Who has heard about Moringa?
I did not before I arrive in Angola. However, I always been intrigued by one of the body butter of The Body Shop composed of Moringa. I now know more about it thanks to Gus Le Breton from Bio-Innovation Zimbabwé and Ivo Costa Faria – Porto-angolan nutritionist, expert in natural medicine, based in Portugal – that I recently interviewed:
1) Where can we find Moringa oleifera?The Moringa oleifera is native from India and is nowadays wildly spread throughout the sub-tropical and tropical regions. With regards to Angola, we can already find cultivation of this tree in the Kwanza Sul province.2) What are its main properties? Which of these properties should be promoted in Angola?There are several scientific studies confirming that Moringa seed is an excellent antibiotic and that its leaves, in addition to be rich in nutrients (contain a lot of protein compared to other plants), are very good as diabetes and hypertension treatments.3) What would be your key words to promote Moringa oleifera to angolan local communities for them to cultivate the tree?Moringa should be promoted to local communities as a food resource, as medicine for several diseases and as a way to decontaminate water to become drinkable. Obviously thanks to these properties it could be an interesting additional income through its cultivation and commercialisation.