We start our Thai day, every day, with what we call a morning-super-smoothie. We choose some serious natural medicine ingredients, working on the assumption that hyper-nutrition enables the body and mind to stay in optimal health. Do we have it with our breakfast? Nope. It IS our breakfast! When the body is optimally nourished, it stops screaming for carbs and cookies and snacks; there is more protein in my smoothie than 3 poached eggs, and I am rarely hungry again before 2pm. Busy solo entrepreneurial mom? No sweat. On a rushed morning we can enjoy it in traffic while we chat on the way to school.
One of my key smoothie ingredients is organic moringa, called มะรุม (ma-ruum) in Thai. Botanically, Moringa oleifera.
Image by Sapna Vibhandik from Pixabay
A whole big tablespoon of moringa powder goes into our x2 500ml super smoothies, to be exact.
Image by Ondrie Schulz from Pixabay
What's the big deal about moringa?
Primarily it's what's called a nootropic - a brain-function enhancing food. Nootropic is a grandiose, in-the-know sounding term that's very general and arguably not particularly useful, as the brain simply has SOOO many, varied functions. Moringa has been clinically studied in great depth across multiple countries for decades, and has been shown to have some truly incredible, and very specific, natural brain medicine lurking in those little leaves!
- It has been shown to be neuro-protective against age-related dementia; Source
- It enhances spatial memory i.e. the processing of information about our immediate environment which protects against falls, danger and accidents; Source
- It enhances cholinergic function (ie the neurotransmitter functions in the brain) which improves learning; Source
- the cerebral protection extends beyond the thinking functions of the brain - moringa has been shown to be cerebroprotective against ischemic stroke - a leading, silent - and growing - killer; Source
- It enhances memory function and mitigates memory impairment; Source
As an added bonus, it's a serious anti-inflammatory, powerful anti-oxidant, regulates pancreatic function (anti-diabetes) and has proven anti-cancer properties; Source
Moringa is an exceptional source of protein, containing a whopping 9 times the protein level of yoghurt. Both the leaf and the seed extracts show the full spectrum of amino acids, with the leaf extract having been shown to be digestible and more bioavailable. Source
On top of that, moringa provides 7 times more vitamin C than oranges, 10 times more vitamin A than carrots, 17 times more calcium than milk, 15 times more potassium than bananas and 25 times more iron than spinach. Source
Have I convinced you yet that you NEED to be adding this important ingredient to your daily diet? Toss the plastic coated pills and choose natural, simple, moringa powder. It tastes pleasant and leaves no bitter aftertaste in the smoothie.
Marike's Moringa Morning Magic Smoothie
Banana
Red dragon fruit, if available. Else pineapple or mango.
Soaked goji berries
Juice of 2 limes or 1 whole lemon
1 tablespoon of bee pollen
2 tablespoon coconut kefir or yoghurt
2 tablespoons cold pressed virgin coconut oil
1 tablespoon organic moringa powder
1 tablespoon raw organic black rice powder
Enough room temperature pure water to blend to your preferred consistency.
That's it. Too easy.
Most of the moringa studies look at leaf extracts. The interesting thing is that Moringa Seed Oil has ALSO been shown to have clinical benefit to improve cognitive function and the cholinergic (neurotransmitter - learning) system. Source We find that to be EXTRA EXCITING since we know ingredients from skin care products are absorbed directly into the blood stream over time, and we at Pure Thai Natural Co Ltd already make organic skin care products using organic Moringa Seed Oil. Specifically, our Intensive Skin Repair Balm, Eye Area Treatment Oil and Tattoo After Care products. Yes, you can find those in our store, and yes, we ship world-wide. Why is that exciting? The thought that a skin care item is delivering natural medicine to your blood stream transdermally which improves learning and memory? While you sleep? It takes the 5 minute evening face care routine beyond looks and into a whole other brain-nourishing realm.
The burning question I am often asked is where to BUY organic moringa powder? I buy my moringa leaves in bulk from the indigenous Karen people here in Northern Thailand who grow, harvest and air dry it for me - we are currently grinding it for our very popular new range of face masks, face scrubs and body scrubs, which will be out publicly, for sale, NEXT WEEK (after the product photography is finished). Early next year (2020) when our new licensed food grade premises are finished in Mae Sariang, we will also have Thai FDA approved, fairly traded, organic moringa powder produced by our indigenous Karen community for sale via our own online stores.
Meanwhile, you can buy moringa powder from Blue Diamond The Breakfast Club in Chiang Mai, from the Agricultural Store next to the Royal Project Shop at CMU, and it is often seen at the Jing Jai Organic Market on Sundays.
It's exciting to discover each day that what we do, matters. Knowing that the young moringa trees we have planted and nurtured like this:
will end up protecting your brain, enhancing your health and enabling your learning? It just makes me quietly thankful and more committed than ever before. That our social enterprise is also creating jobs for displaced Karen indigenous people? It sustains me when little else does.
BlissednBlessed in my Thai Natural World.
Originally published on my own blog Natural Thai Life - my unapologetically personal view of natural Thailand after 16 years here as a natural products business owner and a solo entrepreneurial mom.
