Moringa (Sahjan): The Fast-Growing Drumstick Tree for Jaipur
Moringa oleifera
Sahjan (moringa) is a native, fast-growing food tree whose leaves, flowers and pods are traditional vegetables. Learn when to plant it in Jaipur, how to protect young plants from frost, and why it is a food tree rather than a big shade tree.
Benefits
Benefits
Food
The leaves, tender pods and flowers are traditional vegetables in India. According to the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN), per 100 g:
- Leaves: protein 6.41 g, fibre 8.21 g, calcium 314 mg, iron 4.56 mg, vitamin C 108 mg.
- Pods (drumsticks): protein 2.62 g, fibre 6.83 g, calcium 33.3 mg, vitamin C 71.9 mg.
It is a nutritious food, not a cure for any illness.
Bees, soil and shade
The fragrant white flowers draw carpenter bees and sunbirds, and flowering on and off through the year gives honey bees nectar over a long period. Green leaves make a useful mulch. The open crown gives light, dappled shade and works as a windbreak or hedge.
Other uses
The seed oil ("ben oil") is used in cooking and cosmetics, and powdered seed is a traditional way to clear muddy water. Branches are sometimes lopped for camels and cattle. The wood is soft, fit only for light construction and firewood.
- Edible: Leaves, tender pods and flowers are traditional Indian vegetables. Per 100 g, the leaves have 6.41 g protein, 314 mg calcium, 4.56 mg iron and 108 mg vitamin C (ICMR-NIN, 2017).
- Pollinators: Its fragrant white flowers are visited mainly by carpenter bees and also by sunbirds; flowering on and off through much of the year gives honey bees nectar over a long period.
- Soil health: Green leaves make a useful mulch, and the seed press-cake can be used as a soil conditioner or fertiliser.
- Shade and cooling: Gives light, dappled shade from an open crown and is used as a windbreak or hedge around homes. It is not a dense shade tree.
- Fodder: Branches are sometimes lopped for camels and cattle.
- Medicinal: Known in Ayurveda as Shigru; traditionally used in Ayurveda for a range of conditions. It is food, not a cure.
- Ornamental: Widely planted as an ornamental for its feathery foliage and fragrant flowers.
- Timber: The wood is very soft and light, useful only for light construction and as firewood.
- Cultural: A familiar vegetable across India, with Sanskrit names Shigru and Shobhanjana and local names in about 15 Indian languages.
- Other: Seed oil (ben oil) is used in cooking, cosmetics and as a lubricant; bark gives rope fibre; powdered seed is a traditional way to clear muddy water.
This article was prepared with AI assistance. Please check important details against the sources shown in each section.
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