Some 60 families in the town of Jayyida in Madina are reportedly turning a life of poverty into one of profitability by growing ben-oil trees, according to the Al-Birr Charity. President of the charity Saud Al-Balwi said that Al-Birr was supporting the cultivation of the plant, also known as the horse-radish tree, which produces oil worth SR600 per 100 grams. “It has enabled the families to become self-sufficient,” Al-Balwi said. “The plant is common in the west of the Kingdom and along mountain ranges, and its oil has rare nutritional and medicinal value.” According to Al-Balwi, leaves from the tree contain seven times the Vitamin C content of oranges, and three times as much potassium as bananas. “It also contains four times the amount of Vitamin A as radishes and four times more calcium than milk,” he said.