Moringa is known as 'The Miracle Tree,' and its powers are spreading worldwide.
Put it on a salad or drink it in a cocktail. Moringa is about to be everywhere.
Would you know if you had treasure in your own backyard?
What if it grew right in front of you?
For some farmers, that's the moringa tree, which is anything but ordinary. Those who utilize it don't call it "The Miracle Tree" and "Mother's Best Friend" for nothin'.
No ordinary leaf: Moringa tree leaves are said to be full of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, and amino acids.
Posted by Upworthy on Thursday, January 5, 2017
The moringa tree is an exciting and tasty solution to ending global hunger and poverty.
"We've helped farmers in Ghana earn over $350,000 worth in income from what was just a backyard tree called moringa," says Kwami Williams, from the organization MoringaConnect.
The reason why? Its leaves are ridiculously amazing. They are tiny but pack a punch, containing more vitamin A than carrots, more protein than eggs, more calcium than milk, and more iron than spinach.
Move over, kale.
Handfuls of moringa leaves. All images via Upworthy.
Moringa has a bitter taste, similar to green tea, and it's a good source of energy. While the benefits of the plant are still being studied, advocates say it has potential as an anti-inflammatory and that it can help diabetic patients lower their glucose levels. It can also help new moms with milk production, and its seeds are said to produce one of nature’s finest cosmetic oils for hair and skin care. The list of its benefits goes on.
Moringa smoothie time.
While moringa, native to parts of Africa and Asia, has been utilized as food and medicine for thousands of years, its true impact has barely scratched the surface. And that has researchers excited.
It's being considered a "superfood" for those who consume it and also for those that grow and sell it. The fast-growing and drought-resistant tree thrives in the exact locations that have high malnutrition and poverty rates in parts of western Africa, southern Asia, and South America. The thinking is that by encouraging more local consumption and sustainably spreading it globally, it might be the way out for many struggling families.
Hannah Mensah, a single mother of three, can send her kids to school because of her moringa trees.
Hannah with her children.
She is one of 2,000 local farmers working with MoringaConnect, a young organization tapping into the true potential of the plant. By growing and selling it with the group, she'll be able to put her kids through secondary education with the money she makes and invest more in equipment to keep her farm running for the long term.
So far, MoringaConnect has worked with local farmers, like Mensah, to plant over 250,000 moringa trees in Ghana, which has helped farmers multiply their incomes by 10. And that's just one group.
Be on the lookout for moringa near you.
You can use the leaf powder to make a marinade or put it in a smoothie; the sky is really the limit on this one. In the United States, energy bars, supplements, and powder made from moringa are starting to pop up on shelves and on new trend lists. With all the hype surrounding the plant, odds are you're about to see it a lot more.
And if you do try it, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that moringa isn't just good for your health, it might also be good for the entire world.
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An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."