Moringa leaves, cooked (horseradish tree, organic?)

Moringa leaves are the leaves of the tropical horseradish tree ( Moringa oleifera). In the countries of origin, the leaves are traditionally eaten cooked rather than raw to improve the digestibility of the nutrients. Organic ?

Using moringa leaves in the kitchen:

Are horseradish leaves edible? This colloquial term refers to the leaves of the horseradish tree ( Moringa oleifera) and not to those of the root vegetable horseradish ( Armoracia rusticana). Moringa leaves are traditionally eaten together with the flowers, either cooked as a spinach-like vegetable or fresh as a raw vegetable and salad. ¹ When seasoning, the natural salt content (23 mg/100g) ² must be taken into account. The tropical tree leaves are therefore suitable for recipes without added salt.

How can you prepare horseradish leaves? Vegan cooking and baking ideas with moringa leaves can often be found online under the name moringa recipes. Cooked, the leaves enrich vegetable soups, risotto, a moringa leaf curry, casseroles, falafel, lentil dal, dumplings, bread, pesto, fillings for pasta or dumplings, and tarts. Horseradish leaf "spinach" can be served warm as a side dish to an Indian dish, for example with peas in coconut curry with mustard seeds and cumin or apple and lentil dal with turmeric and cumin.

In the countries of origin, the pods (fruits, drumsticks) of the so-called drumstick tree are the more popular vegetables, since the harvesting effort for the leafy greens is relatively high.

You can also use dried leaves to create delicious tea creations and dishes such as soups, couscous, falafel or vegetable stews. However, particularly attractive alternatives are available with native and free leaves from trees in Central Europe: these include young apple leaves, cherry leaves, walnut leaves, birch leaves, beech leaves, linden leaves, Norway maple leaves and young shoots from spruce, pine and fir. Tree leaves have the advantage over wild herbs that an infestation by the fox tapeworm is very unlikely.

For more information about the horseradish tree, the moringa root and moringa preparations, see: Horseradish tree, leaves, raw or moringa powder.

Vegan recipe for potato soup with moringa leaves:

Ingredients (for 2 people): 300 g potatoes, 100 g sweet potatoes, 100 g carrots, 100 g leeks ; approx. ½ l vegetable stock ;pepper ; turmeric ; nutmeg ; lovage, dried; celery leaves, dried; 150 g raw horseradish leaves (organic), freshly de-stalked (possibly blanched and frozen beforehand); vegan sour cream.

Preparation: First, cut the vegetables into walnut-sized pieces and cook them in the vegetable stock until soft, together with the herbs and spices. 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the raw organic leaves (the pre-blanched ones a little later). Then puree the vegetables into a creamy soup and refine it with vegan sour cream.

Vegan horseradish leaf recipes with cooked leaves can be found under the note: " Recipes that have the most of this ingredient ".

Purchasing - where to buy Moringa leaves?

Since the horseradish tree is native to the tropics and subtropics worldwide, the raw and easily perishable leafy vegetable can rarely be purchased outside of its natural range. With a little luck, you can find fresh Moringa leaves in some Indian supermarkets or online (organic products are well represented online). In the countries of origin, the leaves are in season all year round.

If you buy dried leaf greens or leaf powder (moringa powder) as a substitute for raw horseradish tree leaves, you should prefer controlled organic quality (organic). Investigations by the Chemical Veterinary and Investigation Office ( CVUA) in Stuttgart show pesticide residues, salmonella contamination or labeling deficiencies in some moringa products without the organic designation. ^3,4

Natural food stores, health food stores, organic stores, Asian shops, pharmacies and online shops offer dried moringa leaves as a green powder, also in raw food quality (raw quality). You can find it in supermarkets such as Rewe, Spar, Alnatura, Denn's or Coop Vitality. According to our research, supermarket chains such as Migros, Aldi, Lidl, Edeka, Denner, Volg or Hofer do not sell any products with parts of the horseradish tree (raw, frozen, juice or even organic).

Wild found:

Information on wild collection can be found HERE under the same subtitle.

Preparing your own cooked moringa leaves:

First, remove the thicker stems from the raw leaves (organic), but leave the finer ones. This results in a loss of around 45%. If you remove the stems from 100 g of leafy vegetables, you can therefore expect a usable amount of leaves of around 55 g. Horseradish leaves do not take on a long cooking time: you should only cook them briefly so that they do not take on a mushy or slimy consistency. Blanching them in boiling water or steam for a few minutes is sufficient. You can use salt sparingly, as the leaves naturally contain a considerable amount of table salt.

Ideally, the blanching water should be thrown away, as it dissolves anti-nutritional ingredients such as oxalic acid, trypsin inhibitors (polypeptides) or phytic acid. Gently cooking the leaves in water increases the bioavailability of iron and increases the digestibility of protein. ⁶

Storing horseradish tree leaves:

Blanched leaves can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days. For longer storage, the vegetable can be frozen in convenient portions.

Ingredients - Nutritional values - Calories:

100 g of cooked Moringa oleifera tree leaves have a calorie content of 60 kcal. The main nutrients are 0.93 g fats, 11 g carbohydrates and 5.3 g proteins. ⁷

The vitamin K content is worth mentioning: it is 108 µg in 100 g of cooked horseradish tree leaves. In comparison, 100 g of raw plants such as dandelion contain 778 µg, nettle 499 µg, spinach 483 µg,lettuce 102 µg and savoy cabbage 69 µg of vitamin K. ⁷

Moringa oleifera contains varying amounts of flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol or kaempferol, isorhamnetin). ²¹ The plant contains mustard oil glycosides, carotenoids, saponins and plant zeatin (plant hormone). ^3,8

False promises:

Does Moringa contain vitamin B₁₂ ? Sales websites like to advertise the plant with an alleged vitamin B₁₂ content. Traces of real cobalamins can be found in plant-based foods if there has been contamination with bacteria or fermentation. The formation of measurable vitamin B₁₂ would therefore occur via microorganisms and not via the plant itself. Since there are strong fluctuations here, these foods are not considered reliable sources of vitamin B _12. They could also possibly be structurally related analogues that do not have any vitamin effectiveness. So far there is little information about the effectiveness and safety of vitamin B₁₂ analogues that are formed through nutrient interactions in vitamin and mineral supplements. ^2,7,9,10

Overall, the leaves have a broad but average range of nutrients. They are to be classified as a 'normal' food and not as a so-called 'superfood'. The latter is a marketing term and not a protected designation for a particularly high health value. The way in which the nutritional content of Moringa is advertised can therefore lead to consumer deception. ³

The complete ingredients of cooked Moringa leaves, the coverage of the daily requirement and comparison values with other ingredients can be found in our nutrient tables in CLICK FOR below the ingredients picture.

Health aspects - effects:

The scientific data for the actual effectiveness of preparations containing Moringa oleifera on human health is poor. Results from basic research and animal studies cannot be transferred directly to humans. ^8,11 More detailed information can be found here: Horseradish tree pod, raw.

Dangers - intolerances - side effects:

Possible warnings refer to products made from Moringa root and Moringa leaf ( Moringa oleifera): They contain mustard oil glycosides. Tablets, powders, etc. are toxic in very large quantities, which is why the content limits consumption. ^3,12

High doses of leaf extracts (> 3000 mg/kg body weight) led to genetic damage in animal experiments (2012). Intake of a maximum of 1000 mg/kg body weight was safe for the test rats. ^8,13

Evidence from recent animal studies (2007-2014) shows that the leaf extract in high doses could worsen blood counts, liver and kidney values. Such changes occurred in rats in a laboratory study after 8 weeks. In converted terms, the amount corresponds to about 250 g of fresh, uncooked leaves (daily) for a 60 kg person. ^14,15,16

It is still unclear whether and to what extent these findings apply to humans. Only serious studies with humans can provide information here. ¹¹

Interactions may occur if Moringa oleifera capsules are taken at the same time as medication (immunomodulators, anti-hormone therapy). In cancer patients, ingredients in Moringa can inhibit the liver's cytochrome P450 enzyme type 3A4. In these cases, use should be discussed with the treating doctor. ¹⁷

Folk medicine - naturopathy:

In the local, traditional medicine of India, Sri Lanka, Java and Africa, all parts of the horseradish tree (also known as horse radish tree) are used.

Young leaves are used in traditional medicine to stimulate milk flow. Other traditional uses for internal treatment include tuberculosis, asthma, gout, rheumatism, enlarged spleen or liver, gallstones and kidney stones. ⁵

Distribution - origin - ecology:

Moringa oleifera is an important cultivated plant in India, Ethiopia, the Philippines and Sudan. This species is the most economically valuable of the genus and comes from South Asia, where it grows in the foothills of the Himalayas. The plant is now widespread in the tropics. Nine varieties are found in eastern Ethiopia, northern Kenya and Somalia, eight of which are endemic to Africa. ¹⁸

Growing in the garden or as a potted plant:

Growing Moringa: In temperate regions, the tree can be grown as a potted plant in the room or in the winter garden. In summer, it can be kept frost-free on the terrace or balcony at minimum temperatures of 15-18 °C. ^5,19 The plant does not tolerate waterlogging. ¹⁸

Cultivation - Harvest:

Moringa oleifera is the most commonly cultivated species within the genus. The main cultivation areas include South India, Thailand, the Philippines, Honduras and South America. With an annual production of 1.1-1.3 million tons of fruit on an area of 380 m ², India is the largest producer of Moringa products. ²⁰

Ecological aspects:

The horseradish tree ( Moringa oleifera) is used to harsh conditions and requires little water. Moringa species are therefore used to reforest the Sudanese Sahel zone. ²¹ The trees cause windbreaks and reduce soil erosion. ¹⁸ Cultivation in Honduras is intended to counteract deforestation.

The trees are fast-growing and drought-tolerant. During the dry season and in times of drought, they produce leaves that are an excellent source of green vegetables when food is scarce. ¹⁸

Danger of confusion:

Moringa oleifera is colloquially known as the 'miracle tree' (Indian miracle tree). The horseradish tree shares this name with other plants. This can lead to confusion due to ambiguous names, e.g. with the poisonous castor oil plant. You can find distinguishing features HERE under the subtitle of the same name.

General information:

The horseradish tree ( Moringa oleifera, syn.: Guilandina moringa) belongs to the Moringaceae family. The plant is not related to horseradish ( Armoracia rusticana).

The German name horseradish tree comes from the content of mustard oil glycosides, which are responsible for the sharp smell of the leaves and roots and are reminiscent of horseradish. Oil is made from the seeds of the so-called behen tree or behen nut tree, hence the name behen oil (moringa oil, horseradish tree oil).

Alternative names:

The common name for Moringa oleifera in German is horseradish tree (incorrect spelling: horseradish tree, horseradish tree leaves). Other alternative names are: miracle tree, Indian miracle tree, clarifying agent tree, drumstick tree, horse radish tree or behen tree or behen nut tree. The term ben nut tree often refers to the related species Moringa peregrina (true ben nut tree).

The term horseradish leaves (horseradish leaf) is often used as an abbreviation for horseradish tree leaves.

In English, the horseradish tree is called drumstick tree, horseradish-tree or ben tree (also: ben oil tree, benzolive tree or reseda); the moringa leaf or leaves (horseradish leaves) are called drumstick leaves or moringa tree leaves.

Local names are murungai, murunga and malunggay. In Spanish, the leaves are called hojas de moringa; the dried horseradish leaf is called hoja seca de moringa.

Keywords for use:

The leaves and seeds have a bactericidal effect. In countries where it occurs naturally, this effect is used for drinking water treatment or for physical hygiene - hence the name purifying tree. ⁸

Literature - Sources: