DA urges use of products from kamunggay leaves
Anti-oxidant capsules and tablets or health supplements have been an expensive commodity to many people, prompting the Department of Agriculture to promote the use of cheaper alternative, specifically products made from leaves of moringa, locally known as kamunggay.
Regional director Eduardo Lecciones said that some private companies have been making kamunggay-based products, with similar or better effects as the expensive ones, and now gaining popularity in the market.
Kamunggay leaves are rich in nutrients, such as beta-carotene, Vitamin C, protein, iron and potassium, he said adding that the vegetable also contains anti-oxidants needed to cleanse the body of toxins or free radicals.
Those wishing to maintain their health and prevent diseases should now go for the cheaper way, the kamunggay, said Lecciones.
Lecciones mentioned some products made from kamunggay. He cited the latest developed product, called malunggay juice, which Dr. Edwin Balbarino of the
The extract is either mixed with lemonsito juice to produce iced candy or cold drinks for children who hate eating vegetables.
A Japanese businessman, Mitsuo Shoji, acknowledged the health benefits of kamunggay that he developed the “malunggay tea” that he promoted then as having curative elements against many human diseases. The kamunggay in tea bags are now widely available in the market.
Other kamunggay-based products are cooking oil (an alternative to olive oil); kamunggay powder (used as flavoring or additive to processed food products such as noodles and pandesal); and kamunggay tablets. — Ferliza C. Contratista/RAE
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