Tree Of Life Is Source Of Business

For Newtown Chemist

By Nancy K. Crevier

Originally skeptics themselves, Jim Fitzpatrick of Newtown and Paul Taitt of Hartford, Maine, the owners of the Moringa Source company virtually based in Newtown, have come to realize the potential of supplements produced from the leaves of Moringa oleifera, a fast-growing, tropical tree of India, Central and South America, the Philippines, and parts of Africa.

Valued for centuries by many cultures for its nutritional and medicinal qualities, Moringa is unfortunately now considered by populations of countries that could most benefit from its beneficial qualities as more of a folk remedy, said Mr Fitzpatrick.

While Mr Fitzpatrick and Mr Taitt are working through farmers in India and Africa, with whom they contract for shipments of Moringa, to re-educate locals about the life-giving properties of the tree, they have started their own business here in the United States to share what they have come to believe is a worthwhile addition to the lifestyles of Americans seeking to offset the signs of aging and illness.

“Everyone is tired, everyone is aging quickly, they lack energy,” he said. The anecdotes Moringa Source has collected over the two years that it has been in business seem to support the company’s assertions that Moringa provides that boost people are lacking day to day.

While vacationing in Nicaragua in 2009, Mr Fitzpatrick and his wife, Ruby, “stumbled on Moringa. We met a farmer who had been farming it extensively for commercial uses,” he said. When the company with which the farmer was dealing ceased importing it for that purpose, the farmer turned to raising it for nutritional supplement companies.

The claims that they heard about Moringa were of the “too good to be true” variety, Mr Fitzpatrick recalled. “I’m a chemist [currently working for Ajilon Technologies in Danbury], so I came out of there thinking this must be a bag of nonsense.”

What he was told, and what Moringa Source now promotes on its website (MoringaSource.com), are benefits that include increased physical energy, mental and emotional balance, faster workout recovery, increased flexibility, improved sensory perception, better sleep cycles, decreased depression and anxiety, and improved memory and enhanced immune system. It is a valuable source of readily absorbed iron, potassium, vitamins A, B, C, and E, and high in antioxidants.

“The leaves of the Moringa tree are among the most protein-dense leaves of any plant species, and Moringa is a complete protein, containing all eight amino acids,” added Mr Fitzpatrick.

He began to wonder if there was not more than an iota of truth to the tree being nicknamed “The Tree of Life” by other cultures, and delved into research.

“I saw that the United Nations and the World Health Organization both use it in their malnutrition programs, to fortify foods,” he said. He discovered research by independent Christian groups, such as the United Methodist-supported Church World Service and the late Lowell Fuglie that appeared to support the claims.

Antioxidant Properties

“There is an extensive body of work that shows the nutritional profile of Moringa. I saw that it had a potential to appeal to vegans, as a complete protein, and that it is an incredible antioxidant,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

In talking to medical professionals, Mr Fitzpatrick was told that being directly from a plant source, the nutritional properties of Moringa were much more bioavailable to the body, that is, more efficiently utilized by the body than synthetic sources.

Feeling there was “more to this than meets the eye,” Moringa Source was born. In 2011, childhood friend Paul Taitt joined him.

Moringa Source uses only powder made from the leaf of the tree, he said, for which there is no known toxicity.

“The root of the Moringa is the only part of the plant that has shown toxicity, and that is only after being ingested in large quantities. You really couldn’t eat enough Moringa leaf to have a toxic event,” he said.

The majority of the Moringa leaf imported by Moringa Source comes from a trusted source in India. It arrives in New Jersey and is tested at an FDA-regulated Good Manufacturing Practices plant there for cleanliness, microbials, and heavy metals. The powder and capsules are produced in New Jersey. The Moringa tea from Moringa Source is produced and packaged in California.

Moringa Source also makes a line of cosmetics from the rich, unsaturated fatty oil of the Moringa pod. The shampoo and conditioner, lotions, body butter and wash, and lip balm are produced at a facility in Utah, Mr Fitzpatrick said.

Introducing a product purporting miraculous-seeming benefits to the American public is challenging, admitted Mr Fitzpatrick. People are fickle, he realizes, and will wonder, is Moringa simply the next fad?

“I keep coming back to looking at its nutritional value,” he said. “Moringa has properties that are more useful by far than any single antioxidant product,” he said.

The company has received a boost recently from a brief segment on The Dr Oz Show. The show is a daily television program about health, and Moringa Source provided Moringa capsules, teas, seeds, oil, and beauty products for the feature.

“Dr Oz gives us the exposure that allows us to produce a much more accessible product to the public,” said Mr Fitzpatrick. “The cost will go down as we can amortize it over a wider customer base,” he said. Currently, a 30-day supply of capsules costs $24.95.

A common question, Mr Fitzpatrick said, concerns the lack of interest in Moringa by countries that suffer from high numbers of malnourished and starving children. Why, if Moringa is such a nutritional powerhouse, readily available, is it not embraced by these cultures?

It goes back to the idea that people have, that in order for something to have a huge impact it must come from far away, he said.

“The move in these countries has been toward growing other foods instead of Moringa. It is seen as ‘the old way’ of doing things and has fallen into disuse,” said Mr Fitzpatrick.

Economic Benefits, Too

As Moringa Source grows, money will return to the communities from which Moringa comes, Mr Fitzpatrick said, and some of that money will go toward educating people about Moringa.

“These trees are growing where people are starving,” he pointed out.

Mr Fitzgerald and Mr Taitt do not worry about an increased worldwide demand for their product creating sustainability issues. Not only are the byproducts of the plant rather amazing, so is the growth cycle.

“A plant grows from seed to harvest in 60 days, about one inch a day,” said Mr Fitzpatrick. “After the tree is harvested, in 45 days it can be harvested again, and again,” he said. The trees are also remarkably hardy in their natural environment and require little care.

He emphasized that Moringa is a supplement and makes no medical claims.

“Always talk to your medical professional if you have questions,” he urged, while noting that doctors with experience in botanicals are more open to patients using Moringa.

Dr Shawn Carney of Northeast Natural Medicine in Newtown is waiting for peer review literature to come out on Moringa oleifera, but he is aware of the potential benefits of the plant.

“On one hand, Moringa has a longstanding use and has been around for centuries, but as a professional making clinical recommendations,” said Dr Carney, a naturopathic physician, “I try to balance that with what is out there in peer review literature,” he said. He suggested that people seeking scholarly information about supplements visit www.pubmed.gov, “a tremendous resource” for citations for biomedical literature.

When considering a new supplement, quality control is a very important aspect, said Dr Carney. He noted that products that are extensively tested might carry a higher price tag.

Most importantly, he said, consultation with a professional who is familiar with botanicals can ensure that the integration of supplements of any kind is done in a safe way. Be aware, as well, of unusual physical reactions that follow the introduction of any new supplement.

“With Moringa, specifically,” said Dr Carney, “the good virtues have been shown in the chemistry. Based on some of the constituents of Moringa, I think some of the claims have very good merit.”

Mr Fitzpatrick is hopeful that by appearing on Dr Oz, more researchers will be interested in looking into Moringa and its numerous claims.

“What will be fun for us, is that universities that have the capabilities to do phytochemical studies can clarify better why Moringa is having beneficial effects,” he said.

Mr Fitzgerald testifies as to the benefits of Moringa, having used it himself for two years. His partner, his wife, and his two children also take Moringa supplements.

“I can only speak for myself,” Mr Fitzpatrick said, “but I have a steady, even energy all day. It has been helpful to me.” Taking part in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Cross Fit classes for fitness, he would expect, at the age of 45, he said, to feel more than a little muscle soreness after working out. “I don’t feel sore after rigorous activity, and I still have the energy to go home and do ‘dad’ things,” he said.

“My most fun is the skeptics,” declared Mr Fitzpatrick. “I have chemist friends who have become my best customers,” he said.

With thousands of customers providing repeat business, Moringa Source is growing rapidly, Mr Fitzpatrick said, primarily by word of mouth. And that, he believes, says much for the product.

“Our goal this year,” he said, “is to put science behind the happy stories.”

Moringa Source is available only online, although the partners are hopeful that current discussions with national distributors will result in consumers soon seeing the product on the shelves in the near future.