keeping you body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos- the trees, the clouds and everything in your environment .

Good day, my name is Agu Ijeoma, a 17years old Nigerian who is passionate of improving the health of individuals in their environment, by using local plant from her country. In Nigeria we have many local medicinal plants such as moringa, bitter cola, scent leaf and aloe vera e.t.c but I'll take moringa as my case study.

Moringa is a popular medicinal plant found in my country, which we call the miracle tree, owing to its rich nutritional density, which is known to cure or treat conditions of the skin, digestion, vision, diabetes, cholesterol and promotes over all wellbeing. it contains many healthful compounds such as vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus and zinc e.t.c. There are four edible parts of the moringa plant which are its pods, leaves, seeds and roots. Moving to the important of the four,which is the seed.

Moringa seeds can be eaten either when cooked or roasted in order to reduce the risk of heart disease, lower cholesterol, stabilise blood sugar and improve our immune system. Moringa seeds also have external uses, because the oil extracted from the seeds act as a natural moisturiser for the skin and is applied topically as an astringent ,as it helps fight bacterial and treat wounds.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF MORINGA SEEDS
*One of the significant properties of moringa seed is its ability to reduce blood glucose levels.
A study done in 2012 tested the effects of moringa on diabetic rats. The rats were treated with an extract of moringa for 21 days and at the end of the period, there was a considerable reduction in the blood glucosamine levels of the rats .
Hence this show that moringa seeds have anti-diabetic properties that are quite useful to us.

*Moringa seeds is known to have positive effects on our cholesterol and lipid profiles.
A study was done in 2003 on rabbits, who were fed moringa (200mg/kg/day) for 120 days. The results of this study showed the rabbits to have lower serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels in their bodies. These rabbits showed a decrease in the lipid profiles of the liver and the heart. The study promptly concluded that moringa contains cholesterol and lipid lowering properties .

*Moringa seeds also help the eyes to maintain good vision due to its richness in vitamin A. I could remember a friend of mine, who was having problem with his eye sight, but after taking the moringa ,his eyes became better and clearer.

*The moringa seed acts as a moisturiser to the skin. like i said earlier that the oil extracted from moringa seeds contains a significant amount of omega-9 fatty acid, which makes it one of the best natural moisturizers for the skin. Not only does it lock the moisture in, but it also gives a natural glow to the skin .

*Moringa seed is used in my country to purify and cleanse river water in order to lower the bacterial concentration in the water making it suitable and safe for us to drink or for domestic purposes. The moringa seed which is use to purify the water act as a coagulant that sticks the bacterial and toxins in the water ,which then sinks to the bottom.This process filters out about 90 to 99% of the impurities present in water .

*In case you want to purify your water with moringa seeds on your own. Here is how you can do it at home. The following method is for purifying 20 liters of water:
1. Take impure water that needs to be cleaned in a big tub or a bucket.
2. Grind moringa seeds into a fine powder and add 2 heaped spoonfuls of the powder into a small bottle containing clean water.
3. Shake this bottle for a few minutes.
4. Filter this water through a cloth into the bucket (containing impure water).
5. Stir the water in the bucket rapidly for about 2 minutes, and then slowly for the next 10 to 15 minutes and then let it stand undisturbed for about 1 hour.
6. After an hour or two, you will see impurities at the bottom of the bucket.
7. Filter out this water into a clean space through a cloth.
8. Your water is now filtered and safe to drink.

Yes, i could say that moringa seeds is a local plant that has awesome uses.