MoringaMoringaTHE MIRACLE TREE

The Tryptophan Solutionfor Restful Sleep and Mental and Emotional Well-Being

NaturalLifeNews.com • Natural Life News & Directory

Mark MandelaClinical Nutritionist

Igrew up in a family that had a vari-ety of mental disorders, includingbi-polar, anxiety, obsessive-compul-

sive disorder, and sleep disturbances.Little did I know that nutrition, espe-cially Tryptophan and B-complex,would play a critical role in reducingmany of these symptoms for my family.

It all started just as I was complet-ing my degree in nutrition, when my uncle Jack was visiting duringChristmas break and went into a mental breakdown. He started yelling atus, became incoherent and wouldn’t letanyone touch him. He was disorientedand went outside in the ten-below-zerocold. My mother started crying andasked me to do something. So I got myTryptophan formula and B-complexsupplements, went outside, and plead-ed with him loudly over and over untilhe swallowed them. Fifteen minuteslater, he decided to come inside. We allchose not to look at him or treat himany differently, but were watching himfrom the corner of our eyes... After 15more minutes, he returned to normal.It was a miracle! He was laughing and

telling jokes likehis old self. The funnything was thathe didn’t evenremember goingthrough the

breakdown.

My uncle Jack had manyemotional problems over theyears, which we now havetraced to his sleeping disor-der. He would stay up allnight and cat-nap throughoutthe day. He was medicallydischarged from the Armyand received multiple shocktreatments because of thiscondition. He didn’t like taking the medication thedoctors prescribed, so he suffered with this conditionmost of his life.

I tried to use nutritionwith my uncle over the years,with partial success. But Iwill say one thing for him,whenever he came down to visit, hewould ask for those Tryptophan and B-complex supplements. If only I hadknown about the power of the Moringaoleifera back then! I truly believe, withall the people I have helped, using theMoringa for sleep deprivation, anxietyand depression (and a long list of otherconditions), that this would havechanged my uncle’s life and he wouldstill be alive today.

In 1992, the supplement Trypto-phan was removed from the marketwhen a Japanese manufacturer sent acontaminated batch to the US (see side-bar). It makes me wonder how drugmanufacturers could get away withmanipulating a 20-year-old mistake intoa multi-billion-dollar, profit-makingban on this natural food supplement. If this had been Tylenol (and this didhappen with Tylenol), it would havebeen back on the market ASAP!

There are many kinds of pain weall deal with... But those who strugglewith the confusion and shame of mental and emotional disorders areamong those who suffer the most—often alone, and with few options forreal solutions. A friend of mine saidrecently, “Overcoming depression with-out the necessary Serotonin in yoursystem is like trying to start your carwithout any gas!”

I believe the removal of Tryptophanfrom the marketplace has been one ofthe greatest injustices ever perpetratedon the American public, causing untoldsuffering. It still remains against thelaw even after they found it was not the Tryptophan itself, but a mistake by the manufacturer.

But now, here comes the Moringaoleifera “miracle tree” with the highestknown levels of Tryptophan of anyplant food—to the rescue!

The tragic passing of Heath Ledger afew years ago was caused by an acciden-

tal overdose of painkillers combined withanti-depressants and sleeping pills—a greatand unnecessary loss of life and opportunity.All of the above problems could have beenaddressed nutritionally, rather than pharma-ceutically. Let’s find ways to educate ouryoung people. Let’s teach them what theirbodies and brains need to feel and stay well.

PART 3

28

®

WHAT’S BETTER— Nutrition or Medicine?

While Tryptophan is the scarcest of the essential amino acids

(“essential” means that our body can’tmake it and needs to get it from anoutside food source), it is the only substance that can be converted intoSerotonin, which in turn, is convertedinto Melatonin. But which Serotoninroute is better—nutritional or medici-nal? Let’s take a look...

Originally developed to treatdepression in humans, psychoactivedrugs like Prozac, Zoloft and Praxil arenow commonly prescribed for a varietyof mental and emotional disorders,plus migraines, sleep disturbances,weight loss, PMS, PTSD, obesity, andeven back pain. But the FDA approvedit only for depression and obsessive-

compulsive disorder.

Thesedrugs allwork alongthe same

principle. Selective Serotonin ReuptakeInhibitors (SSRIs) work by increasingthe level of Serotonin available to thebrain by blocking its reuptake withadjoining neurons, thereby leavingmore in the synapse to act as a neuro-transmitter. But this chemical solutioninvolves “rerouting” what littleSerotonin the body has in storage, and this tactic can lead to Serotonin“bankruptcy.” According to Dr. PeterBreggin’s research, many users havebecome emotionally disturbed andhave even committed suicide or murder while on Prozac.2

But Serotonin’s function in thebrain can be elevated in the way natureintended, namely, by providing more of Serotonin’s precursor in our diet.Tryptophan occurs naturally in foodslike turkey and soy, and at higher levelsin the Moringa oleifera. Of this tree’smany blessings, I feel this is one of itsmost important contributions for all of us who deal with stress daily.Increasing the Serotonin pathway levelsthrough proper eating habits is a farsuperior method of balancing moodand sleep patterns than the quick fixes,side effects, and hazards of drugs.3

Tryptophan is an essential aminoacid that is required for the produc-

tion of niacin (vitamin B3) and serotonin(the neurotransmitter involved in relaxation and sleep) among others.Therefore, Tryptophan helps to controldepression and insomnia, stabilizesemotional moods, eases the perceptionof pain, and might combat inflamma-

tion. It also aids in controlling hyperactivity in children and alleviates stress.Since some migraine sufferers have abnormally low levels of Tryptophan, it is believed that it can also ease the pains associated with certain types of migraines.

Although Tryptophan is the rarest of all amino acids to be found in protein’s composition, it plays an important role in reducing stress-relatedmood disorders, in aiding relaxation, and improving the quality of our sleep.We all need some extra Tryptophan sometimes!

Supplements of Tryptophan are not approved in the US, so we have to getit from food. Moringa is an excellent plant source of Tryptophan. Its concen-tration in the leaves exceeds the concentration found in soybeans. (Soy has13 mg/g protein vs. 21 mg/g protein in Moringa. Soybeans were, up to now,considered to have the highest levels of Tryptophan.)1

— Monica Marcu, Ph.D., Pharmacologistfrom “Moringa oleifera: The Miracle Tree”

L-TRYPTOPHAN

May-June 2012 29

MoringaTESTIMONIALS

RESTFUL, RESTORATIVE SLEEP

Ihaven’t slept properly in years and havebeen treated with bio-identical hormones.

I am now off almost everything in less then 2 months. Moringa has helped me sleep, andhelped with my digestion as well. My face hasgotten tighter and I look ten years younger!

—Diane Digsby

DAUGHTER WITH BIPOLAR

Earlier this week, I received a phone callfrom my 49-year-old daughter. She start-

ed the conversation by saying that she hadsomething to tell me. I braced myself forwhat was to come. My daughter was diag-nosed as bipolar many years ago and herroad in life has been difficult, and a greatchallenge for me. My daughter continued theconversation by saying that she woke up thatmorning feeling energetic and great! She saidshe woke up feeling really good yesterdaybut today she felt even better! She said thather normal morning for a very long time wasto wake up depressed with the desire to goback to sleep.

What my daughter is experiencing is a major breakthrough in her life. Had herdoctor prescribed a new drug for the bipolardisorder? No, not at all! A month ago, I gave her a box of Smart Mix to try. I kepther supplied with more as she used it. Aweek ago, I recommended that she increaseher intake of the Moringa oleifera mix. It wasthe Moringa that brought about the majorchange for my daughter and given her a newstart in life. I consider it miraculous!

—Larry

NO MORE SLEEP APNEA ~NO MORE SLEEP MEDICATIONS

Ihave several clients using the Moringa andshowing improved sleep, and in one situa-

tion, the end of sleep apnea. After a week oftaking one serving per day, one client is nowsleeping through the night for the first timein years, and has ceased taking an over-the-counter sleep medication that he requiredbefore finding Moringa. A second client, after 3 weeks of consuming it, is finding sheawakes feeling refreshed and energized afterdecades of fitful, non-restorative sleep.

—Cheryl Laures, RN,Personal Wellness Consultant

The Teeter-Totterbetween Cortisol

& Serotonin

When we were young, we typi-cally abused our resilient

bodies. We constantly “robbedPeter to pay Paul.” We stayed uplate at night, we ate anything weliked, and we did all kinds of thingsbecause we had energy to burn. Butas we continued to overtax ourreserves, this lifestyle eventuallythrew our bodies out of balance.

Youngsters have little regardfor the long-term “credit-cardeffect” (charge now, pay later).They push their bodies to the max

and over-stimulate theiradrenals with refined

carbohydrates (sugars, junk

food) and

intense stimulators (coffee, RedBull, nicotine and drugs). Eventu-ally, the early signs of unbalancedCortisol levels start to appear.

Cortisol is an adrenal hormonethat gives us energy and wakes usup, usually triggered by the stressresponse. Accumulated stress caus-es our exhausted adrenal glands toproduce too much Cortisol, bothday and night. Over time, highCortisol levels, and depletedSerotonin levels, cause sleep disrup-tion and brain dysfunction, whichthen lead to mental and emotionalproblems.

By providing our brains andbodies with Tryptophan-rich foods,especially when we are experienc-ing elevated stress, we can protectour sleep patterns and our well-being. But because of this Cortisolvs. Serotonin imbalance in our bod-ies today, we are seeing more sickpeople at an earlier age than everbefore.

More young people are blindlyturning to drugs to relax, to getrelief from pain and inflammation,to help them sleep, and to dealwith the anxieties of life, when allthey have to do is take better

nutritional care of their bodies!

Behind the Scenes...The essential amino

acid L-tryptophan is used by thebrain to manufacture Serotonin.Since the late 1960s, it wasused as a safe, inexpensive,non-prescription alternative topsychiatric drugs for such disor-ders as insomnia, depressionand anxiety. When Lilly andother drug companies beganpromoting their expensive, dangerous serotonergic agents,millions of people had alreadybeen using L-tryptophan formany years.

In 1989, the ingestion of the food supplement L-trypto-phan was associated with more than 1500 cases of a rareand potentially fatal disease,

Eosinophilia-Myalgia Syndrome(EMS). Following the outbreakof EMS, L-tryptophan was taken off the market, and thenbanned by the FDA in 1992.Even though the problem waseventually traced to a specificcontaminated batch producedin Japan, all L-tryptophanremains banned.

Those who look critically at the FDA and the psycho-pharmaceutical complex havevoiced concerns that the con-tinuation of the L-tryptophanban has forced people to useProzac and other SSRIsinstead.2

—Dr. Peter Breggin, Psychiatrist

RELIEF FROM MOOD SWINGS ~ ANXIETY, DEPRESSION

My daughter called me at 3 am, hysterically cryingfrom a medication that had triggered pain on

her left leg, stomach cramping, mood swings, andpanic attacks—all at once. When I got there she wasa mess emotionally and physically. She told me shehad been trying to sleep but was too anxious andcould not. I had one dose of Moringa left and gave it to her. I told her to swish the Moringa around inher mouth with every sip. Within 20 minutes shewas relaxed enough to fall soundly asleep.

My daughter has been fighting anxiety anddepression for years. We have decided to keep heron Moringa to see how it does. I have noticed thatshe is handling her college work well and her sleep-ing patterns are improving, along with relief of whatwe thought was irritable bowel syndrome.

I will keep you posted but, so far, this is lookinglike the light at the end of years of health problemsfor my daughter and our whole family. Thank you,Mark, for introducing Moringa to us!

—Alfredo Rios

NO MORE ROADRAGE! “So, you wantto cut me off? Sure, go ahead! What, youtoo? Why not? I’m notin a hurry any more!”

—M. M.

My wife and I own an HerbShop in Locust Grove,

Georgia.We both began taking Moringa about amonth ago. I noticed that I have a much higher levelof energy at the gym. I don’t eat nearly as much, and I feel much healthier. When I began taking theproduct I had been fighting a bad upper-respiratoryinfection for over six weeks. My doctor said shehadn’t seen a viral/bacterial infection this bad in all of her career. (Her daughter had the same thing forover eight weeks.) After taking Moringa, it wentaway immediately.

My wife began losing her abdominal bloatingthat she has not been able to get rid of since thebirth of our last child four years ago. And she hasmuch higher energy levels too.

I have sold at least 20 cases of these Moringaproducts out of our 1,000 sq. ft. store in the lasttwo weeks, and I have people waiting for my nextshipment. My customers rave about this product. Ihave had two ladies tell me they lost a tremendousamount of weight. One lady lost 14 lbs. in just twoweeks on the Moringa, and another lost 17 lbs. injust two weeks. This is one amazing product! That iswhy I decided to join the company—the proof is inthe pudding!

—Mike Livingston

NaturalLifeNews.com • Natural Life News & Directory30

To learn more and to order Zija®’s Nutritional Beverages, Weight Management System,

Energy/Sports Drink and Skin Care visit:

www.denis.MyZija.com~ Z i j a I n d ependen t D i s t r i b u t o r ~

Denis OuelletteCall 406-333-4103

denis@wispwest.net

As we pay moreattention to avoidingthe lifestyle that constantly stimu-lates the stress hor-mones, and as weincrease Serotonin production by eatinggood food sources of Tryptophan, we will find ahealthy, naturalsolution to many ofthe mental and emo-tional problems andsleep disorders thatare plaguing oursociety. In my ownfamily, and now inmy clinical practice,

I have witnessed the remarkable results of adding Tryptophan,especially as found in the Moringa oleifera “miracle tree.”

And Moringa is not only rich in Tryptophan, but ALL theessential (and many non-essential) amino acids, the buildingblocks of protein. These are combined with other co-factors (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, etc.) in asynergistic blend as Mother Nature created for ready acceptanceand uptake into our bodies.4 This synergy ensures the rapid passage of these vital nutrients into the brain (through theblood-brain barrier) and to all the cells of the body.

So, my challenge to you today is to experiment with theMoringa in your diet. Take 15 to 30 grams per day for the nextten days, and watch the amazing changes that will take place. I suspect you’ll be lovin’ life again soon! ■

Mark Mandela has been a Clinical Nutritionist since 1983 and is the cofounder of the Integrated Medical Center with Dr.Wanda Dyson in Washington, D.C. He specializes in trainingphysicians in alternative medicine and targeted nutrition.

Listen to Zija’s weekly nationwide product call, “The MiracleTree,” discussing the remarkable benefits of the Moringa,

every Wednesday at 9:30 pm Eastern, 6:30 pm Pacific, at (512) 597-6200, enter PIN 9671111#.

REFERENCES:

1. Moringa oleifera: The Miracle Tree, Monica Marcu, Ph.D. Pharmacology.

2. Talking Back to Prozac: What Doctors Aren’t Telling You About Today’s Most Controversial Drug, Dr. Peter R. Breggin,Psychiatrist. See also his book, Toxic Psychiatry.

3. Excerpts adapted from, From Tryptophan to Serotonin toMelatonin, by Jon Zwayer, CMT, West Baden Springs, IN, published at http://home.bluemarble.net/~heartcom/tryptophantoserotonintomelatonin.html

4. See contact info to request a list of all the verified nutrients and the medicinal activities contained in the Moringa oleifera.

ALife Worth Living... The dangers of theoveruse of psychoactive drugs for the individ-

ual and society cannot be exaggerated. Beyondcausing physical side effects, drugs almost alwaysblunt and confuse our emotional response—ourinternal signal system. For the child or youngadult, this means delaying and ultimately stuntingthe process of psychosocial growth and develop-ment during the years when self and identity arebeing formed.

Our mettle is forged in the heat of humanemotion and conflict, and drugs dampen and put out the fire. For society, this means that manyof our most creative young people will neverapproach the fulfillment of their potential. Insteadof struggling through the painful processes ofworking out their personal relationship with them-selves and others, they will—like the proverbialsquare pegs—be forced into round holes. Theiredges will be shaved smooth in the process, andwith it, their uniqueness will be sacrificed.

For any age person, resorting to psychiatricdrugs causes a more emotionally shallow life.Users become less in touch with reality, less caring and less loving. It has been said that theunexamined life is not worth living. But whatabout the unfelt life? Is it a life at all?2

—Dr. Breggin

31May-June 2012

FOR MORE ON THE MORINGA “MIRACLETREE,” read all parts of this article series.

For free copies (PDF), visit NaturalLifeNews.com. See contact information below to order or pick up

your Zija® Moringa beverages today...

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose,

treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Smart Mix™

15 grams of Moringapowder. Delicious. Just add

to water, shake and drink.

New! Super Mix™

Improved formulation allows for more than twice the nutritional

value for just a few dollars more!

XM3 Drink, +Mix• Concentrate or Packets

• Natural Energy Boost• Appetite & Weight Control

• Pure Moringa Nutritionwith added Green

Tea, Ginseng & more