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Nature's AIDS Therapy
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Thanks to a fast-growing tree, there is new hope for AIDS/HIV sufferers. The moringa produces so many useful vitamins that many call it “the miracle tree”—seven times the Vitamin C in oranges, four times the Vitamin A in carrots, four times the calcium in milk. In Africa, where people are sick and starving, it is a real gift from Mother Nature. Lena Nozizwe reports. |
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It’s been called “the tree of paradise, the never-die tree,” and you’re not going out on a limb to refer to the moringa as “the miracle tree.”
Lowell Fuglie/Church World Service: “It is miraculous that one single tree can offer so many uses for people.”
Lowell Fuglie has become the Johnny Appleseed of the moringa tree. From his office in Dakar, Senegal, in West Africa, he has been spreading the news—and the seeds—of the remarkable tree that has edible roots, leaves, flowers and pods, rich in calcium, iron, potassium, as well as Vitamin A.
Lowell Fuglie: “In the Third World, there are hundreds, thousands, of people who go blind every year for lack of Vitamin A. So, if you have an easy source of Vitamin A like the moringa provides, then you’re doing something very, very good.”
Another miracle is how quickly it grows.
Lowell Fuglie: “It grows very rapidly. This particular tree was planted from seed two years ago and it is already 20 feet tall.”
Once an arid patch of land, United Methodist-supported Church World Service has planted a million of the drought-resistant plants at this moringa tree farm about five hours north of Dakar. Here the leaves are washed, dried and pulverized into a powder for easy use. The moringa is playing an important role in curbing malnutrition and aiding those with HIV and AIDS. It’s an inexpensive and accessible way for people to resist secondary infections and improve their diets.
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Two studies are under way to see how much the moringa tree really improves diets. One study will track weaning babies; the other, HIV patients. If this is a food with so many nutrients and health benefits, it could offer long-term solutions to malnutrition that devastates so many places on the planet.