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Argan:
The tree of life in Morocco
They call it the giver of life in Morocco, the only place where it grows. little known elsewhere, even in the rest of this country in northern Africa, the argan
survive heat, drought and poor soils to combat desertification and provide valuable products and work
for Berber the indigenous people of the area.
The only tree of its kind anywhere in the world
, the argan grows in forests from the coastal cities of Agadir and Essaouira. Twisted
and thorny, it sends its roots deep into the earth in search of water, soil and joining
preventing erosion.
Its green fruit-look more like an olive giant has a sweet smell but taste horrible. But it contains a veritable treasure
: a hard nut with a small oil-rich seeds.
The oil is very nutritious, and, what
even more importantly, rich in essential fatty acids and antioxidants. It is believed that
low cholesterol levels, stimulates circulation, promotes the immune system, and also
traditionally been used as a treatment for skin diseases. Used
locally dipping long as bread and salad dressing, is now becoming a fashionable food in Europe and North America
. The cosmetics industry is also showing increasing interest in the oil.
Goats sometimes help harvest the seeds. Prohibited from entering the forest to
that the fruits have matured, they face the thorns and climb trees, eating the meat
unpleasant taste of the fruit. Nuts discarded by goats
then broken by hand between two stones, a very laborious process, to extract the oil.
walnut shells are burned as fuel
. And the wood of the argan tree, known as "iron wood Moroccan -
is valued, and used for marquetry inlaid boxes. Nothing is wasted.
Women's cooperatives have begun to harvest the oil for export, providing much-needed jobs
. But the life-giving tree is threatened.
In less than a century, more than a third of the forest has been destroyed to make way for crops, grazing
or making charcoal.
For centuries the Berber tribes of the southwest of Morocco argan oil used as a basic component of their diet and as part of traditional medicine. In the early nineties, chemical analysis confirmed the valuable nutrition and skin oil (including use as a treatment for acne wrinkles and wounds.)
Argan (spiny argan), also known as prickly acebuche belongs to the family Sapotaceae, leathery leaf, small yellow flowers, and fruit like a date verdiamarillo of slow growth takes five to six years in giving their first fruit.
The Argan tree is resistant to heat and can withstand temperatures up to 50 ° C. It can reach 8 to 10 m in height. The trunk is short and tortuous. The fruit is the size of a walnut, yellow is sometimes red. This consists of a fleshy husk that covers the bone is hard.
Located in Morocco, across the strip that goes to Tarourudant and Tiznit, bordering the Sahara. It is also found in parts of Mexico and a few copies in Spain. grow in zones not exceeding 800m altitude, in dry weather. Its roots are deep, up to 10m deep, so it holds up well with a couple of good rainfall year. Excessively dry time loses its leaves, avoiding excessive perspiration, to make them recover with the first rains.
The fruits of this tree, from which oil is extracted, which begin to mature with the first heats of June, it traditionally collected in a very original: the goats gathered.
A When the grass is scarce, the goats climb trees to eat leaves, young shoots and fruits. At night, already in the fold, the animals begin to chew, spit the bones of the fruit, large as hard as acorns and almonds, the pastor collected without being stuck even once. Another method is to collect under the tree when they have fallen mature and allow to dry, peel and remove the bone.
Argan oil is the world's most expensive oil, so it is also called the liquid gold of Morocco. The bottle of extra virgin argan oil 20 cl. can cost a whopping € 17.
is made up to 80% of essential fatty acids (Acaido 50% linoleic acid, linolenic 15%, 12% oleic acid, arachidonic acid 1%, 3% linolenic acid) and contains large amounts of tocopherols (vitamin E) (nearly three times more than olive oil) and phytosterols ( D-7steroles). It is valued for its anti-aging effect by the large amounts of antioxidants and their healing powers. It also has antiseptic and antifungal effects.
We must also note that the first Slow Food Prize 2001 was awarded to the Cooperative Amal Berber women of Morocco to produce oil from the fruit of the argan tree. Thanks to the cooperative, has become to produce this oil is highly prized in Moroccan cuisine and forests Argan they were being irresponsibly cut to have become reforested
Potential anticancer properties
locals and Moroccan scientists working in a cooperative project aimed at analyzing the anticancer properties of argan oil.
The aim of this study, which involved a team of twenty people from both Universities, is whether the Argan oil has anti-cancer properties. To do this, working with chemical extracts of oil. Once purified, these components applied to tumor cell cultures to study their reaction and subsequent behavior. Depending on the in vitro results, the scientists designed an experimental model in rats with malignant tumors, the antitumor effect in checking vivo.Las research hypotheses are aimed at knowing whether that oil consumption would have a preventive effect on tumors Frequently, such as breast, lung and colon. "50% of men and 35% of women in Europe are obese. Therefore, the more overweight a person is, the greater your risk of certain types of cancer. Obesity is responsible for 35,000 new cancer cases each year in Europe. In particular, obesity increases by 40% the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. In the fat tissue biochemical reactions that trigger cancer-promoting substances. Avoid excess weight should be one of the bases of the prevention of chronic diseases in modern societies, "qualifies Juan-Bosco Lopez.
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