Moringa plant is a shrub with a height of up to 10 meters, trunked soft and fragile, with the leaves of the fingertips and made egg-shaped compound. These plants bloom throughout the year is white, fruit besisi triangle with a length of about 30 cm, flourished from lowland until height of 700 m above sea level. Historically, plants or marongghi moringa (Moringa oleifera), originating from the area around the Himalayas and India, then spread to the surrounding region to the African Continent and the Asia-Western.
In fact, in some countries in Africa, as in Ethiopia, Sudan, Madagascar, Somalia, and Kenya, now began to be developed also in Saudi Arabia and Israel, became part of recovery program for arid and arid lands, because the nature of this plant is easily grown in soil dry or arid, and when it grows, the surrounding land will be overgrown by other plants are smaller, so that eventually the growth of other plants will quickly occur.
While in Indonesia, especially in villages and rural environments, new moringa plant until the plant live fences, boundary penjalar soil or other plants, but the benefits from the leaves and flowers and young fruit as a vegetable, has long been used.
As a medicinal plant, moringa plants from roots, stems, leaves and seeds, has been known since long in the rural environment.
As root, root bark mixed with papaya and then milled, crushed, widely used for medicine outside (jerky) disease beri-beri and the like. Leaves plus whiting, also a drug by the skin like ringworm rub.
Meanwhile, as the drug, a potent root boiled water for rheumatic drugs, epilepsy, antiskorbut, diuretikum, to the drug gonorrhea. In fact, old seeds along with orange peel and nutmeg, it can be a "spirit moringae compositus" used as a stimulant, stomachikum, carminativum until diuretikum.
Since the early 1980s by the Environmental Engineering Department of ITB, moringa seeds are used for purification of surface water (pond water, river water, lake water until the water of the river) as the settling (koagulans) with satisfactory results. Therefore, a series of research on the benefits of moringa plants from leaves, bark, fruit until the seeds, since the early 1980s had begun. At that time the focus of research aimed at the procurement program for the settlers clear water at the beach or coastal areas, especially in transmigration areas that rely on brackish water or brownish peat as a source of drinking water.
Peat water a bitter taste and brown color, of course does not qualify as drinking water. In fact, peat water used to wash clothes in white matter it will turn brown. So with a simple filtration system coupled with the settling that comes from moringa seed powder or a collision, it will eventually become clear water, though not yet clean. So for drinking water must be treated, among others dimaak first.
In rural environments, the most common planting moringa enough with the way the old stems or old enough, which is plugged directly into the ground, whether as a land border, living fence. Although the old bean seedlings can be used as seed, are generally rarely used. In addition, other benefits of moringa leaves along the stem, generally used as "tools" to melt or de-activate the "magical power" someone, that is by swept-brush to the face or used as "sleep equipment", ie someone who is resistant to punch, stab, even does not work by the brunt of the bullet, then by way of swept-brush to the parts of his body, nor made his bed, or some moringa plant water splashed all over her body, then the magical power of his body will melt or disappear.
The same thing to parents, mostly in former times who had a "ajimat" so if you want to die will be hard at all, then by using the moringa plant, will be assisted to facilitate such death.
Experience in the African Continent
There was a report the results of research, studies and development associated with the use of moringa plants for reforestation as well as retaining desertification in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya by the German team, in the periodical of the Institute for Scientific Cooperation, Tubingen, 1993. The report is devoted to the region including Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan, as has long been a tradition of its inhabitants to plant a Moringa tree, since trees can become part of everyday life as raw vegetables, raw material medicines, also for traded.
As in the Rift Valley to one hectare planted only between 30-50 bars, because of the moringa tree is also planted other plants producing food, such as sorghum, maize, other crops and even for vegetables, especially beans. So, in this way because moringa tree has the ability to absorb water from the soil despite a very minimal content until the soil becomes moist, other plants will come to flourish. Especially if the moringa tree is big and tall, will also function as a protected tree or tree propagation.
In the area of Arba Minch and Konso, moringa tree actually used as a plant for retaining landslides, soil conservation, and terracing. Thus, although the rainy season in the most minimal amount, falling rain water will be detained by the root system of Moringa, and in the dry season "savings" of water around the roots of Moringa will be a source of water for other crops. Also, because the root system kelor tight enough, landslides are rare.
Just like in the Rift Valley, the region was on the land between the moringa tree used for the cultivation of many kinds of crops, including corn and sorghum, and vegetables, as well as more far more to industrial crops such as coffee, cotton, pepper, and even sugar cane. Very unique is the habit of the population around Arba Minch who have limited land, ranging from about 0.1 hectares or 1,000 square meters, or just hundreds or even tens of square meters only. So that the Moringa tree is only used as live fences, limiting the same ground as in Indonesia.
But the result, while the leaves can be directly used as a vegetable, then the interest will be maintained until the fruit and produce seeds that can be sold to foreign companies that need to manufacture flour or oil as raw material for the manufacture of medicinal and cosmetic value.
One of the advantageous qualities to cultivate Moringa tree that has been known since a long time, namely the lack of use of fertilizer and pest rarely attacked (by insects) or disease (by microbes). So the cost for fertilizing and controlling pests and diseases are relatively very cheap. In fact, from experience moringa farmers who have long been known that a good fertilizer is derived from organic fertilizer, particularly derived from nuts (eg green beans, soy beans or long beans) are planted around the moringa tree.
Also long experience in the tradition of the use of moringa plant as a medicinal ingredient in the region is that its roots are very good for the treatment of malaria, reducing pain, lowering high blood pressure, and so on, are the leaves for lowering high blood pressure, diarrhea, diabetes mellitus (diabetes sweet), and heart disease.
Need to put forward the benefits of moringa seed that has begun to be developed through the Programme of UNDP, namely as material settling / coagulator to purify water quickly, cheaply and safely, like in the ITB.
That is, with different pH values, then between 100-150 mg powder / powder / liter of water, giving the results of high turbidity in the water (800-10000 FTU), when compared with the general coagulants such as Al2 (SO4) 3 new effective at pH 7 only.
Also compound contained in moringa seed powder has antimicrobial properties, especially against bacteria. So even if there are bacteria in the water Coli (one of which required not contained in drinking water), will be reduced or die. And, according to calculations that have been tested by a team of experts from UNDP, the need for moringa seeds for drinking water treatment in coastal areas or swamps, just 2-3 mature trees for a year with a family of 6-8 people, with the calculation of water demand of about 20 l / day / life.
H Unus Suriawiria, senior lecturer IPB steeped in biotechnology and agro-industry
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