Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
parameters in the two-compartment test, the light/dark choice situation test, and the staircase test, as
well as the induction of sleep.
793
At the doses tested, the extract did not show any acute toxicity.
Morinda
induced relaxation of vascular smooth muscle, which occurs via endothelium-dependent
and -independent mechanisms, the former of which involves the NO-cGMP pathway.
789
At a concen-
tration of 0.25-9.0 mg/ml, the extract of
Morinda lucida
elicited vasorelaxation in noradrenaline-
precontracted rings. This relaxation response was partially attenuated by removal of the endothelium
and completely inhibited by pretreatment of rings with L-NAME and methylene blue.
790
MORINGA OLEIFERA
Botanical Name —
Moringa oleifera
Lam.
Synonyms —
M. pterogosperma
Gaerthn.,
Hyperanthera moringa
(L.) Vahl.,
Guilandina mor-
inga
L.
Family —
Moringaceae
Common Names —
Oil of Ben tree, horseradish tree, Ben aile (French)
African Names —
Arabic: habbah ghaliah; Ewe: babatsi; Hausa: zongallagandi, danga; Igbo:
okwe-beke (okwe-oyibo); Yoruba: ewe igbale
Description —
Moringa oleifera
is a small deciduous tree about 8 m high, with pale gray bark
and soft wood. It has a crooked stem that often is forked near the base. The twigs and young shoots
are densely hairy. The leaves are tripinnate, usually with 6 pairs of pinnae, large, and alternately
arranged on the stem. Secondary and tertiary leaflets are oppositely arranged, dark green above and
pale green below the surface, with variable shapes and sizes but mostly obovate. The flowers are
small, sweet scented, and borne on loose axillary common stalks up to 15 cm long, cream colored,
with unequal petals that are usually larger than the sepals; the latter are 5, pale green, up to 1.2 cm
long, and finely hairy. The fruits are 3 angled, pod-like, up to 45 cm long and 1.3 cm broad, slightly
constricted at intervals, gradually tapering to a tip, containing rows of blackish, rounded, oily seeds,
each of which has 3 papery wings.
77
Habitat and Distribution —
It is a tropical plant, cultivated in parts of the continent but prob-
ably native to Morocco, Egypt, and Tunisia.
Ethnomedicinal Uses —
Moringa
leaves and young pods are used as vegetables and added to
soups and salads to aid digestion and to stimulate appetite. The infusion of the root bark is dispensed
for venereal infections and the treatment of fevers. The kernel yields clear, sweet oil that is applied
externally as a counterirritant like mustard.
7
The pounded root mixed with salt is used as a poultice
for inflammatory swellings. The tree is planted on graves to keep away hyenas, and its branches are
used in the preparation of a charm against witches. The seeds are used in Sudan and other parts of
North Africa for water purification. In East Africa, the seeds are used in the induction of abortion.
In India, the root is used as a stimulant in paralytic syndrome and for the treatment of epilepsy,
nervous disorders, hysteria, and spasmolysis, as well as for a cardiac circulatory tonic.
82
In India, the
plant is cited for the treatment of diseases of the liver, spleen, and articular pains; the tender leaves
are indicated for scurvy and catarrh and given to children suffering from flatulence.170
170
Constituents —
The leaves are rich in amino acids, including aspartic acid, glutamic acid, ser-
ine, glycine, threonine, α-alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, histidine, lysine, cysteine, methionine,
arginine, and tryptophan.
791
The flowers and the fruits also contain amino acids.
792
The root bark
yields the sulfurated amino bases moringinine and spirochine, as well as benzylamine and glucotro-
paeline.
82
The seeds contain an almost-colorless fixed oil, known in commerce as
Beni
or
Moringa
oil. The oil consists of a 60% liquid olein fraction and 40% solid fat. The major constituents of the
oil are oleic acid (65%), stearic acid (10.8%), behenic acid (8.9%), myristic acid (7.3%), palmitic acid
(4.2%), and lignoacetic acid (3.0%).
170,793
The stem bark has been shown to contain sterols and ter-
