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Horseradish tree – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.

Horseradish tree Moringa oleifera Drumstick tree

About the Horseradish or Drumstick tree (Moringa pterygosperma)

The edible Horseradish tree (also known as the moringa, benzolive tree, West Indian ben and drumstick tree) grows from 4.5 to 14 meters (15 to 46 feet) tall and is slender with drooping branches. Its leaves have a fernlike appearance.

Its flowers and long, pendulous fruits grow on the ends of the branches. Its fruit (pod) is long, slender, and triangular and looks like a giant bean. Its 25- to 60-centimeter-long pods are triangular in cross section, with strong ribs. Its roots have a pungent odor.

Where to find the Horseradish tree (Drumstick tree)

This tree is found in the rain forests and semi-evergreen seasonal forests of the tropical regions. It prefers semiarid, tropical, and subtropical areas and is widespread in India, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Central America. Look for it in abandoned fields and gardens and at the edges of forests.

Edible parts of the Horseradish tree (Drumstick tree)

Many parts of the horseradish tree are edible.  The leaves are edible raw or cooked, depending on their hardness, and are the most nutritious part of the plant containing a significant amount of vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin A as well as beta-carotene, magnesium, and protein. In some countries the leaves are dried and crushed into a powder and used in soups and sauces. 

Cut the young seedpods into short lengths and cook them like string beans or fry them (this will soften them up). You can get oil for frying by boiling the young fruits of palms and skimming the oil off the surface of the water. You can eat the flowers when cooked and are said to taste like mushrooms. You can chew fresh, young seedpods to eat the pulpy and soft seeds or roast them like nuts (they contain high levels of vitamin C). The roots may be ground as a substitute for seasoning similar to horseradish.

Flowers and roots (in moderation) are also edible.

Other uses for Horseradish tree

Horseradish tree bark, sap, roots, leaves, seeds, and flowers are used in traditional medicine. The leaves and pods are eaten as laxatives. The seed oil is used to treat rheumatism while the bark is used to treat headaches. For post-natal care, the young leaves are eaten to stimulate lactation.

Horseradish leaf powder is effective as soap for hand washing when wetted in advance to enable anti-septic and detergent properties from phytochemicals in the leaves. Seeds and press cake have been implemented as wastewater conditioners for dewatering and drying fecal sludge.

Moringa seed cake, obtained as a byproduct of pressing seeds to obtain oil, is used to filter water to produce potable water for human consumption. Moringa 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. Moringa seed cake removes most impurities from water.

Horseradish tree (Drumstick tree) picture gallery

Image Credits

In-Article Image Credits

Horseradish tree via Wikimedia Commons by Carlo Brescia with usage type - Creative Commons License. August 7, 2022
Horseradish tree Moringa seeds on a 1x1cm grid via Wikimedia Commons by Walter Herdin with usage type - Creative Commons License. September 23, 2022
Horseradish tree Moringa oleifera trunk via Wikimedia Commons by Krish Dulal with usage type - Creative Commons License. October 15, 2013
Horseradish tree Moringa oleifera seed pod via Wikimedia Commons with usage type - Creative Commons License. October 8, 2022
Horseradish Moringa tree stems, leaves and flowers via Wikimedia Commons with usage type - Creative Commons License. May 11, 2012
Horseradish tree Moringa oleifera Lam hanging seed pods via Wikimedia Commons by Dinesh Valke with usage type - Creative Commons License. May 4, 2019
Horseradish tree Drumstick tree Moringa oleifera leaves via Wikimedia Commons with usage type - Creative Commons License. June 23, 2014
Moringa oleifera. Common names: Drumstick Tree. Horseradish Tree via Wikimedia Commons with usage type - Creative Commons License. June 7, 2014
Horseradish Drumstick tree Moringa pterygosperma Govindoo illustration via Wikimedia Commons by Govindoo with usage type - Public Domain. 1873
Horseradish Drumstick tree Sonjna Moringa oleifera via Wikimedia Commons by J.J. Garg with usage type - Creative Commons License. March 17, 2008
Horseradish Drumstick flowers of Moringa oleifera via Wikimedia Commons with usage type - Creative Commons License. June 2, 2021
Horseradish Drumstick tree Moringa oleifera pods and seeds on ground via Wikimedia Commons by Forest and Kim Starr with usage type - Creative Commons License. February 7, 2007
Horseradish Drumstick tree vegetable pods for sale at village market in South India via Wikimedia Commons with usage type - Creative Commons License. April 12, 2016
Horseradish Ben-Tree Drumstick tree stem and leaves measure via Wikimedia Commons with usage type - Creative Commons License. October 30, 2021
Horseradish tree leaves and flowers via Wikimedia Commons by Priyanka Anbumalar with usage type - Creative Commons License. December 1, 2022
Horseradish tree Moringa oleifera Drumstick tree via Wikimedia Commons with usage type - Creative Commons License. June 7, 2014
Horseradish tree flowers via Wikimedia Commons with usage type - Creative Commons License. July 4, 2012
Horseradish tree Moringa Flower via Wikimedia Commons by Harvey McDaniel with usage type - Creative Commons License. October 2, 2004
Horseradish tree seedpods of Moringa oleifera via Wikimedia Commons by Chen Hualin with usage type - Creative Commons License. June 19, 2014
Horseradish tree seeds via Wikimedia Commons by Chen Hualin with usage type - Creative Commons License. June 20, 2014
Horseradish tree Moringa oleifera leaves, known as kalamungay in the Philippines via Wikimedia Commons by Obsidian Soul with usage type - Public Domain. May 2, 2017
Upper underside tripinnate leaf Horseradish drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera) via Wikimedia Commons by Rik Schulling with usage type - Creative Commons License. June 24, 2011

Featured Image Credit

Horseradish tree Moringa oleifera Drumstick tree via Wikimedia Commons with usage type - Creative Commons License. June 7, 2014

 

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