Moringa Presentation @ Dyck Arboretum

Jeffery Faus, a Trees for Life staff member, sent me the following email. Thought you might find the presentation interesting. Dr. Russ Bianchi is a medical and scientific formulator with a passion for Moringa.

 

Moringa tree presentation _ Dyck Arboretum of the Plains in Hesston will offer a program on “Discovering Medicinal Plants and Health Benefits: The Moringa Tree of India” on July 29 as a benefit for the arboretum. Merv and Shirley Schrag will host the program and provide samples of health products from the moringa tree. Ben Bowers and Russ Bianchi will talk about products they have developed from the tree. Krehbiel Meats will offer refreshments. The cost is $25. Proceeds will help complete the pathway around the arboretum that was removed because of recent construction of the new Prairie Pavilion. Donations are tax deductible. Register by July 25 by calling 620-327-8127.

Read more: http://www.kansas.com/2011/07/16/1935623/gardeners-almanac.html#ixzz1SU9QG4wZ

 

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Research Update – Moringa shows potential to relieve pain and inflammation

The following research abstract is a copy from Pubmed. The anti-inflammatory characteristics of Moringa have long been listed as one of its many benefits.  The following abstract documents that finding.

Title:

Purification of a Chitin-Binding Protein from Moringa oleifera Seeds with Potential to Relieve Pain and Inflammation.

Authors:

Pereira ML, de Oliveira HD, de Oliveira JT, Gifoni JM, de Oliveira Rocha R, de Oliveira Bezerra de Sousa D, Vasconcelos IM.

Source:

Universidade Federal do Ceará, Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, 60440-990, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. imvasco@ufc.br.

Abstract:

Moringa oleifera Lam. is a perennial multipurpose tree that has been successfully used in folk medicine to cure several inflammatory processes. The aim of this study was to purify and characterize a chitin-binding protein from Moringa oleifera seeds, named Mo-CBP(4), and evaluate its antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects in vivo. The protein was purified by affinity chromatography on chitin followed by ion exchange chromatography. Acetic acid-induced abdominal constrictions assay was used for the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activity assessments. Mo-CBP(4) is a glycoprotein (2.9% neutral carbohydrate) composed of two protein subunits with apparent molecular masses of 28 and 18 kDa (9 kDa in the presence of reducing agent). The intraperitoneal injection of Mo-CBP(4) (3.5 and 10 mg/kg) into mice 60 min before acetic acid administration potently and significantly reduced the occurrence of abdominal writhing in a dose dependent manner by 44.7% and 100%, respectively. In addition, the oral administration of the protein (10 mg/kg) resulted in 18% and 52.8% reductions in abdominal writhing when given 30 and 60 min prior to acetic acid administration, respectively. Mo-CBP(4), when administered by intraperitoneal route, also caused a significant and dose-dependent inhibition of peritoneal capillary permeability induced by acid acetic and significantly inhibited leukocyte accumulation in the peritoneal cavity. In conclusion, this pioneering study describes that the chitin-binding protein Mo-CBP(4), from M. oleifera seeds, exhibits anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive properties and scientifically supports the use of this multipurpose tree in folk medicine.

PMID: 21675945 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

NICARAGUA SUPPORTS MORINGA

While Balbir Mathur, President of Trees for Life, was in Nicaragua recently to take part in the presentation of guitars to the libraries associated with the Books for Life – Nicaragua project he received an urgent request to meet with Mario Salvo, the Minister of Agriculture.

Nicaragua has become highly involved in promoting Moringa as a means of fighting malnutrition within the country. When Mr. Salvo learned of Balbir’s visit to Nicaragua as part of the Books for Life library project he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to have an in-depth discussion about Moringa with one of the tree’s leading proponents. Trees for Life  has been promoting Moringa  around the world for the past 25 years and has developed a large body of knowledge and information about the Moringa tree and its properties in treating malnutrition in developing countries.

 

Where the Moringa Tree grows

To read the Moringa book 

Where Moringa is needed most

To donate to Trees for Life

to support the Morniga

project 

 

MORINGA BENEFIT CONCERT

 

Ted Garber, singer/songwriter

Trees for Life  salutes Singer-songwriter Ted Barber who presented a solo performance to benefit three international charities on June 8 in Kensington, MD.  For those not in attendance, you missed a real treat. Ted brought his guitar and harmonica and put on an engaging show. The concert benefited the Moringa Tree Project in the Republic of the Congo as well as two other groups.

 

A United Nations news service report detailed the importance of the Moringa Tree Project. The news service reports acute malnutrition rates among the 530,000 children under the age of 5 and among pregnant women. Just one example of the great nutritional benefits are highlighted in the story of Victor, who when taken to the Nutrition Center in Kinshasa was grossly underweight, listless and had a bloated stomach. After two weeks on a diet enriched with Moringa powder Victor had gained 15 pounds. Victor is one of the very fortunate ones. According to the Ministry of Health at least 700 malnourished children under the age of five die each day in the Republic of the Congo.

Children Save Lives with Moringa

A group of children in Kansas are helping save the lives of children around the world.

The 23 children aged 5 to 9, from 1st United Methodist Church of Wichita, have been raising money to help plant Moringa trees as part of their Day Camp activities. The students first learned about the highly nutritious Moringa tree and its potential health and medicinal properties for fighting hunger and disease in developing countries. The students then gave presentations to the numerous adult Sunday school classes in their church and collected donations.

The students came to the Trees for Life office in Wichita to present the funds they had raised – a check for $2,501.10. They were thrilled to learn from David Kimble, Executive Director of Trees for Life, that each dollar they raised and donated represented one tree to be planted, so their efforts could help thousands of children around the world.

1st UMC Day Camp Students donate $2,501.10

Why did they do it? The students were articulate in answering this question:

“Because it will help lots of hungry people.”

“The Moringa tree is really good for your health.”

“Moringa has lots of good nutrition, and it can prevent diseases.”

1st UMC Day Camp students volunteering at Trees for Life

The students and their teachers then spent the rest of the afternoon working with Pat Felton, Volunteer Coordinator, on preparing the Moringa tree booklets that Trees for Life distributes around the world. For those couple of hours they filled the room with their joy and enthusiasm for helping others.

Moringa Champions – Green Ghana Volunteers

Tree for Life  honor the Green Ghana Volunteers of Accra, Ghana, for their outstanding work and unsurpassed dedication. In honor of Earth Day 2011, The Green Ghana Volunteers planted an amazing 20,000 Moringa seedlings around the Accra region.

 

 

 

Ghana, a small country in Western Africa is still recovering from years of strip mining, deforestation and poor farming practices. The Green Ghana Volunteers chose the Moringa tree for its reforestation project due to its nutritional and medicinal benefits as well as its characteristics of rapid growth and sustainability.

 Not to rest on their past laurels, the Green Ghana Volunteers have committed to planting an additional 100,000 Moringa trees in the coming months. The group works extensively with the Moringa Oleifera tree because of its growth potential, resilient nature, and its unmatched nutritional value in helping local communities.

To learn more about us go to  Trees for Life or the Moringa blog.

RESEARCH PAGE UPDATED

The Moringa Research page  in the right column has been updated and now includes 230 research titles. Additional research titles will be added the coming weeks.

EARTH DAY, APRIL 22

Earth Day 2011 is rapidly approaching and Trees For Life wants to invite you to take an active part in this years celebration on April 22. Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylor Nelson as an environmental teach-in first held onApril 22, 1970. The event was inspired by an oil spill off of the Santa Barbara coast and it was Senator Nelson’s intent to inspire an awareness and appreciation for the environment. The event became an international event in 1990 when 141 nations participated. Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network and each year is celebrated in more than 175 countries.

Trees for Life would like to express our sincerest apprecation to the thousands of volunteers, representating hundreds of schools and organizations, who over the past 30 years have dedicated their time and resources to be our partners in planting millions of trees around the world.

What are you doing for Earth Day? Check us out at Trees for Life. Our site contains a lot of information about how you can become involved. Want to plant a tree? Take a look at our Tree Adventure Kit  or our Moringa Book .

Want to know more about Earth Day – look at the sites below for more information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EarthDay

http://earthday.enviroling.org/history.html

http://www.ed.gov/blog/2011/04/earth-day

Moringa Research Page

We have added a new page to our Moringa Blog. THE GOOD NEWS, the Research Page will be updated on a regular basis until we have posted all of the recent research that is available. THE BAD NEWS, we have collected  280 reasearch abstracts, however, they must be reformatted to work on the wordpress blog. So, check-in on a regular basis and see what research updates have been added.

NANO MORINGA?

Nanoparticles using Moringa?

My first thought was you have got to be kidding. In the past couple of years we at Trees for Life have seen Moringa research covering everything from diabetis to ulcers, animal feed to water purification; and food supplements for lactating mothers to cancer recovery.  But in nano technology?  – read on.

Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract and Its Application to Optical Limiting

Authors: Sathyavathi, R.; Krishna, M. Bala Murali; Rao, D. Narayana

Source: Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Volume 11, Number 3, March 2011 , pp. 2031-2035(5)

Abstract:

The Development of biologically inspired experimental processes for the synthesis of nanoparticles is evolving into an important branch of nanotechnology. The work presented here with the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using Moringa oleifera leaf extract as reducing and stabilizing agent and its application in nonlinear optics. The aqueous silver ions when exposed toMoringa oleifera leaf extract are reduced resulting in silver nanoparticles demonstrating the biosynthesis. The silver nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Visible, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. TEM analysis shows a dispersion of the nanoparticles in a range of 5-80 nm with the average around 46 nm and are crystallized in face centred cubic symmetry. To show that these biosynthesized silver nanoparticles possess very good nonlinear properties similar to those nanoparticles synthesized by chemical route, we carried out the Z-scan studies with a 6 ns, 532 nm pulsed laser. We estimated the nonlinear absorption coefficient and compare it with the literature values of the nanoparticles synthesized through chemical route. The silver nanoparticles suspended in solution exhibited reverse saturable absorption with optical limiting threshold of 100 mJ/cm².

I guess that there always has to be a first before there can be a second but who would have guessed that, Moringa could be an agent in Nano technology research?