Baobab

Baobab trees can live for over 3,000 years. When they die, they rot inside and suddenly collapse! You can discover baobab growing within our Jungle Biome.

Botanical description

Taxonomic name: Adansonia digitata.

Household: Malvaceae (kapok, mallow, soda pop, hibiscus).

Likewise called: monkey bread tree, lemonade tree, upside down tree.

Tree as much as 25m tall. Trunk girth approximately 25m when mature. Branches short, stout and twiggy at ends. Bark red-brown to purple-grey. Leaves simple to digitate, with up to 9 dark green and glossy brochures but generally 5. Flower stalk (peduncle) approximately 90cm long. Flowers swinging, approximately 20cm broad, white, petals rounded containing a mass of stamens (approximately 1,600), often open prior to leaves. Fruits amphisarca, as much as 20cm long, globose to ovoid, covered in felt-like downy hairs (tomentum), contain numerous seeds.

Where to find Baobabs?

Baobabs (Adansonia digitata) can be discovered in Africa South of the Sahara:.

Southern and Eastern Africa: Ethiopia (in the South), Eritrea, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan (in the South), Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botsuana, Namibia (in the very North), Angola, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa (in the North, Limpopo Province).

West Africa: Burkina Faso, Kamerun, Tchad, Kongo, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo.

Baobabs were commonly dispersed by humans– Arab merchands for example traded the fruit on Egyptian markets and more East. The trees are said to be discovered in nations as far as Vietnam and Indonesia. A less favorable circulation element was the slave trade to Latin America: Baobabs can be discovered in the Carabbean today. Some Baobabs delight in the warm climate in Florida. More baobabs grow in Australia (in the North-West) and in Madagascar. However the types there are not Adansonia digitata.

Standard medicinal uses

Baobab leaves, bark, and fruit are used for food and medical purposes in southern Africa. The bark has astringent residential or commercial properties and has actually been used typically to alleviate colds, fevers, and influenza (a decoction made from the fresh bark is taken as a drink for one week to deal with the influenza). The wood, bark, and seeds of the tree are known to have anti-inflammatory residential or commercial properties. The leaves might be used as an antiperspirant, and they likewise have actually been utilized to deal with fever, kidney and bladder illness, as well as asthma and diarrhea. In African conventional medication, baobab fruit pulp is used to treat fever, diarrhea, dysentery, smallpox, measles, hemoptysis (the spending of blood), and as a painkiller. For the treatment of baby diarrhea, a mixture made from the floury pulp mixed with millet flour and water is offered to the kid until treated. For dysentery, baobab leaves are administered orally or squashed into a beverage. Leaves can also be used in hip-baths to deal with parasitic skin infections. The seed can be pulped and used externally or contributed to water as a drink to deal with gastric, kidney, and joint diseases.

During the rainy season when the trees remain in leaf, baobab is an excellent fodder tree, particularly for video game such as elephants, kudus, nyalas, and impalas. At the end of the season, livestock eat the fallen leaves, and various video game species enjoy the fallen flowers. As far as humans are concerned, the roots can be tapped for water, and the young roots are prepared and consumed. Young leaves can be cooked and eaten like spinach or dried and powdered to be used later. The leaves are rich in ascorbic acid (vitamin C), sugars, and potassium tartrate. The acid pith of the fruit is abundant in vitamin C and can be used to make a revitalizing beverage. Baobab seeds, the oil of which is high in calories, can be eaten fresh, dried, or roasted as a substitute for coffee (Coffea spp., Rubiaceae). The pulp and seeds have high nutritional worth in the form of iron, calcium, and vitamin C, and they can be fed to animals towards the end of the dry season when grazing is poor.

The citric and tartaric acids found in the pulp motivated one of baobab’s popular names, “cream of tartar tree.” Baobab pulp is typically used in baking as a milk-curdling representative, as a flavoring for yogurt and ice cream, and as a source of calcium for pregnant and breast feeding females. Due to its high pectin material, the pulp likewise has been used typically as a thickening agent for sauces and jams. In some African cultures, the pulp has been utilized as a component in cosmetics.

Baobab has a long history of use as a medical product. The botanist and doctor Prospero Alpini (1553-1617) wrote in his book De plantis Aegypti liber that fresh baobab fruit had a very pleasing taste, and that the Ethiopians used it on burns and rashes and to cool the effects of major fevers. For these conditions, they either chewed the flesh of the fruit or pressed it into a juice with sugarcoated. Alpini likewise wrote that in Cairo, Egypt, where fresh baobab fruit was unobtainable, Egyptians made preparations from its powder to treat fevers, dysentery, and bloody wounds– an indication that this plant has actually been utilized medicinally for centuries.

Local medical usages for baobab are richly differed. The bark, together with dried leaves, is made into a preparation called lalo that is used to cause sweating and decrease fever. The bark contains a quantity of edible, insoluble, acidic, tragacanth-like gum, which is utilized to disinfect skin ulcers and wounds. Mucilages made from baobab phloem sap in the bark are utilized as a treatment for gastrointestinal inflammation. The bark also is popular as a cardiotonic; this traditional use has actually been confirmed experimentally by researchers who showed the positive inotropic result of an ethanolic bark extract on isolated atrial muscles of rats.

In Sierra Leone particularly, the leaves and bark are utilized as a prophylactic versus malaria. In the Congo,.

a bark preparation is used to shower children with rickets, and in Tanzania, as a mouthwash to deal with tooth pain. In Ghana, the bark is used as a substitute for quinine in cases of fever. In southern Zimbabwe, the leaf is consumed as a vegetable, while in central Africa it is utilized as a diaphoretic (perspirant) against fevers, and the seeds as a treatment for dysentery. In Messina, South Africa, the powdered seed is offered to eliminate hiccups in children.

In Nigeria and Senegal, baobab fruits are deemed to be effective against microbial diseases. This has actually been validated in tests versus certain bacteria and fungi, although the active constituents responsible for these effects have yet to be isolated. A ready root infusion is utilized as a bath for babies to maintain soft skin. Conditions consisting of asthma, sedation, colic, fever, inflammation, diseases of the urinary tract, ear problem, backache, injuries, tumors, and respiratory trouble are dealt with orally. The leaves are considered an emollient and diuretic, and leaf decoctions are used for earache and otitis (inflammation of the outer ear, middle ear, or ear canal). In general, leaf preparations are used for the control of kidney and bladder diseases, asthma, fatigue, and as a tonic, blood cleanser, prophylactic, and febrifuge (a medication that reduces fever). They have actually likewise been used for diarrhea, inflammation, insect bites, the expulsion of guinea worms, internal pain, and other afflictions.

15 Incredible Benefits of Baobab Powder You’ll Love

1. Baobab powder is high in vitamin C

All of us know how important vitamin C is! It supports immune function, collagen production and improves iron absorbtion. Vitamin C is essential for maintaining healthy bones, skin, blood vessels and more. Baobab powder has 6 times the vitamin C of an orange by weight, and supplies 33% of the suggested everyday quantity in simply one tablespoon.

2. Baobab powder is abundant in prebiotic fiber

You have actually probably become aware of probiotics and taken them after a course of antibiotics. Probiotics are live microbiota that live in the gut and support digestion and immune health. Baobab is a prebiotic food, indicating that it consists of soluble fibers that are non-digestible and benefit the gut microbiome to produce helpful microflora. The advantages of prebiotic fiber extends beyond the gut and increases stress durability, minimizing anxiety and even enhancing sleep according to research study at the University of Colorado in Stone. Baobab powder is almost 50% fiber, 75% is prebiotic.

3. Baobab powder is a vegan source of calcium

Calcium is one of the most abundant minerals in our bodies and together with vitamin D produces strong bones and healthy skin. Baobab powder has potentially the greatest calcium material of any plant food– it provides 2 times the calcium of milk, making it an ideal calcium boost for those who don’t eat dairy (or anybody, actually!). For the cardiovascular system taking in enough calcium lowers the risk of high blood pressure and decreases cholesterol. Calcium likewise enhances skin barrier function which assists retain hydration for plump youthful skin. People with dry, vulnerable skin in particular gain from calcium-rich foods.

4. Baobab powder has 4 times the potassium of a banana

Baobab powder offers 4 times the potassium of a banana, making it an excellent source of this important nutrient. In addition to salt, potassium contributes in preserving the body’s fluid balance, muscle and kidney function. Every cell in the body requires potassium, for the cardiovascular system it controls heart beat, relaxes blood vessels and promotes typical blood pressure.

5. Baobab powder gives magnesium

Enjoyable reality: Magnesium is utilized in more than 600 responses in the body! Magnesium manages blood sugar level, and is vital to heart health and brain function. For professional athletes magnesium enhances leg strength and enhances performance. Magnesium deficiency affects mood and is connected with increased depression, stress and anxiety and sleep problems.

6. Baobab powder offers potent polyphenol antioxidants

Nutrient-dense baobab powder is an excellent source of polyphenol antioxidants. We’ve all become aware of how terrific anti-oxidants are for your health, but what do they. do? Polyphenol anti-oxidants secure the body’s tissues against oxidative stress connected with cancer, and coronary heart problem. It’s a great concept to take in anti-oxidants every day to lower swelling which. puts us at risk of persistent illness. Research studies show that Baobab’s polyphenol anti-oxidants enhance sugar handling and support a balanced gut microbiome. A single helping of nutrient-dense Baobab powder consists of 6 times the amount of polyphenol antioxidants found in berries– so toss a tablespoon or 2 into your healthy smoothie and keep those complimentary radicals in check!

7. Baobab powder’s nutrients are bioavailable

What excellent are healthy nutrients if you can’t absorb them? Not only is baobab powder loaded with minerals and vitamins, but these nutrients are actually bioavailable also. This implies a greater.

proportion of the nutrients really get absorbed, taken in and metabolized by the body.

8. Baobab powder is low glycemic

It’s an excellent concept to focus on your blood sugar even if you are not diabetic, Maintaining stable blood glucose levels throughout the day assists keep your energy up, your brain healthy, and your state of mind balanced. Consuming low glycemic foods that take longer to be digested (such as fiber-rich baobab powder) is an excellent method to support balanced blood sugar level levels. Research study shows that Baobab powder is a low glycemic food!

9. Baobab powder supports gut health

Your digestion system is home to trillions of bacteria that, when in balance, work to absorb food properly and support other bodily systems. Prebiotic fiber acts as food for the good bacteria in your gut, which helps keep the whole microbiome well balanced. As baobab powder is an outstanding source of prebiotic fiber, adding it to your day-to-day routine is a simple way to improve your gut health.

10. Baobab powder promotes radiant skin

Not only is a well balanced gut microbiome helpful for your digestion, it’s likewise excellent for your skin thanks to the gut-skin axis. Baobab powder’s high vitamin C material also helps increase collagen and elastin production, the proteins that keep your skin flexible and younger. Add in baobab powder’s incredible anti-oxidants that assist fight oxidative damage, and you’ve got one of the very best foods for glowing skin!

11. Baobab powder is an immune increasing powerhouse

Did you know that a tremendous 70% of your body immune system is involved your gut? This indicates that gut microbiome balance is very essential for maintaining a healthy body immune system. Baobab powder, with its toolbox of potent nutrients, is an exceptional immune booster; Its prebiotic fiber helps balance the gut microbiome while its high levels of vitamin C guarantee your body immune system can do its task.

12. Baobab powder is naturally sweet and tasty

Baobab powder has a delightful, moderate citrus flavor that is mainly undetected when utilized in recipes. KAIBAE co-founder Barbara Maes says it tastes like “a sweet tart meets a pixie stick” or “healthy fun dip”. Thanks to its moderate taste, it’s simple to take advantage of the health advantages of baobab powder by including it to any recipe! In fact mixing Baobab powder with honey makes a great healthy immune treat for kids (and grownups too). The KAIBAE Baobab + Honey Magic Immunity Elixir is a favorite recipe!

Baobab powder can be consisted of in recipes for pancakes, breads, sauces, desserts and more.

13. Baobab powder is versatile, athletes love it too

Utilizing baobab powder is an easy method to get more nutrients in your diet plan because of its adaptability. Include it every day for all around good health, weight management and to enhance athletic performance and healing. Taking your baobab powder can be as simple as blending it with water or blending it into a smoothie, or it can be consisted of in recipes for pancakes, breads, sauces, desserts and more. Experiment in the kitchen area and improve your nutrient consumption at the same time!

14. Baobab powder is wildcrafted and sustainable

The baobab tree is considered to be a Lost Crop ™, a wild plant with powerful health and beauty benefits that has actually been underestimated up until recently. By consisting of baobab powder in your diet, you’re assisting bring economic worth to this magnificent tree and securing biodiversity. Since baobab powder is collected in the wild there are never pesticides, chemicals or damaging farming practices used. You might be questioning, Why is KAIBAE Baobab certified as Organic? To license a wild-harvest organic guarantees that these wild crops are gathered in a manner that protects the trees and the environment and sustains the growth and regenerative practices around these the wild crops.

15. KAIBAE baobab powder is single origin, straight supports neighborhoods and maintains biodiversity

KAIBAE Organic Baobab Powder is wild collected in the northern region of Ghana, where there are few opportunities for financial development and hardship is widespread. We’ve partnered with communities there to regeneratively and ethically harvest wild baobab fruit. The income from these harvests offers steady, year-round earnings for them and considerably improves their access to health care and education.

What does a baobab fruit taste like?

A ripe baobab fruit has dry, white flesh that tastes like yogurt or tamarind. It has low levels of sweet taste and a subtle tang, like a mild lemon. The texture of a baobab’s kernels is a special milky, dry consistency that may leave a fine flour-like powder finishing in your mouth.

Each fruit is full of small, brown baobab seeds which are covered in the white pulp. Some varieties have a soft shell that can be bitten through while others will need a hammer or nutcracker to break. The kernel within is edible and tastes like a Brazil nut with a buttery mouthfeel and slightly acidic taste.

Baobab juice is a mild drink with much less taste strength and sweet taste than apple, apricot, or pear juice. It also has a little sourness. People that take pleasure in water with a capture of lemon juice or coconut water, might enjoy this refreshing beverage.

Baobab fruit is typically sold as dried fruit or powder in stores throughout the world. The powder has a pleasant zingy, appetizing taste that is excellent added to drinks or food. Like the fresh fruit, it is slightly sweet with a subtle lemony flavor.

Baobab fruit taste infographicTip: if you ever attempt a fresh baobab then we recommend consuming the nuts individually from the pulp. While they are both pleasurable eaten on their own, when the two are combined together the taste combination is uncomfortable.

How to use Baobab

For optimum outcomes, we recommend taking 2 to 4 teaspoons of Aduna Baobab Superfruit Powder per day. It is simple to add Baobab into your everyday diet plan – simply let your imagination lead the way!

Here are some of our preferred ways you can feel the #baobablove:

• onto fruit, cereal, yoghurt & & pancakes. into bread,
• brownies, cakes & & cookies. into porridge, desserts, soups, warm water & & lemon. into water, fruit juice, coconut water & & salad dressings
• into sauces, milkshakes, healthy smoothies & & ice creams

Side Effects

When taken by mouth: Baobab is LIKELY SAFE when taken in as a food. There isn’t enough trustworthy info to know if baobab is safe to utilize as a medicine or what the side effects might be.

When applied to the skin: There isn’t sufficient trustworthy info to know if baobab is safe or what the adverse effects might be.

What are the negative effects of baobab?

Though baobab has an excellent nutritional worth and its consumption is thought about advantageous, there are certain drawbacks to it, such as: The seeds and pulp consist of particular antinutrients, especially phytates, tannins, and oxalic acid, which interfere with and reduce the absorption of nutrients.

Does baobab have negative effects?

Though most people can safely take in baobab, some potential adverse effects need to be considered. First, the seeds and pulp consist of antinutrients, such as phytates, tannins and oxalic acid, that can minimize nutrient absorption and accessibility.

Does baobab raise high blood pressure?

The mineral content of this powder has actually been revealed to lower blood pressure and enhance circulation, 2 things that will assist to prevent heart disease and stroke.

Can you be allergic to baobab?

In conclusion, the baobab fruit may activate extreme food allergy responses.

Is baobab great for arthritis?

Baobab is also stated to safeguard against inflammation-related conditions (consisting of type 2 diabetes, arthritis, and allergies, in addition to heart problem and cancer). Furthermore, baobab fruit is in some cases utilized as an active ingredient in skin care, hair-care, and body-care products.

Is baobab acidic or alkaline?

By consuming extremely alkaline foods. The PRAL rating (possible kidney acid load) is a step of the alkalizing properties of foods. With a PRAL Ranking of -52, Baobab Fruit Powder is among the most blood alkalizing foods on earth!

How much baobab powder should I take?

How much baobab powder a day? Our advised serving is 1 to 2 heaping tablespoons every day, morning or night (or both). For a quick increase, mix baobab powder into a glass of water or juice. It can likewise be stirred into yogurt and oatmeal, sprayed on fruit or salads, and contributed to baked products, soups, and desserts.

Is baobab helpful for diabetics?

Baobab essentially decreases the GI of high GI foods such as white bread! By slowing the glycemic reaction of simple carbs, the findings indicate that baobab fruit powder might possibly assist in the management of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Does baobab powder expire?

Baobab fruit powder generally has a life span of 24 months, however researchers have required more investigation into how storage and processing impacts the nutrients.

How do you eat baobab seeds?

In order to get to the kernel the seeds are prepared or roasted and then crushed. Roasted seeds can be eaten like peanuts. As a coffee substitute entire seeds were roasted, ground and brewed with hot water. The powder can be used as spices for soups or other meals.

Is baobab good for fertility?

Rich in vitamin C, magnesium, zinc and selenium, baobab definitely provides a fantastic amount of nutrients for a healthy fertile body in both men and women.

Is baobab good for skin?

Packed with vitamins and nutrients, baobab oil can be directly applied to the skin. Its high vitamin C material might promote collagen formation, enhancing the skin’s natural flexibility and smoothness.

Does baobab coffee have caffeine?

Baobab Coffee. This tasty traditional drink is made from roasting && amp, grinding Baobab Seed, and is an excellent substitute to routine coffee. It does not include any caffeine. … Hunters also utilized baobab seed as a remedy to neutralize the dangerous Stophanthus applied to arrowheads for hunting.

What is the name of baobab fruit?

The tree’s fruits are big pods referred to as ‘monkey bread’ or ‘cream of tartar fruit’ and they produce a dry fruit pulp that is highly healthy.

What does baobab taste like?

chalky of a texture. The pale powder covers your mouth and the roof of your mouth. Practically like flour however unlike flour where you taste the genuine wheaty-ness, baobab is a little appetizing, practically citri-sy kind of flavor.

Does baobab oil lighten skin?

You have baobab oil for skin lightening. It is the perfect active ingredient to trigger moisturizing of the skin and hair quality. … The oil well nourishes the scalp with the supply of the vital nutrients. It assists in promoting healthy hair development and can make the skin and hair look terrific.

Negative Effects and Risks

Utilizing Baobab and similar products like moringa supplements requires to be taken into thoroughly. This requires to be validated to be safe and protected to be used by U.S. Fda (FDA). It likewise has actually various dangers included together with this,.

• Reduces blood pressure
• Decreases the heart rate
• Consists of alkaloid
• It might also trigger uterine contraction particularly if you have moringa bark
• Cell mutations can be triggered using the chemical separated from roasted seeds
• May cause problems with fertility9
• May hinder your pregnancy and lactation. For that reason, you need to call your physician prior to taking any form of herbal medications for yourself.

Dosing

The appropriate dosage of baobab depends on numerous aspects such as the user’s age, health, and a number of other conditions. At this time, there is inadequate clinical information to identify a proper range of doses for baobab. Remember that natural products are not always necessarily safe and does can be crucial. Make certain to follow pertinent directions on item labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other health care expert before using.

Sources

1. https://www.edenproject.com/visit/things-to-do/rainforest-biome/baobab
2. https://baobabstories.com/en/find-baobabs/
3. https://www.herbalgram.org/resources/herbalgram/issues/108/table-of-contents/hg108-feat-baobab/
4. https://gokaibae.com/blogs/blog/15-amazing-benefits-of-baobab-powder-youll-love/
5. https://tastylicious.com/baobab-fruit-taste/
6. https://aduna.com/blogs/learn/how-to-use-baobab
7. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1260/baobab
8. https://dailydelish.us/faq/what-are-the-side-effects-of-baobab/
9. https://aminabaobab.com/blogs/moringa-baobab/baobab-fruit-powder-health-benefits-side-effects-dosage-and-facts
10. https://www.rxlist.com/baobab/supplements.htm#Dosing