Ben Oil (From Moringa Seeds)

Since I always like to try making new things, when I read about how you can make oil by hand from moringa seeds (you can also use a machine to extract the oil, which apparently is much easier) and saw all the seed pods hanging on a moringa tree next to our road, I thought I should give it a try.  Interestingly, the oil from moringa seeds is called Ben oil.  I have no idea why.  The information I found on making the oil just said that that is what it is called.

Anyway, here is how it goes: remove the outer hulls of the moringa seeds.  Grind them as finely as you can (I used my hand mortar and pestle) and boil them in about an equal volume of water for 10 minutes. Here are the de-hulled seeds before they are ground:

Squeeze the whole mixture through cheesecloth (I used a handkerchief) and let it sit overnight to separate the oil from the water.  For me, after this overnight time, I put it in the fridge so the oil would solidify and it would be easier to remove the oil. You can see the solids floating in the cup below - that is the oil.

So it worked!  I didn't process a whole lot of seeds, so I didn't get a lot of oil.  But I got some.  I also learned that it is really bitter tasting oil.  I also tasted a seed (because you can eat those too) and the horribly bitter taste remained in my mouth for hours!  So I don't recommend that you eat the seeds unless you like really really bitter things...