The Most Nutritious Terrestrial Plant in The World - Moringa oleifera "The Miracle Tree"

Summary

In this informative video, the host introduces Moringa oleifera, a superfood tree native to India, which thrives in Florida's sandy soils. Known for its resilience and high nutritional value, Moringa boasts more iron than spinach, more vitamin A than carrots, and more calcium than milk. The host shares his journey from a standard landscaper to an edible landscaping enthusiast, selling thousands of Moringa trees and promoting its benefits. He also mentions ECHO's work in combating malnutrition with Moringa in third-world countries and suggests growing it as an annual in colder climates for a quick harvest.

Takeaways

• 🌱 The Moringa oleifera tree is considered the most nutritious terrestrial plant in the world.
• 📚 The speaker's interest in edible landscaping began after discovering the Moringa tree in 2010-2011.
• 🌳 Moringa is native to India and thrives in Florida's sandy soils, showing resilience even after extreme cold.
• 🌿 The tree is hardy and can be grown commercially with constant harvesting of its new growth.
• 🍃 The leaves of the Moringa tree can be eaten fresh, dried, or powdered as a supplement.
• 🌶 The tree has a spicy flavor, similar to horseradish, and can be used in various culinary ways.
• 🥦 Moringa is extremely nutrient-dense, with high levels of iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, protein, fiber, calcium, and potassium.
• 🌐 ECHO, an organization in Florida, is using Moringa to combat malnutrition in third-world countries.
• 🛒 The speaker initially sold Moringa trees on Craigslist, marking the beginning of his involvement in the edible industry.
• 🌱 Growing Moringa from seed is recommended for long-term strength and health of the tree.
• 💰 Moringa powder was once an expensive superfood, highlighting its value and popularity.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is the Moringa oleifera tree, which is described as the most nutritious terrestrial plant in the world.

How did the speaker's interest in Moringa oleifera begin?

The speaker's interest in Moringa oleifera began when he was a standard landscaper and discovered the tree's nutritional benefits around 2010-2011.

How many Moringa trees did the speaker sell before moving on to other edible plants?

The speaker sold approximately 2,000 Moringa trees before moving on to other edible plants.

What is unique about the Moringa oleifera tree's growth in Florida?

The Moringa oleifera tree is native to India but grows like a weed in Florida, thriving in the sandy soils and even surviving extreme cold temperatures.

How is the Moringa oleifera tree typically grown commercially?

Commercially, Moringa oleifera trees are grown about a foot or two apart, allowed to grow a couple of feet tall, and then constantly harvested for their new growth.

What are some of the nutritional benefits of Moringa oleifera mentioned in the video?

The video mentions that Moringa oleifera has 25 times more iron than spinach, 10 times more vitamin A than carrots, 7 times more vitamin C than oranges, 2 times more protein than yogurt, 4 times more fiber than oats, 17 times more calcium than milk, and 15 times more potassium than bananas.

What is the significance of the organization ECHO in relation to Moringa oleifera?

ECHO is an organization that works with Moringa oleifera, bringing the tree to third-world countries to help fix malnutrition issues.

Who is Kendrick and what is his connection to Moringa oleifera?

Kendrick is a friend of the speaker who runs Numa Nursery in the St. Pete area. He sells Moringa oil from the seeds, powdered leaves, teas, and is involved in a Moringa tree growers co-op in the Tampa Bay area.

What is the speaker's recommendation for growing Moringa oleifera from seed?

The speaker recommends growing Moringa oleifera from seed as it tends to produce a stronger tree in the long term compared to trees grown from cuttings.

How can Moringa oleifera be used in an agroforestry system?

In an agroforestry system, Moringa oleifera can be used as a source of biomass. If leaves are not harvested and dried, they can be chopped and dropped to return nutrients to the soil.

What is the current popularity and cost of Moringa oleifera powder mentioned in the video?

The video mentions that when Moringa oleifera powder first became popular, it was priced between $40 to $60 per pound, indicating its status as an expensive superfood.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 Moringa Oleifera: The Nutritious Superfood Tree

The video script introduces Moringa oleifera, a highly nutritious plant native to India, which the speaker discovered in 2010-2011 and has since been passionate about. The tree is praised for its resilience, ability to thrive in poor soils, and its rapid growth even after being severely cut back. The speaker shares his experience of selling thousands of Moringa trees and discusses various ways to consume the plant, including fresh leaves, dried leaves, cooked pods, and flowers. Moringa is highlighted for its exceptional nutritional content, such as having more iron than spinach, more vitamin A than carrots, more vitamin C than oranges, more protein than yogurt, more fiber than oats, more calcium than milk, and more potassium than bananas. The speaker also mentions ECHO, an organization working with Moringa to combat malnutrition in third-world countries, and recommends a local nursery, Numa Nursery, for Moringa-related products. The video emphasizes the ease of growing Moringa and its potential as a superfood, suggesting it can be a 'health food store' in one's backyard.

05:04

📢 Call to Action: Pound Dirt!

In the concluding part of the script, the speaker issues a call to action with the phrase 'POUND DIRT!', which likely serves as a rallying cry to encourage viewers to engage with the content, possibly to subscribe to the channel, participate in discussions, or take some form of action related to gardening or growing Moringa. The use of this phrase suggests enthusiasm and a sense of urgency, aiming to motivate the audience to get involved and possibly start their own Moringa oleifera growth journey.

Keywords

💡Moringa

Moringa refers to a genus of plants, with Moringa oleifera being the species discussed in the video. It is known for its high nutritional value and is native to India. The video emphasizes Moringa as a 'superfood' due to its dense nutrient profile, making it central to the theme of promoting health through edible landscaping.

💡Edible Landscaping

Edible landscaping is a concept where food-producing plants are incorporated into traditional landscape design. The video's narrator was inspired by the Moringa tree to start selling it and other edible plants, illustrating the practical application of edible landscaping in enhancing both the aesthetics and nutritional value of one's surroundings.

💡Nutrient-Dense

Nutrient-dense refers to foods that are high in essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients relative to their calorie content. The video highlights Moringa as nutrient-dense, providing a comparison of its nutritional content with common foods like spinach, carrots, oranges, and milk to emphasize its health benefits.

💡Superfood

A superfood is a term used to describe food packed with beneficial nutrients, which are considered healthy and can provide health benefits in high amounts. The video positions Moringa as a 'superfood' due to its exceptional nutritional content, which includes high levels of iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, protein, fiber, calcium, and potassium.

💡Malnutrition

Malnutrition refers to a state where the body is not getting enough nutrients, which can lead to various health issues. The video mentions that organizations like ECHO are using Moringa to combat malnutrition in third-world countries, showcasing the tree's potential to improve global health.

💡Agroforestry

Agroforestry is a land management system that integrates trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock to create a more sustainable and productive agricultural system. The video suggests using Moringa in an agroforestry system, where the tree's leaves can be used as a nutrient source for the soil through the 'chop and drop' method.

💡Biomass

Biomass refers to organic material derived from plants or animals that can be used for fuel, heat, or in industrial processes. In the context of the video, the Moringa tree's leaves, when not harvested for consumption, can be used as biomass, contributing to soil fertility.

💡Pruning

Pruning is the practice of selectively removing parts of a plant, such as branches or stems, to maintain its shape, health, or to encourage growth. The video suggests that pruning Moringa trees is beneficial for maintaining their ornamental appearance and promoting new growth.

💡Harvesting

Harvesting is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. The video explains that Moringa trees can be harvested for their leaves, which can be eaten fresh, dried, or powdered, and also for their pods and flowers, indicating the versatility of the plant.

💡Numa Nursery

Numa Nursery, as mentioned in the video, is a specific nursery run by Kendrick, who is involved in the cultivation and sale of Moringa products. The nursery represents a real-world application of the video's theme by providing Moringa trees and related products to consumers.

💡PK1

PK1 is a specific variety of Moringa oleifera selected and named by ECHO, an organization working with Moringa. The video mentions this variety as an example of how different strains of Moringa can be cultivated to suit specific needs or conditions.

Highlights

Introduction to Moringa as the most nutritious terrestrial plant in the world.

Personal story of discovering Moringa and its impact on the speaker's career in edible landscaping.

Moringa oleifera's native origin and its ability to thrive in various conditions, including sandy soils.

The tree's resilience, demonstrated by its recovery from freezing temperatures.

Commercial cultivation practices for Moringa, including spacing and harvesting techniques.

Nutritional benefits of Moringa leaves, including their dried and powdered form as a supplement.

Moringa's versatility in consumption: fresh leaves, dried leaves, cooked pods, and flowers.

ECHO's role in promoting Moringa to combat malnutrition in third-world countries.

Nutrient comparison of Moringa to common foods, showcasing its superfood status.

Introduction to Numa Nursery and their involvement with Moringa products and tree cultivation.

The economic potential of Moringa as an expensive superfood and its market value.

Agroforestry applications of Moringa, including its use as biomass.

Pruning tips for maintaining Moringa trees for ornamental and health benefits.

Cultivation methods for Moringa, including growing from seed and the advantages of PK1 variety.

Potential for Moringa as an annual plant in colder climates with quick growth and harvest cycles.

Encouragement to grow Moringa for a personal health food store in the backyard.

Call to action for subscribing to the channel and the importance of engaging with the content.

Transcripts

what's up guys so today we're gonna talk about the most nutritious terrestrial

plant in the world hold tight

alright guys so welcome to my health food store this tree sitting here behind

me was literally the catalyst that got me excited about edible landscaping back

in 2010-2011 when I was a standard landscaper and I found out about this

tree which is Moringa I kind of I started going nuts I started going to

local meetings I learned about the tree. Before you know it I was selling these

trees on Craigslist selling these trees to local people in the paper. I

probably sold about 2,000 of these trees before I did anything else in the edible

industry. Let's check this thing out! So behind us is Moringa oleifera. This tree

is native to India and grows like a weed here in Florida this tree took 26

degrees or 24 degrees for six hours two years ago it came back from the roots it

thrives in our crappy sandy soils. They kind of thrive on neglect so typically

speaking I just when we cut back our entire Market Garden when we did our

chop and drop here a couple of weeks ago this got completely whacked down to a

couple of feet commercially they grow these trees you know a foot or two apart

and just let them get a couple of feet tall and they're constantly harvesting

this new growth and you could see here this is where I cut the tree back this

is all that new fresh growth and I prefer that the leaves actually dried

and powdered I like it really as a supplement but this can be eaten fresh

and this trees also been called the horseradish tree has a little bit of a

spice to it so you can eat the fresh leaves like this you can eat the dried

leaves you can cook and eat the pods you can eat the flowers you can use the

of my favorite places here in Florida is ECHO. And ECHO is doing a lot of work with

this tree they're bringing this into third world countries. They're

literally fixing malnutrition so I look at this as having

like a health food store my back yard this tree has

25 times more iron than spinach. 10 times more vitamin A than carrots.

7 times more vitamin C than oranges 2 times more protein and yogurt. 4

times more fiber than oats. 17 times more calcium than milk. 15 times

more potassium than bananas.Talk about a superfood here and

shout out to my buddy Kendrick with Numa Nursery he's in the

St. Pete area he actually gave me the nutritional sheet for this one because

if you searched Moringa you're gonna get like 10 - 20 different sheets. That one

definitely seems to be the most accurate he actually sells oil from the seeds

powdered leaves teas all kinds of cool stuff he has a Moringa tree growers

co-op throughout the Tampa Bay area where he'll grow these trees in your

yard you prune them he'll harvest the leaves I think you even get a portion of

it so it's like a win-win checkout Kendrick I'll put a link in the

description down below but like I just started mentioning, this

tree is a superfood it grows like a weed you can't kill it. Like I

said I'll cut this back. This is also biomass so in an

agroforestry system if you can't get to harvesting and drying the leaves you can

just chop and drop this I mean all this nutrition in these leaves is just going

to go back to the plants in the soil. Talk about an easy tree to grow

I can easily just cut back this whole head here it's also a very soft

wood so it snaps I would say when the tree gets a little bit on the bigger

side it actually tends to get a little bit ratty looking so keeping the trees

pruned and smaller there's definitely the better way to have a more ornamental

tree especially if are going to be planting this thing out in the front

yard but I look at this as kind of like the new superfood. you guys

probably heard of acai. Moringa is kind of the hot one today the powder for this

from this tree when this first started becoming popular was like 40 to

60 bucks a pound. I don't even know where it's at today but we're talking about

an expensive superfood too so not only is this nutrient-dense I mean

you know this is gonna heal our bodies this is an amazing. Typically I like to

grow this from seed. You can grow through some cuttings I noticed you don't get as

strong as a tree long-term it seems like the trees grown from cuttings tend to

blow over a little bit more. ECHO even has their own variety called the PK1

One that they've named and selected on their own. so Moringa absolutely

amazing I highly suggest if you're in an area even where you can't grow this maybe

growing this is an annual because it grows so quick like I said this is just

a couple of weeks of growth so you know potentially if you're in a more Northern

climate, getting this started in the greenhouse you know towards the end

of your winter getting it out you could harvest off of it a couple of times

just in that summer if it dies back it dies back no big deal right so

Moringa oleifera literally having a health food store in your backyard

I hope you guys enjoyed this short video on Moringa if you haven't subscribed to

the channel yet please go ahead and do so hit that Bell to stay notified most importantly...

POUND DIRT!