By Palwasha Gull
- Moringa widely known to be therapeutic with high nutrition content
A vegetable that deserves our attention is drumstick or Moringa that derives its name from a Tamil word, murungai, meaning twisted pod. While Moringa has been proclaimed as one the more recent superfoods, the fact is that this vegetable has been used in Indian cooking, especially in South Indian dishes for centuries but now available in Pakistan.
Be it something as simple as a sambhar or avial or just about any meat curry, pieces of drumsticks are often used. It may not be used in many North Indian dishes, but Moringa is steadily making its way to other regions too. Apart from South Indian dishes, you can add these to soups, salads, pickles and different sauces for an added crunch. Drumstick is widely known to be therapeutic with a very high nutrition content.
The drumstick tree, seeds, pods, fruits (which is known as drumstick) and flowers all have medicinal properties. Drumsticks are a boon for diabetics as they are known to reduce spiked blood sugar levels significantly. It is also known to enhance the gall bladder function, which in turn is helpful in lowering blood glucose.
It is an excellent source of B vitamins like niacin, riboflavin and vitamin B12, which are known to play a vital role in improving your digestive health. B vitamins help breaking down the foods and make it easier to digest them smoothly. Moreover, it contains dietary fibre that also aids the digestive process. It promotes a healthy bone structure due to the presence of high amount of calcium and iron that not only help build strong bones, but also prevents the loss of bone density, further increasing overall stamina and health, possess blood purifying properties and further acts as a potent antibiotic agent.
Consuming drumsticks on a regular basis may help you streamline blood circulation well. It have anti-inflammatory properties and generous amounts of vitamin C which helps in inhibiting the growth of allergies in the respiratory tract due to allergens and prevents them from developing into infections and congestion. The vitamin C content helps stave off various infections, boosting overall immunity system of the body. The anti-bacterial properties in it can keep you away from common cough and cold and other common illnesses, especially in this nippy weather.
The writer is student of the Government College Women University, Faisalabad
