The Tortoise Table

I am researching this "miracle tree",Moringa Oleifera,to possibly incorporate into a living fence in my tortoise yard. Apparently almost every part of this tree is safe and nutritious to eat. Is it sulcata tortoise friendly food....specifically the leaves and flowers? Here is a link to more information:
http://www.ilovemoringa.com/
http://www.moringamatters.com/index.html

Hi, and thanks for asking about Moringa. I haven't done a lot of research yet on this plant but here's what I've discovered so far.

The leaves seem to be perfectly safe to eat (although I would feed them in moderation rather than freely). One source said there was a slight possibility of negative side effects if huge quantities were eaten (this was a study pertaining to mammals, not reptiles), but such high quanitites would have to be eaten to see any negative effects that it was unlikely that this would happen.

The flowers seem OK in moderation, but large quantities will result in diarrhoea, so I would definitely not feed those freely.

The problem comes with the roots. They are highly toxic, or rather the bark of the roots is highy toxic, as it is rich in the alkaloid moringine, which is similar to ephedrine and can paralyse the nervous system and affect organs and muscles. Obviously the roots are underground and out of the reach of most tortoises, but sulcatas do burrow, and I suppose there could be a substantial danger there.

I expect that Lin is also researching this plant, so we'll let you know if we find out any more.

Nina