Press Release
September 13, 2007

Loren urges agri dept to propagate highly potent malunggay

Sen. Loren Legarda wants the Department of Agriculture (DA) to aggressively propagate the highly potent malunggay, which she said is "one of the most nutritious vegetables on the planet."

"The DA and the Department of Science and Technology should quickly draw up a plan to purposely encourage the cultivation and use of malunggay. Congress can then support the plan with an extra budget, if necessary," Legarda said.

"I grew up on malunggay. Every morning, my staple is malunggay soup," Legarda said, hinting that the herb in her regular diet has a lot to do with her secret to staying healthy and youthful-looking.

"Malunggay can be planted and grown just about anywhere, is cheap and in some areas, even free," the senator pointed out.

She said agencies should promote the widespread cultivation and consumption of malunggay as one practical way for Filipino households "to stretch every peso in their budgets at this difficult time."

The Department of Education should also "consciously integrate malunggay in the government's feeding program for school children," Legarda said.

"This is an inexpensive way for us to enrich the household diet as well as the school-feeding program, and put in check pervasive malnutrition among children," she added.

Malunggay leaves, ounce for ounce, contain the calcium equivalent of four glasses of milk, the vitamin C of seven oranges, the potassium of three bananas, three times the iron of spinach, four times the vitamin A in carrots and two times the protein in milk, according to the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI).

Legarda said malunggay should likewise be included in the Department of Health's plan to develop medicinal plants as alternative and low-cost remedies for common ailments.

Besides providing energy, malunggay is also known to reinforce the immune system and restore skin condition, among other health and nutrition benefits. In West Africa and India, physicians use malunggay to help treat diabetes and hypertension.

Malunggay or "Moringa" in English, is a popular tree that grows in the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, India, West Africa, and most recently, in the US. Many Asians consume both the leaves and fruits of the tree, much like spinach and asparagus.

Malunggay is so potent, it even helps to purify water. It may be used to make dirty water potable, Legarda said.

In adults, malunggay has also been known to do wonders for both men and women. A growing number of women consume malunggay to stay youthful-looking, as the herb is to know to enhance skin tone.

Just this week, the BPI released a new study showing that the malunggay fruit "helps to raise sperm count and mobility, which both translate to increased opportunity for the sperm to fertilize an egg."

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