Baobab Fruit
As a traditional African medicine, baobab has many uses. These are the most common traditional healing uses of baobab, organized by plant part:
Bark – for colds, coughs, asthma, fevers, influenza, dysentery, skin ulcers, open wounds, malaria, inflammation
Leaves – for fevers, kidney and bladder diseases, asthma, diarrhea, parasitic skin infections, earache, otitis, insect bites, expulsion of guinea worms, fatigue, pain and inflammation
Bark and leaves – for fevers
Fruit pulp – for fevers, diarrhea, dysentery, smallpox, measles, hemoptysis, pain
Seed – for gastric, kidney and joint diseases, inflammation
Root – for asthma, sedation, colic, fevers, inflammation, urinary tract infections and diseases, earaches, otitis, lower backaches, wounds, tumors, respiratory difficulty
Phloem sap in the bark – for gastrointestinal inflammation
**Applications and dosing are different for each plant part, health condition, and person.
Some of the traditional medicinal uses of baobab by African country:
Ethiopia – the fruit pulp is applied topically to burns and rashes, the fruit is eaten to cool the effects of serious fevers
Egypt – the powder is made into a concoction for fevers, dysentery, and open wounds
Sierra Leone – the leaves and bark are used as a prophylactic against malaria
The Congo – a bark decoction is used to bathe children with rickets
Tanzania – a bark decoction is used as a mouthwash for toothaches
Ghana – the bark is used as a substitute for quinine in cases of fever
Central Africa – the leaf is used for fevers and the seeds are used for dysentery
Musina, Limpopo Province of South Africa – the powdered seed for hiccups in children
**Applications and dosing are different for each plant part, health condition, and person.
According to research in this article by the American Botanical Council in 2015, baobab has the following biological properties: anticancer, antisickling, hepatoprotective, antiviral, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, analgesic, and antioxidant.
The Tree of Life
The baobab is regarded as the Tree of Life for its multiple ways of supporting human existence, its resilience, and its longevity and ancient roots that reach back to our earliest origins as humans.
Every part of the baobab tree is used to sustain human life. In addition to its hundreds of nutritional and medicinal applications, other parts of the tree are used as various raw materials and supplies, including cloth, roofing, rope, fishnets, boats, and soap. The trunks are hollowed out to create shelter for homes, schools, bus stops, shops, prisons, pubs, and more, grain storage, and water reservoirs. In some African traditions, the hollowed trunks become temporary abodes for important human transitions, including for beginning of life or end of life transitions – births, funerals, and burials. I presume this sheltering practice would also apply for tribe members who are extremely ill (in body, mind, or spirit), but I haven’t found the research to support that yet.
Research indicates close associations exist between early human settlements and the baobab in Africa, and the tree is linked to human dispersal and settlement patterns.
The baobab’s resilience has proven it a reliable source of nourishment for humans and animals. A mature tree can fully recover from fire, girdling or “ring barking,” and root removal, any of which would kill most other trees. It also manages to withstand the damage caused by elephants, such as debarking and debranching. Baobab has the unique ability to regenerate its bark if removed. In fact, quite remarkably, it regenerates the whole “wound” or stripped bark at the same time – not needing to regenerate from the outside of the wound to the inside as other trees do. My theory is that this biological attribute of self-healing its own wounds is one of the reasons baobab is an effective medicine for healing open wounds in humans – and likely animals too.
Currently, baobab is most commonly used globally as an oil, in botanical cosmetics, and as a nutritional powder.
As an oil, the scent is mildly nutty with subtle floral notes. It can be used topically on the body, including the face and hair, or for cooking. Baobab seed oil is rich in vitamins, minerals, and essential and other fatty acids, containing vitamins A, C, D, E, F and Omega 3 and 6. When applied externally, it is effective for dry, coarse skin and hair and chronic dry, inflamed skin conditions. Studies indicate that topical application of baobab seed can promote skin cell regeneration and tone, tighten, and moisturize the skin. Baobab is one of the lightest carrier oils and absorbs easily into the skin, making it a safer consideration for applying to sensitive skin and the face.
In 2008, baobab fruit was approved for the European market by EU food regulators. Since then it has gained increasing market and media exposure. The fruit and powder experienced a sharp rise in sales in the UK in 2018 as a popular breakfast food – adding the powder to porridge, oatmeal, and smoothies or consuming it as a fruit. Other common uses since its expansion outside of Africa include baobab-infused gin, beauty products, and yogurt.
Baobab fruit tastes like tart citrus with notes of vanilla. It is considered a superfruit, with its high amount of antioxidants, vitamin C and B6, calcium, niacin, iron, potassium, fiber, and phosphorus.