So here we go - it is officially spring in South Africa, and the excruciatingly dry winter has certainly taken its toll, not only on the land and the animals, but on my body as well. And I think that this calls for a little helping hand from nature to give my body a much needed boost.

After some struggles with water on the farm I have lost quite a bit of my special medicinal plants and herbs that I have collected and propagated over time, and despite the fact that we still have not had any sustainable rain - we do at least have running water again - this means that I have been able to salvage some of my plants and hopefully I will be able to coast them through until the rains come.

The great news is, that I can now use some of those plants to make some wonderfully hydrating, refreshing and revitalizing smoothies. I started making these smoothies last year, and I was really impressed with the results, so I thought I would give it a go again this year.

So here I am dragging my ass out of bed at dusk to harvest some fresh herbs and veg for the smoothie ingredients, and for the main ingredients, I make use of some freshly picked Moringa leaves, some Spekboom leave, Garlic Chives and fresh Spinach

This might sound vile at first, but it has a surprisingly refreshing taste, especially because of the tarty crisp taste of the spekboom. All of these ingredients is specifically chosen for their health benefits as well as their medicinal properties - but I will go a bit deeper into that a little later on.

To this mix I would often add other healthy vegetables from the garden like celery and peppers.Then just for a little bit of added (healthy) flavor I would add some fruits in season, this really just spices it up a bit as drinking the same thing every morning can become a little hard to swallow down, plus it adds a selection of well balanced nutrients to the diet.

The Method:

So here is what I do, I simply chop all my ingredients up roughly into chunks and then add it to together in the blender - I also add one cup of purified water to the mix, and then blend well until it reaches a smooth consistency - and then serve...

I prefer to drink this directly in stead of letting it stand, but sometimes I would have some left over, and I would simply pop that in the fridge and have it a bit later in the day. This is a great and natural way of giving your body a vitamin and nutrient boost, and although it is an acquired taste - I assure you that it is a taste worth acquiring.

Why Moringa?

The moringa tree is a green attribute to any garden willing to grow it, and its flowers are widely used in the culinary field, as it is often used as an ingredient in delicacies across the world, this also allows for its astounding medical properties to work its way into the human body.

Also used for medicinal purposes are the leaves, roots, bark and immature pods, it is used to cure various ailments such as:

• headache
• wounds or insects bites
• bacterial or fungal skin complaints
• gastric ulcers and other Gastrointestinal Problems
• diarrhea
• Moringa regulates Thyroid Function and is used to treat liver and spleen problems
• Provides Relief From Rheumatoid Arthritis, pains of the joints and malnutrition.
• Can Help Lower Serum Cholesterol
• retards the abnormal development of the blood clots.
• minimize the blood pressure level and encourage good sleep.
• Gives Relief From Insomnia
• detoxifying
• treating anxiety and depression if it is consumed as a part of the diet.
• beneficial to the pregnant and breastfeeding women as it increases the milk production
• rich source of calcium and iron thus also treats anemia
• reduces inflammation and swelling
• Improves Immune Function
• nourishes the brain and eyes
• encourages the proper functioning of kidney and liver and promotes cell structure and metabolism.
• Serves as Nutritional Support
• Moringa Provides an Energy Boost
• Promotes Weight Loss
• Moringa Fights Various Types of Cancers
• Reduces Acne and Blackheads and helps control Eczema and Psoriasis
• Moringa Stimulates Hair Growth
• Reduces Inflammation in the Body
• Moringa Leaves Help to Control Blood Sugar
• Reduces Dandruff and Other Scalp Problems
• Moringa Root Can Improve Kidney Function
• Controls Skin Wrinkles and Fine Lines

More Moringa facts:

The Moringa is a great stamina booster

• contains nutrients such as minerals, phytonutrients, antioxidants, and vitamins, essential to boost stamina, energy and increase concentration.

Helps Maintain Blood Sugar Levels

• It can control diabetes, the Moringa powder has the ability to retain the optimal blood sugar levels

Powerful Antioxidant

• Includes its antioxidant content as well, this is greatin slowing down cancer cell growth.

A bit of background on the Moringa:

The African name for the Moringa is “Nebedaye”, which means “never die”. The Moringa plant is native to Northern India, where it was first described around 2000 BC as a medicinal herb. It is also known as The Miracle Tree."
source: http://www.moringa.rubiconhealth.org/moringa-history

Common names: Drumstick tree, horseradish, been oil tree, moringa (English);
peperwortelboom (Afrikaans)

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Why Spekboom?

The South African Portulacaria Afra known locally as the Spekboom, Elephant Bush, Dwarf Jade Plant or Porkbush, is certainly one of my personal favorites, and it is one of the most resilient plants that I have come to know, it is drought-tolerant and fire-resistant, it will endure desert sun and heat once established and can even survive winter frosts by creating its own natural cover through dense growth. It is no wonder that these trees can live up to 200 years.

What does the Spekboom add to my smoothie?
This amazing shrub with its tender lemony leaves is a great addition to smoothies (also salads and stews) because of its extremely high in its contents of manganese, cobalt and especially magnesium, iodine and selenium content.

Medicinally the Spekboom is simply a green treasure trove.

The plant leaves are great for effectively treating high blood sugar levels and these plants are also used to treat dehydration and over-exhaustion, it is great as a nutritional supplement in its natural form and serves as a power boost for your immune system, plus it is wonderful for increasing breast milk production in lactating mothers.

More Spekboom facts:

• Spekboom leaves can be crushed and used as a poultice to apply to blisters, corns, acne, insect bites, sunburn and aching feet.

• One of the brilliant aspects of these plants, is that they function differently to normal plants when it comes to Photosynthesis - it actually uses two different methods to photosynthesize.

Photosynthesis during normal conditions:
When it is cold and damp, which would fall under our winter months; the Spekboom plant tends to show a growth increase and makes use of ordinary photosynthesis.

Secondary Photosynthesis:
This process involves the plant opening up its stomata, allowing it to absorb carbon dioxide, this is then transformed into an acid inside the plants that then gets broken down and released during the night when the plants closes their stomata again, this means that the plants doesn't loose any moisture through its stomata in the process. This occurs in dry conditions throughout the year.

Very Well - But what does that mean?
This simply means that a small patch of Spekboom plants, have the ability to capture over 4 tons of carbon per year, and its immensely intricate carbon dioxide filtration process allows you to live better and breathe better.

4 TONS OF CARBON!! - Hectare for hectare more that the rain-forest! That is 100 times more carbon from the atmosphere than a pine tree of similar size can do.

If you are a live stock farmer - the Spekboom makes for ideal animal feed especially during times of drought or scarcity.

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SO BOTTOMS UP - IT IS HAPPY HOUR ON THE FARM!!

NOTE: Just a thought Numerous easy to grow plants can be a great attribute to an aesthetically pleasing garden while also serving a purpose as a rich source of nourishment and an alternative to modern day medicine.