DRUMSTICK (shevaga) - Health benefits, application, chemical constituents, side effects and many more

             
         DRUMSTICK (shevaga/moringa)


Drumstick( long stick like pod) which is used in many indian kitchen to create many dishes(soups, pickles, Sambhar, etc). It is the type of pod and it's large production is in india. young seed pods and leaves used as vegetables and for traditional herbal medicine. Drumstick tree  is a fast-growing, deciduous tree that can reach a height of 10–12 m (32–40 ft) . It's branches are very fragile(easily broken). Almost all parts of tree is edible(flower, root, leaves, pods, steam bark, root bark, oil, steam, etc).

This ‘Miracle tree’ is very impressive and amazing plant due to its tested, trusted and high potential benefits from nutritional and medicinal point of view . The plant was introduced to Africa from India at the turn of the twentieth century where it was to be used as a health supplement

Drumstick have many names in many different languages such as shevaga in Marathi, shajan in Hindi, murungai in Tamil, muringnga in Malayalam and munagakaya in Telugu. Drumstick is also known as superfood because every part of this tree has its medicinal value. It is the vital component in traditional medicine. It shows anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, Analgesic and Muscle relaxant properties.

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Almost all parts of this plant: root, bark, gum, leaf, fruit (pods), flowers, seed and seed oil have been used

Vitamin and mineral content:
             Drumstick pods are full of the nutrients such as
• vitamin : Vitamin A, Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Niacin (B3), Pantothenic acid (B5), Vitamin B6, Folate (B9), Vitamin C

• mineral: calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, etc with lot of dietery fiber, essential amino acids, fiber and antioxidants(scavenges the free radicals and prevents oxidative damage).

• Essential Amino acids : 

Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Valine. 

 

• Non-essential Amino Acids :

Alanine, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Cystine, Glutamine, Gl ycine, Histidine, Proline, Serine, Tyrosine.

In fact, moringa leaves is said to provide 7 times more vitamin C than oranges, 10 times more vitamin A than carrots, 17 times more calcium than milk, 9 times more protein than yoghurt, 15 times more potassium than bananas and 25 times more iron than spinach

             Tip: it contains large amount of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium(large) and vit.C.


Leaves:
            The leaves are the most nutritious part of the plant, being a significant source of B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin A , vitamin K, manganese, and protein. The leaves are cooked and used like spinach, and are commonly dried and crushed into a powder used in soups and sauces. Leaves of this plant are very good source of Antioxidants.


Seed oil:
               Mature seeds yield 38–40% edible oil called ben oil from its high concentration of behenic acid. The refined oil is clear and odorless, and resists rancidity. The seed cake remaining after oil extraction may be used as a fertilizer or as a flocculent to purify water(in many villages). Moringa seed oil also has potential for use as a biofuel.


Water purification by seed cake:

Seed cake is used to filter water using flocculation(process in which colloids come out of suspension) to produce potable water for animal or human consumption. Drumstick seeds contain dimeric cationic proteins which absorb and neutralize colloidal charges in turbid water, causing the colloidal particles to clump together, making the suspended particles easier to remove as sludge by either settling or filtration. seed cake removes most impurities from water.



Ayurvedic sanskrit explanation of drumstick

• Rasa (taste) – Katu (Pungent), Tikta (bitter)
• Guna(qualities) – Laghu (light to digest), Rooksha (dryness), Teekshna (strong, piercing)
• Taste conversation after digestion – katu (pungent)
• Veerya(potency) – Ushna(hot)

• Effect on Tridosha – Balances Kapha and Vata.

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•Katu – pungent
•Teekshna – piercing, sharp, strong
•Ushna – hot in potency
•Madhura – slightly sweetish
•Laghu – light to digest
•Deepana – improves digestion
•Rochana – Improves taste
•Rooksha – dry
•Kshara – Has alkaline properties
•Tikta – Bitter
•Vidaahakrit – causes burning sensation
•Sangrahi – Useful to check diarrhoea
•Shukrala – Improves semen quantity and sperm count.
•Hrudya – Good for heart. Cardiac tonic
•Pittarakta prakopana: Increases Pitta and vitiates blood. Hence, drumstick should not be consumed during bleeding disorders, during menstruation and for people with pimples and Pitta related skin diseases.
•Chakshushya – Improves vision, good for eyes.
Kaphavataghna – Decreases imbalanced Kapha and Vata
•Vidradhi – Useful in abscess(swelling on body with pus). It helps in quick wound healing of abscess, upon oral intake and external application as paste.
•Shvayathu – It is a good anti inflammatory herb.
•Krimi – useful in worm infestation in stomach and in wounds.
•Meda – helpful to decrease fat and obesity.
•Apachi – Useful in relieving carbuncles.
•Visha – Anti toxic. Has detoxifying action.

Moringa Seed

Chakshushya – good for eyes

Vishanashana – anti toxic

Avrushya – do not have aphrodisiac qualities

Nasyena Shiro Artinut – When used for Nasya (in the form of powder or oil), it helps to relieve headache.

Moringa seeds are called Shweta Maricha.

Moringa flowers

It is useful in intestinal worms. It balances Pitta and kapha.

• The leaves of Moringa when used as a vegetable imparts taste, relieves vata and kapha related disorders. It is pungent in taste, hot in potency, stimulates the digestive fire, wholesome for the body, checks intestinal worms and promotes digestion.

• The flowers of Moringa is heavy for digestion, cold in potency, alleviates pitta and kapha dosha and treats intestinal worms, improves clarity of vision, increases the quantity of semen, imparts taste, It nourishes the body, stimulates the digestive fire and loosens the stools.

• The oil is pungent in taste, hot in potency, alleviates vata and kapha dosha, is slimy in nature, helps in treating skin diseases, wounds, itching and edema.

Health benefits of drumstick

1) For Bones:

As a good source of calcium and phosphorus, drumsticks helps to strengthen the bones in growing children. Regular intake of this helps to maintain calcium level in body. Being with calcium it also contain iron which helps to maintain hemoglobin in some extent.
                It is good for the person with symptoms of osteoporosis



2) Immunity

High vitamin C and antioxidants(quercetin and chlorogenic acid) content in drumstick helps to fight against various viral and bacterial diseases.  The anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties gives us relif from arthritis, cough, asthma. Due to high vit.C and Antioxidant content, it  is the best immune booster.



3) Gut Health

Being rich in essential vitamins  such as all type of vit.B with B12, plays a important role in stimulating the secretion of digestive juices. Fiber content in this gives relief from constipation problems means helps to maintain regular bowel movement.
                           This content helps to maintain the healthy gut



4) Regulates Hypertension

A very rich content in it is pottasium. This is the mineral which helps to reduce hypertension or blood pressure. With potassium drumsticks also contain some compounds which helps in lowering the blood pressure.
           Tip: Daily, 1 drumstick is taken and it is cut into pieces and decoction is made. This is taken once daily, preferably during evening, before food.
                   This has good benefit in hypertension, hyper cholesterol, improper fat metabolism, lethargy, sexual debility etc



What is decoction?
Decoction of any herb is prepared by adding a tablespoon of herb with 2 cups of water, boiling and reducing to half a cup. Filtered and consumed when it is hot. 

Uses, Remedies, Benefits and Application

1) The juice extract of drumstick leaves and bark are very useful in relieving pain. They act as natural analgesic. They are used both for oral intake and also for external application as paste.

2) In Indian, the leaves are used to prepare Chutney or sambar.

3) Leaf paste or juice with lemon juice can be mixed and applied over face. This is useful to overcome black heads and acne.

4) The soup/decoction prepared from drumstick pods is very much useful in treating the diseases of liver, spleen, pancreas etc. This is an aphrodisiac also. It strengthens the bones and joints too. It gives relief from hypertension, hyper cholesterol, improper fat metabolism, lethargy, sexual debility etc.

5) It balances Vata and Kapha Dosha. Leaf decoction of drum stick in the dose of 50-60 ml twice daily is helpful to overcome the back ache, pimples, dysmenorrhoea, black heads and detoxification.

6) leaf juice or paste of drumstick is applied around the eyes in case of swelling.

7) The paste of moringa leaves are applied externally to relieve pain and inflammation.
It is applied over pile mass to relieve pain and itching.

8) Moringa seed oil is useful to relieve headache, pungent, useful in skin diseases and diabetes.

9) Moringa is also used for water purification. Cationic proteins with low molecular weight (MOCP) have been extracted from moringa seeds. These proteins are very useful in water purification because of their potent antimicrobial ana coagulant properties.

10) Moringa seed oil is useful in relieving pain caused by osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

11) The powder made up of moringa seeds is used in nasya(medicine is administered through nasal passage). This nasyais helpful in headache.

12) Moringa increases nervine stimulus, as a result, it can be used as a nervine tonic for a weak nervous system.

13) Moringa is helpful in various Kapha dosha related problems. With this it is useful in cough and cold.

14) Moringa acts as a diuretic and has alkaline properties. So it is useful in dysuria (difficulty in passing urine) and if urine is more acidic.

15) It helpful in problems related to menstruation like amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea.

16) it is helpful in managing overweight and obesity.

17) Moringa is also useful in conditions like paralysis and facial palsy.

18) Leaf paste with lemon juice face pack:

Leaf paste or juice with lemon juice can be mixed and applied over face. This is useful to overcome black heads and acne.

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19) Drum stick Pod soup:

The soup prepared from drumstick pods is very much useful in treating the diseases of liver, spleen, pancreas etc. This is an aphrodisiac also. It strengthens the bones and joints too.

19) The juice extract of drumstick leaves and bark are very useful in relieving pain. They act as natural analgesic. They are used both for oral intake and also for external application as paste.

20) Moringa leaves are used internally to improve eye sight, also for the treatment of Ulcerative colitis.

22) Moringa leaf paste applied externally, or used as vegetable helps to relieve headache.

Its seed powder, in the form of nasya treatment cures headache.

23) Many studies have been conducted to prove the anti diabetic and antioxidant effect of Moringa.

24) Oil prepared with Moringa is useful to relieve headache, pungent, useful in skin diseases and diabetes.

25) Moringa powder can also be consumed in the form of decoction. To prepare its water decoction, 1 tablespoon of powder is added to two cups of water, boiled till the water reduces to half a cup and consumed. Here, the dose is half a cup per day.

26) For a healthy person, Moringa can be consumed in a dose of 3 – 5 grams, once or two times a day, before food. It can be administered along with water or sesame oil, for Vata balance, along with ghee for Pitta balance and with honey, for Kapha balance.

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27) A fistful of moringa flowers are collected and cooked well with salt and black pepper (or garlic and ginger powder /paste). This is served during the lunch as a side dish. This has a very good effect in subsiding gaseous distension of abdomen and anorexia.

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28) Dried flower is fried with little ghee and sprinkled with little pepper powder and salt. Or it can be made into fine powder and can be kept ready to serve during food. This has good benefit in cases like morning sickness caused during pregnancy and in any other tastelessness conditions.

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29) It balances Vata and Kapha Dosha. Leaf decoction of drum stick in the dose of 50-60 ml twice daily is helpful to overcome the back ache and dysmenorrhoea. Being a blood purifier it pacifies the pimples and black heads.

30) Daily, 1 drumstick is taken and it is cut into pieces and decoction is made. According to ones need and acceptance slight salt may be added. This is taken once daily, preferably during evening, before food. This has good benefit in hypertension, hyper cholesterol, improper fat metabolism, lethargy, sexual debility etc

Note : 1) Drumstick is the best nutrient booster, because it provides all types of vitamin.

            2) Eating drumsticks in huge amounts may lower blood pressure and slow heart rate.

            3) Seeds are a great source of healthy fatty acid which is known to promote heart health.

            4)  Helps in curing edma(excess of watery fluid collecting in the cavities or tissues of the body).

            5) Adding drumstick in the diet can help pregnant women to combat symptoms of morning sickness and make them feel energetic.

            6) Drumstick leaves juice blended with ghee is given to women after delivery which improves the secretion of breast milk or lactation. leaves is very good for the health of the mother and the baby.

            7) Drumstick extracts have hydrating and cleansing properties.

            8) leaves are natural cleansers and help to detoxify the system.

            9) It helps in Muscle building, due to high protein content (approx 9.8 grams/100grams).

            11) It repairs Damaged tissues.

   

            12) Drumstick fruit is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and anti oxidants. Hence it can be used during pregnancy. But drumstick leaves, root bark and flowers are not indicated during pregnancy.

   

            13) Moringa can be used in making curries, vegetable soups, lentil soups, and sauces. It can be used as an independent vegetable or mixed with other vegetables. It can also be used for making sandwiches, bakery goods, and bread.

Side Effects

• It causes increase in burning sensation and is pungent. Hence, people with gastritis or sensitive stomach should use this vegetable carefully.
• It is not ideal to be taken during periods, since it increases Pitta and vitiates blood.
• It is also not ideal to be taken during bleeding disorders.

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Refrance: 1) Bhojana Kutuhalam

                    2)  Dravyaguna Vijnana by Aacharya Priyavrat Sharma, Volume 2, page no. 111-114, Chaukhamba Bharati Academy, 2017
                   3) NCBI

                   4) PUBMED

                   5) Bhattacharya, Ayon et al. “A Review of the Phytochemical and Pharmacological Characteristics of Moringa oleifera.” Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences

                    6) Aadrash Nighantu, vol. 1, page no.346, by Shri Bapalal Vaidya, Chaukhmbha Bharti Academy,2016.

                7) International Journal of Research

8) Local traditions and uses

9) Charaka Samhita

10) Sushruta samhita

11) Sharangadhara Samhita