi, nugge mara, nuggi-mara, rochana, ruchiranjana, sahajana, sahajna, sahijana, sahinjan, sahjan, saigravam, saijana, sainjna, sajaina, sajana, sajanaa, sajauna, sajina, sajna, sanamaka, sanbhanjana, sanjana, sanjna, saragavo, saragvo, sargavo, segra, segta, sehjan, shajmah, shajna, shakapatra, shegat, shegta, shegva, shengul, shevaga, shevga, shevgi, shigru, shigruka, shobhanjan, shobhanjana, shobhataka, sigru, sigruh, sigrupa, sitavhaya, sitavrykshamu, soanjhan, soanjna, sobhanjana, sobhanjanah, sohjna, sojina, sonjna, sonth, strichittahari, subhanjana, sujna, sumula, supatraka, sutikshna, svetamaricha, svetashigru, swetamaricha, tavuselam, tellamunaga, tikshnamula, tikshnanandhaka, tiksnagandha, tilashigru, tishnagandha, ugra, upadansha, vanapallava, vidradhinashana

in Japan: wasabi-no-ki

Malayan names: emmunggai, gemunggai, germunga, kachang kelor, kachang kelur, kelentang, kelok, lembugai, lemunggai, meringgai, merunggai, morungei, morunggai, rembugai, remunggai

in Nepal: sajiwan

in Philippines: arunggai, balungai, dool, kamalungai, malungay, malunggay, marunggay

in Thailand: ka-naeng-doeng, ma-khon-kom, ma-rum, phake- hu-me, phak-e-hum, rum

in Tibet: si-gru, sigru

in Central America: arango, badumbo, broton, caragua, carano, maranga calalu, marengo, moringa, paraiso blanco, perlas, sasafras, teberindo

in Comoros: mvouge

in East Africa: mlonge, mzunze

in Kenya: hocholoch, mrongo, muguunda, muzumbwi, muzungi, muzungwa, muzungwi, mzunze

in Nigeria: bagaruwa-makka, barambo, ewe-igbale, ewe ile, ewo-igbale, idagba manoye, idagba moloye, okwe

oyibo, samarin-danga, zogalagandi, zogale, zogalla gandi, zogallagandi

in South Africa: meelsakboom, moringa

in Tanzania: mlonge

in W. Africa: masa yiri

Description:

According to Flora of Pakistan

• A large tree, with gummy bark, younger parts pubescent.
• Leaves alternate, tripinnately imparipinnate, up. to 60 cm long (including 4-15 cm long petiole), deciduous; rachis pubescent, slender, pulvinate and jointed at base; pinnae 5-11, stalk of the pinna 1-3 cm long, articulated at base; pinnules 5-11, petiolule of pinnule 4-8 mm long; rachis of the pinnule articulated with a small rounded gland;
• Leaflets 3-9 (-11), 1-1.75(-2.4) cm long, 0.5-1.8 cm broad, sparsely tomentose above, glabrous below; lateral leaflets elliptic, while terminal obovate and slightly larger; petiolule 1-4 mm long.
• Inflorescence 8-30 cm long with ovoid buds.
• Flowers white, c. 2.5 cm across, with 1.3-2.1 cm long pedicel, honey scented.
• Calyx tube hairy; lobes slightly unequal, petaloid, imbricate, linear to lanceolate 1.3-1.5 cm long, 5-6 mm broad, reflexed, with prominent yellow streaks in the centre, entire, obtuse.
• Petals white, the anterior erect, others reflexed, ascending imbricate, spathulate with prominent veins, 1.2-1.8 cm long, 5-6 mm broad, acute, entire.
• Stamens 5, alternating with 5(-7) sterile filaments or sometimes with non func¬tional stamens; filaments villous at base, yellow, stamens 1 cm long, antherless fila¬ments 7 mm long.
• Ovary oblong, c. 5 mm long; style cylindric, less villous than the ovary.
• Fruit a 9-ribbed pendulous pod, 30-45 cm long, somewhat tomentose when young.
• Seeds embedded in the pits of the valves, 3 angled, winged, blackish, rounded

According to Flora of China

• Trees to 12 m tall; bark pale smooth to rugose but not fissured.
• Leaves petiolate, 3-pinnate, 25-60 cm, with stalked glands often exuding clear or amber liquid at base of petiole and leaflets; leaflets in 4-6 pairs, ovate, elliptic, or oblong, 1-2 × 0.5-1.2 cm, puberulous when young but glabrous at maturity, base rounded to cuneate, apex rounded to emarginate; petiolules slender, 1-2 mm.
• Inflorescence a widely spreading panicle, bracteate, 10-30 cm; bracts linear, ca. 1 mm.
• Flowers white to cream, fragrant, somewhat resembling an inverted Fabaceae flower with 2 dorsal sepals and 1 dorsal petal usually remaining unreflexed and forming a projecting "keel" while the rest of the perianth reflexes down to form a "banner" at right angles to the "keel", each flower borne on a false pedicel 7-15 mm; true pedicel 1-2 mm.
• Sepals lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 0.7-1.4 mm, usually puberulent.
• Petals spatulate, 1-2 cm, glabrous or puberulent at base.
• Stamens hairy at base.
• Ovary hairy. Capsule 3-valved, 20-50 × 1-3 cm, dehiscent.
• Seeds subglobose, 3-angled, 8-15 mm in diam. excluding wings; wings 0.5-1 cm wide, rarely absent.

According to Flora of North America

Moringa oleifera is probably native to lowland dry tropical forests of northwestern India; recent collection information is lacking. It is cultivated in tropical countries as an ornamental and agricultural crop. It is occasionally reported as re-seeding along roadways and in other disturbed areas; there are no reports of M. oleifera invading intact habitats.

Moringa oleifera is often mistaken for a papilionoid legume or for a member of the Bignoniaceae. It is easily distinguished from both by stalked glands at the leaf base and at rachis articulations and by its pungent horseradish odor. The three-valved fruits with three-winged seeds also readily distinguish M. oleifera from both of those families. All parts of the plant are of economic importance: leaves are highly nutritious, flowers are edible, seeds contain large quantities of high-quality oil, and presscake remaining after oil extraction contains one of the most powerful plant-derived flocculants known, used for clarifying turbid water. Roots are used as a horseradishlike condiment. Moringa oleifera is extremely fast growing (to 7 m in first year from seed), with fruit yields ca. 10 tons/ha/yr.

• Plants 1-10 m, to 40 cm diam.
• Roots tuberous when young, woody with age.
• Bark pale gray or tan, smooth or finely rugose.
• Stems often canelike, becoming pendent with age, glabrous or finely puberulent.
• Leaves with pungent odor of horseradish; 30-60 cm, leaflets distributed on 4-8 pairs of pinnae; pinnae largest near base of leaf, 2 or 3 pinnate; leaflets 75-150, distalmost pairs represented by pairs of single leaflets along main rachis; blades bright to dark green, (0.5-)1-2(-3) × (0.3-) 0.5-1.5(-2) mm, base rounded to cuneate, apex rounded to emarginate, glands 3-5 mm (smaller at blade apex).
• Panicles (5-)10-25(-35) cm, each flower subtended by glandular bract.
• Pedicels 5-10(-20) mm; bracteoles 2.
• Flowers sweet-scented, 2-3 cm; sepals 10-20 × 3-4 mm, proximal ones usually reflexed, usually puberulent, distalmost pair usually largest, ± erect, enclosing banner petal, or ± reflexed; petals cream, 1-2 cm, distalmost banner petal ± erect, others usually ± reflexed; filaments and staminodes 7-10 mm, basally pubescent, adherent distally proximal to banner petal and anthers in a 3-tiered presentation; receptacle cup-shaped, 3-4 mm; gynophore 2-3 mm, appressed to banner petal; ovary 3-5 mm, with 3 ridges.
• Capsules tan, 10-30(-55) × 1.5-3 cm, apex beaked, 3 (or 4)-angled; valves silvery inside.
• Seeds pale to dark brown, globular, 3-winged; cotyledons exuding oil when compressed

According to flora of Zimbabwe

• Small tree, cultivated for its edible roots and leaves.
• Leaves 3-4-pinnate with opposite ovate leaflets.
• Flowers in terminal branched inflorescences, white, tinged with pink.
• Pods up to 45 cm long

According to flora of India

• Large trees; branches pubescent.
• Leaves usually tripinnate; leaflets 3 - 11, sparsely tomentose above, glabrous beneath, up to 2.4 x 1.8 cm; terminal larger than the laterals, obovate, oblique sided at base, rounded at tip, laterals elliptic. Flowers ca 2.5 cm across.
• Calyx tube hairy; lobes petaloid, linear-lanceolate, reflexed.
• Petals white, the anterior erect, others reflexed. Stamens 5; filaments villous at base.
• Ovary oblong; style cylindric.
• Fruits up to 45 cm long, 9-ribbed when young, 3-angled on maturity.
• Seeds winged.

Pharmacological Activites

Root bark contains poisonous alkaloids; leaves a powerful purgative. Plant juice applied on eyes for eyes troubles. Stem bark hypoglycemic, abortifacient, astringent, a bark decoction given in joint disorders and dysentery; a poultice of leaves of Croton tiglium with bark of Moringa oleifera and seeds of Zanthoxylum nitidum applied on painful swellings of joints; warmed stem bark juice used as eye drops in conjunctivitis; crushed bark boiled in mustard oil used as a balm for acute traumatic pain and paralysis; bark cardiac stimulant, anti-rheumatic. Bark and gum used for abortion; flowers and bark for abortion. Juice from leaves and stem bark antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral, anthelmintic, vermifuge, antifertility, antitubercular, analgesic, antiinflammatory, for impotence and syphilis; Ficus elastica stipules poultice with leaves of Moringa oleifera applied on eruptive skin diseases; crushed leaves given orally for stomach pain during menstrual cycle; boiled leaves consumed by pregnant mothers to reduce labor pain; cooked leaves and flowers eaten to increase fertility in man. Roots vesicant; a poultice of seeds of Brassica napus with roots of Moringa oleifera is applied on rheumatic pain and covered with leaves of Ricinus communis; fresh roots juice given for quick delivery; root paste of Moringa pterygosperma given after delivery to expel placenta, postpartum remedy; dried root bark insect repellent. Flowers and immature fruits good rubefacient. Juice of cooked fruits in joint disorders; fruits eaten for obesity. Oil used for skin poultices. The powder ground from the seeds used in the treatment of scurvy, intestinal worms. Magic, bark of Mangifera indica and bark of Moringa oleifera boiled, bath with this water protects children from diseases. Veterinary medicine, bark juice given to cure fits; root juice applied on the ulcers.