Vitamin Rich "Malunggay" May Combat Malnutrition

17/09/07 Men who may not be able to sire children can soon count on the “malunggay” plant to work its magic on them.

A recent study conducted by experts at the Bureau of Plant Industry showed the fruit of the malunggay, or horse radish, helped “immensely” in raising the sperm count of men who ate it, according to BPI’s Vivencio Mamaril.

Malunggay, scientific name Moringa oleifera Lam, is enjoying huge popularity after its high micronutrient content was discovered.

According to the Biotechnology Program Office of the Department of Agriculture, the malunggay has been found by biochemists and molecular anthropologists to be rich in vitamins C and A, iron, and high density lipoprotein or good cholesterol.

It is also seen to help combat malnutrition and, at the same time, provide a source of income for farmers.

By the same token, eating malunggay fruit is seen to lead to higher semen count, which translates into increased opportunity for the sperm to fertilize an egg.

Most nutritious on planet

According to the BPI report, this “scientific finding will certainly have an impact on current malunggay consumption since only the leaves had been nurtured and purchased by companies for fortifying processed food that includes instant noodles.”

In the same article, Mamaril said the malunggay was “perhaps the most nutritious vegetable available on the planet.”

“My reading had revealed that malunggay has seven times the vitamin C in oranges, four times the calcium in milk, four times the vitamin A in carrots, twice the protein in milk, and three times the potassium in bananas,” he said.

Aside from increasing sperm count and providing the bulk of the daily dietary nutrient requirement of humans, the malunggay has been found in India to have many medicinal uses.

Treats fever, too

A study conducted by Indian experts in 2001 showed the fresh root of the young tree can be used to treat a fever.

Asthmatics are advised to drink the infusion from the roots of the plant.

In battling ascites, which are caused by cirrhosis and other liver and spleen problems, sufferers are advised to drink the juice of boiled malunggay root.

Normally, the liquid from ascites has to be drained using a needle or other surgical procedure.

Tender malunggay leaves also reduce phlegm and are administered internally for scurvy and catarrhal conditions, while the flowers are used to heal inflammation of the tendons and abscesses.

Mamaril said unripe pods can prevent intestinal worms, while the fruit also prevents eye disorders.

Secura Philippines Inc., a biotech firm, has offered the government a contract to grow malunggay and a donation of products like malunggay leaf powder for study.

DA-BPO chief Alicia Ilaga said the agriculture department is encouraging experts from the public and private sectors to work together for the wider cultivation and processing of malunggay.

They include the Department of Health, the National Nutrition Council, the Bureau of Plant Industry, the National Anti-Poverty Commission, and the Food and Nutrition Research Institute.