Proponents of natural cosmetics and alternative medicine know what unsurpassed results can be achieved various plants and products developed on their basis. One of the extremely rare representatives of the flora used for such purposes is the argan tree. You may have seen on pharmacy shelves oil obtained from the amazing fruits of this plant. If its price is too high, then this is the one vitamin product, which can significantly transform the epidermis and increase the defenses of the human body. There are good reasons why it costs so much and is considered so valuable. They will be discussed below.
General information about the plant
Argan is a long-lived plant; it can be found only in some parts of our planet. In nature, there are specimens whose age is estimated to be centuries old (the oldest is 400 years old). Where does the argan tree grow? Its distribution area is Algeria, Morocco, and some parts of the Sahara Desert. It can be found in the wild in Mexico.
Belongs to the Sopotaceae family, is a monotypic genus - Argania prickly. The plant has another name - “iron tree”, it received it thanks to its twisted strong trunks. Their height reaches 6 meters.
The rare specimen has thorny shoots and a fairly deep root system, extending 30 meters into the soil. A photo of an argan tree perfectly illustrates the power and luxury of this plant. The leaf blades are small and have oval shape and a length of about 3 cm. The flowers consist of five petals of a soft green or yellow hue. The fruits are small, similar to plums, slightly larger in size than olives, and their skin is yellow. Inside the fleshy pulp there is a strong bone, which, in turn, has three almond-shaped kernels.
The tree blooms in April and has an interesting aroma, with pronounced accents of spices and nuts.
Cultivating a plant as a crop is quite problematic. It reproduces by seeds, which germinate very poorly. Currently, biologists have managed to grow a small argan plantation from shoots. The exotic garden is located in the Negev Desert.
Although the oil is exported to many countries, according to Moroccan legislation, it is not allowed to export the fruits of the rare plant outside the state. Famous cosmetics companies in Europe proposed to the government of the country to formalize a deal to buy out plantations with trees. However, he defended his interests by protecting state property. Now the plantations are still at the disposal of local authorities and are presented as a biosphere reserve.
Areas of application
The oil is highly valued even in its homeland, where it has its own name - “ liquid gold" The scope of the argan tree is so wide that superstitious Africans consider it sacred. The oil obtained from its seeds is used in cooking, cosmetology and medicine. Besides, local residents Tree wood is used as building materials and fuel. The liquid is used to fill lamps and lamps. Charcoal is prepared from the hard stem part of the plant. The fruits and branches are used as animal feed; goats and camels feed on the shoots.
The purposes for which the plant oil is used depends on the degree of processing or purification of the fruit. The main product is obtained from kernels extracted from the seed. It can serve as an auxiliary component in various types production, as well as as an independent means.
The collection of valuable fruits is carried out by cooperatives specializing in the supply of raw materials, the main workers of which are Berber women (representatives of the Moroccan tribe).
Labor-intensive process of procuring raw materials
The process of obtaining oil has largely not changed since ancient times; this technology is still carried out mainly by hand. It is divided into two types - culinary and cosmetic. The first is characterized by more rich taste, color and aroma.
To produce one liter of product, from 80 to 100 kg of fruit are processed. This amount of raw material can be obtained from 13 argan trees. Since the skin of the seeds is very strong, and you need to get the kernels out of them, the work requires a lot of physical effort and a lot of time. As a result, women receive 3-5 kg of seeds. This takes them almost two working days.
For production food grade The kernel oils are lightly fried. Next, they are placed under a press and the oil is mechanically squeezed out. The product goes through a filtration process. Special paper is used for this purpose. Before starting this labor-intensive process, the fruits of the argan tree are first dried in the sun and the fibers are removed from them.
The exclusively manual method of obtaining the useful component allows for maximum preservation of all its substances. Recently became known new way- chemical, it is considered sterile, but the oil obtained in this way is only suitable for scientific research and industrial purposes.
In Morocco you can observe an unimaginably interesting picture that is not possible to see in any other part of the world - along the thorny branches exotic plant Goats walk freely. The argan tree serves as their favorite food source. It is noteworthy that animals eat only the skin of the fruit, the rest of it is thrown to the ground. So, without realizing it, they take part in the preparation of raw materials for a valuable product. Having passed the first stage of extraordinary cleaning, the fruits fall into human hands for further processing.
Compound
The argan product contains fatty acids: ferulonic, palmitic, stearic. The oil contains squalene (antioxidant), triterpene alcohols, phytosterols, polyphenols, vitamin E.
Due to its rich composition, the product has many useful properties, which allows it to be used in various production areas.
Medicinal properties
First of all, the oil of a rare tree has a beneficial effect on the general condition of the body. Scientific studies have proven that the product strengthens blood vessels, the heart, and normalizes blood pressure and glucose levels. If you consume two tablespoons of the product every morning, you can lower cholesterol.
The oil is a natural fungicide and antibiotic. Applications using a healing product prevent the destructive processes of tissue in rheumatism and arthritis.
Cooking
The traditional food of Moroccans in the old days was a sauce in which they dipped bread. This dressing consisted of two ingredients: honey and butter.
Restaurant workers and elite establishments all over the world. First courses of vegetables and legumes, meat, and poultry are seasoned with oil. It is added to salads in pure or mixed form. It even goes well with fruits and nuts. To soften the taste of the ingredient, it is diluted with other oils, such as olive or grape seed product.
For creating spicy taste Just add 5 drops of oil to any dish - and it will pleasantly surprise you.
Medicine
Although the rare plant is not included in the pharmacology of Russia, in our country the oil made from medicinal fruits is known as a product of alternative medicine. It is recommended for burns, cracks in the skin, and neurodermatitis.
In nutritional science, the product of the argan tree is only gaining popularity. It has been noted that it improves appetite and at the same time helps to get rid of extra pounds. This is due to its composition, in which 85% is unsaturated fatty acids. These are those that are not synthesized independently and must enter the human body together in food or through the epidermis. Acids are responsible for lipid metabolism and maintain the natural moisture of the skin at the proper level.
Cosmetology
And in cosmetology, argan oil is used to produce soap, creams, masks and other care products. It is added to products to strengthen nails and hair. The component has a tremendous effect on the epidermis. Thanks to its soothing and antiseptic effects, it quickly eliminates skin irritation, making it velvety and smooth. The oil has high protective properties, nourishes and restores the skin well. Due to the presence of unsaturated fatty acids and a complex of vitamins in its composition, it is used in eliminating sunburn, prevents premature skin aging. In summer, the product is good to use as ultraviolet protection.
If you use shampoos and masks on a regular basis, you can significantly improve the condition of your hair and its structure. Products containing oil help fight dandruff and give hair shine and silkiness. By eliminating unwanted shine, they make strands elastic and manageable.
Bath and massage oils are available on sale. Useful component included cosmetics French manufacturers. They are the ones who purchase raw materials in large quantities to develop their products.
Using oil at home
If you have already purchased healthy oil in the pharmacy, then discover all the secrets of beauty and health that the argan tree conceals. At home, you can make creams and masks that will be no worse than industrial products. You can add it to absolutely any cosmetic compositions that you are used to using. The main thing is that the product is chosen High Quality.
You can prepare a face mask. For this you only need a teaspoon useful product. It will need to be mixed with the previously prepared mixture. Take: 2 tbsp. l. oatmeal, 2 egg whites, one tablespoon of honey. Mix the resulting pulp thoroughly with argan oil and apply to the face. After 20 minutes, rinse off and perform a contrast wash - first with slightly hot and then cool water.
To restore too dry skin on your hands, you need to mix several types of oils: hazelnut, chamomile and argan. Heat the mixture in a water bath. The product can be rubbed into the skin with massaging movements or used as hand baths.
To treat nail plates, the oil can be applied in its pure form.
To strengthen your hair, you need to apply the product undiluted for half an hour and then rinse with water. For getting better effect you can mix it with burdock oil.
It is good to use argan oil compresses for people suffering from joint diseases and radiculitis.
The Argan tree (Argania Spinosa or spiny argan) is truly a unique natural phenomenon for many reasons. Very valuable argan oil is made from its fruits, which is still produced only by hand. Argan oil has unique properties, which no other cosmetic product in the world has. Actually, I will tell and show you a lot of interesting things on this topic today;)
Firstly, Argan(a) grows only naturally and in only a few regions of Morocco in the southern Atlas Mountains. And despite all the achievements modern technology, these trees have not yet learned how to cultivate artificially. Incredible amount attempts to transplant mature trees and grow seedlings in other countries and regions have remained unsuccessful - the trees do not bear fruit anywhere. Therefore, there are not so many of them in the world and they are very valuable. UNESCO and the UN are actively involved in the conservation of this unique plant. 
Thirdly, the bark of the tree and the wood itself are incredibly dense, which is why the people got their name “iron tree”. Its branches are covered with thorns. The average lifespan of a tree is about a hundred years, but many live 150-200 years. Berbers use wood as fuel and building material. Nomadic Moroccan goats feed on the leaves, and the fruit pulp is used as feed for horses and other domesticated animals. 
The fruits of the argan tree take about a year to ripen. Outwardly, they look like green olives. In June-July, when they ripen and their skin dries out and darkens, the fruits fall from the tree and are collected by hand for further processing. 
The fruit is characterized by a layered structure: the outer layer is the skin and pulp, the middle layer is the nut shell, the inner layer is the nut kernel. It is the kernels (seeds) extracted from the fruit that are subsequently used to obtain very rare and valuable argan oil, used in cosmetology and cooking. I found a visual picture, but only argan seeds - white, and the brown one on top is their peel :) Raw argan seeds are similar to pumpkin seeds, only with a more bitter and pungent aftertaste. 
Oil production to this day is exclusively manual labor, similar to a ritual. The oil is pressed from the seeds using cold pressing. Only women do all the work. First, the fruits are peeled and pulped (the basket on the left contains whole fruits, the basket on the right contains only nuts): 
Then the women deftly crack the nut shell with cobblestones on a huge stone and extract the seeds. In order to crack a nut without crumbling the seed, you need many years of hard training. It’s not as easy as it seems, and everyone who tries to do it fails - either on their own fingers, or the nut and seed crumble into dust... 
After which the seeds fall under an antediluvian stone press, which is rotated clockwise, grinding the seeds until the raw, unrefined primary oil is squeezed out of them... 
The oil is scrolled again, cleaning it (this is a photo from the internet): 
They make something like this from dirty cake delicious flatbreads, which smell very tasty and resemble buns. But they are completely inedible and are used to produce hair products and soap :) Waste-free production! 
Argan factories are quite small. Manual labor is used for two reasons. The first reason is that no machine can give such a yield of whole seeds (namely, whole seeds retain the largest percentage of oil, crushed ones are useless) and taste. And the second, most important thing, is that work has been passed down from generation to generation through the female line for centuries; this is experience and guaranteed jobs in poor regions, which good-natured Moroccans will never deprive their women of. 
Around the factories there are always mountains of argan nut peelings, which are used for flooring in livestock barns, for laying floors and for decorative crafts: 
Prehistoric spinning mills are used as a recreation and hobby from almost round-the-clock work in factories. I'll tell you about shells in next time, this topic deserves a separate post. 
Argan oil is considered one of the rarest and most expensive vegetable oils in the world. It has a golden-yellow color of varying intensity and a pronounced sweetish nutty smell, with a hint of (some kind of) spices. Since ancient times it has found its use in medicinal, food and for cosmetic purposes, and is widely used to this day. It's different high content vitamin E and vitamin F (unsaturated fatty acids), contains a rich composition of microelements, is beneficial for skin and hair, for the nervous, immune and digestive systems... It is produced in two separate forms - for food and for cosmetic needs. 
Basic cosmetic properties Argan oil nourishes, moisturizes and rejuvenates the skin. With regular use, it eliminates flaking and a feeling of tightness, moisturizes well, saturates the skin with essential nutrients. It has tonic, regenerating and rejuvenating properties. The oil has strong anti-inflammatory properties, a soothing, restorative and wound-healing effect, and is widely used in the treatment of burns, abrasions and skin damage. It can be used as pure product(directly as a cosmetic oil), and for adding to face and body creams, for preparing oil mixtures for massage and as an aromatic oil. 
In its food version, it can be eaten in in kind(dipping pieces in oil bread cake), can be used to add to ready meals and for dressing salads. 
Very common in Morocco national sweet called Amlou is argan oil mixed with grated nuts, most often and tastiest - with almonds, but a little cheaper and more common - with peanuts. In stores it is sold in beautiful small jars at a high price (100-300 dirhams per 100-250 grams), but in the markets from afar you can see huge blue plastic jars of 20-25 liters with “corporate” price illustrations of nuts and a price of 25-30 -40 dirhams per half kilo. Amlu never spoils and is stored without refrigeration. Its taste differs depending on the proportions of the nut mass and the amount of argan and/or olive oil. The cheaper option will be more liquid and with a clear taste of olive oil, which naturally is poured more than argan oil :) The more expensive option is a thick and argan amlyushka. A big plus of the market is that you can try any amla before buying and buy the one whose taste you like best. About sanitary conditions- don’t worry, as you already understood, they are equally tame all over Morocco;) 
Also in Morocco, there are local traditional pharmacies everywhere, where you can buy not only argan oil, but also scales of the bald devil))) Seriously, the number of jars with spices, potions, powders, ointments, creams, perfumes and who knows what else -which exceeds all conceivable limits... Here you can find a remedy for anything and for anything. 
But do not be deceived by their imaginary “civilization”; it is in decent pharmacies that they will scam you out of money for nonsense. And in small, inconspicuous “non-tourist” pharmacies you can buy amazing healing medicines and useful, pleasant things like natural dry mineral perfumes with a breathtaking pheromone smell called Ambergris... 
Another one national pride Morocco - Saffron. It can be bought almost everywhere. But the highest quality saffron is sold in “civilized” pharmacies, where its storage conditions are better than in any small shop or market. 
They say that the diet of all members of the royal family in Morocco includes argan oil, and that is why they maintain their youth and beauty despite their age. The Queen is somewhat similar to me, by the way:) In general, I brought home a whole liter of argan oil, half a kilo of amlu and several cubes of wonderful aphrodisiac ambergris... Oh, I need to take a picture of it and add it here:) 
I hope you found it interesting and useful to spend your time on this post :) To be continued!
Blogger maryika says: “Morocco has several truly unique things that make it worth visiting this country one day. One of them is FLYING GOATS. Actually, in order to see this miracle of nature with my own eyes, I went to this wild African outback on the ocean.”
(Total 30 photos)
1. Of course, goats don't fly - they just graze on trees. Actually, these are the most common standard goats. But the land in Morocco is quite arid and there is not enough lush grass for the goats to eat, so they climb argan trees in search of food.
2. The argan tree is a unique natural phenomenon and grows only in a few regions of Morocco. Very expensive and valuable argan oil is made from the seeds of the fruit, used in cosmetology and cooking. Oil production is exclusively manual labor, but I will talk about this another time.
3. Despite all the achievements of modern technology, these trees have not yet been planted artificially, and they all grow exclusively naturally and wherever they please. They have repeatedly tried to cultivate them in other countries and regions, but to no avail - the trees do not bear fruit anywhere. That is why there are not many of them and they are very valuable.
5. The main diet of local Moroccan goats is greens ( succulent leaves) argan trees containing a large number of moisture and microelements.
6. Pets are not much different from wild goats, and the mountain goat easily overcomes paths that are inaccessible even to climbers with regalia. From a distance it is not always noticeable that goats are in the trees. But if you carefully come closer, the picture amazes the imagination.
8. Goat hooves are designed in such a way that a goat can easily walk along a seemingly steep smooth slope, and climbing a branched tree is not particularly difficult for it. But it looks very impressive!
13. Goats that can climb trees can be found in mountainous regions - in the High and Middle Atlas, as well as in the Sousse Valley and in the southwestern part of Morocco on the Atlantic coast, but only in the villages of Afra and Imzi in the area between the cities of Agadir and Essaouira.
26. No one drives goats into trees on purpose; they choose them independently along the path of the herd, stopping wherever they please and climbing completely chaotically to enormous heights on thin branches. By the way, the bark of agrane trees is incredibly durable, which is why they got their popular name - iron trees. This is the height at which the leader of this herd “flies”.
29. So if you do meet them one day, don’t frighten them by excessively shortening the distance. One of your touches on the animal can lead to the fact that the entire herd can quickly “curl up” and move away. And you will have to travel around in 40-50 degree heat in search of new luck :)
30. No one can guarantee that your trip in search of flying goats will be successful and you will still be able to meet the herd “riding” on a tree, but I (as always) was incredibly lucky!
The leaves are small, 2-4 cm long, oval, with a curved end. The flowers are small, with five pale yellow-green petals, and bloom in April. The fruit is 2-4 cm long and 1.5-3 cm wide. Inside the fruit there is a hard core with 2-3 fat-rich seeds, surrounded by a layer of unpleasant-smelling pulp. The argan fruit takes one year to mature. The fleshy fruits of the argan tree are larger than olives; each fruit contains 2-3 kernels in a stone with a very hard shell, shaped like an almond.
Their color is dark yellow, from golden to deep red. The smell is light with pronounced tones of nuts and spices. The taste reminds pumpkin seed, but more piquant.
The oil is obtained from the seeds of the argan fruit by cold pressing (from 100 kg of seeds, 1 to 2 liters of oil are obtained). It is one of the most expensive and valuable oils.
Area of growth of the argan tree: North-West of the African continent, Kingdom of Morocco.
The argan tree is found only in Morocco. It is an evergreen tree up to 15 meters tall and has a lifespan of 150-200 years. There are also 300-year-old trees. The Argan tree grows exclusively in the west-central part of the country (Souss) and the Atlas Mountains. Just a few years ago, except for Morocco, few people in the world knew about this oil.
An unknown argan tree - spiny argan (Argania spinosa) - iron tree - today provides the life of an entire two-million-strong tribe of Moroccan Berbers. According to botanists, in the region of Morocco, about two million trees grow on an area of 8,000 square kilometers. Members of the tribe call argan the tree of life because it provides material for construction, fuel, food for people and animal feed, oil and medicine.
Several years ago, the Argan tree was in danger of extinction. The increased demand for Argan oil leads to the need to take care of maintaining the number of trees of the Argania Spinosa species, as well as increasing their planting. UNESCO declared the region of Morocco in which these trees grow a biosphere reserve in 1999.
Obtaining oil.
Argan fruits are larger than olives. They look like yellow plums, the pulp is bitter in taste, there are up to three seeds inside with a very strong shell (16 times stronger than that of a hazel nut). In harsh desert conditions, these fruits appear on the tree only once every two years. Perhaps it is these long growing seasons that allow the tree to reach a very respectable age of up to 200 years.
The fruits are collected and dried in the sun. Dry fruits are cleaned of fibers and Berber women manually crack the shells of the fruits with stones. To extract edible Argan oil, the collected seeds from the Argan fruit are first fried over low heat to give them a characteristic nutty aroma.
Argan oil is also prepared for cosmetic use, but the seeds are not fried - as a result, it is almost odorless. The oil is pressed using a mechanical press. It is then filtered through special paper. According to production instructions, only fruits with intact skins can be used for oil extraction.
Argan oil is one of the most expensive, rare and valuable oils in the world, comparable in price to truffles, oysters or black caviar.
One mature tree produces 6-8 kg of fruit. From 100 kg of fruit you can get about 5 kg of seeds, from which about 1-2 liters of oil are squeezed out. That is, to obtain 1 liter of Argan oil you need to harvest from 6-7 trees! In terms of time, it takes women more than 1.5 days of work to obtain one liter of oil, because the entire process of preparing oil is done manually and is very labor-intensive. Just peeling the nuts using stones takes approximately 12 hours!
Chemical composition:
Fatty acid;
Unsaponifiable fraction - up to 17%;
Contains antibiotic-like substances and fungicides;
Tocopherols - 62 mg/100g, including: alpha tocopherol - 3.5 mg/100g, gamma tocopherols 48 mg/100g, delta tocopherols - 12.5 mg/100g, as well as beta tocopherols;
Phytosterols - 295 mg/100g
Scottenol ~ 142 mg/100g
Spinasterol ~ 115 mg/100g
Campesterol ~ 12 mg/100g
others ~ 38 mg/100g.
Polyphenols ~ 3263 µg/kg, including:
Vanillic acid ~67 µg/kg
Syringic acid~37 µg/kg
Ferulic acid~ 3147 µg/kg
Tyrosol ~12 µg/kg
Fatty acid composition:
Oleic acid - 40−60%;
Linoleic acid - 28−36%;
Palmitic - 12−16%;
Stearic 3−8%.
Cosmetic property:
The oil restores the hydrolipid layer of the skin and improves the condition of dermal cells. Berbers have long used the oil to treat sunburn, chapped skin and acne. Argan oil has the ability to bind free radicals, thereby delaying skin aging.
Used to prevent the formation of scars, helps eliminate stretch marks after pregnancy and during weight loss, and using this oil during pregnancy helps prevent the appearance of stretch marks. Suitable for sensitive skin and skin around the eyes. Used to care for delicate baby skin.
Has sun protection effect.
Strengthens hair.
The unique properties of the oil are explained by its chemical composition.
The oil is rich in vitamin E and unsaturated fatty acids, which can easily penetrate the skin and cell membranes and play a primary role in hydrating cells, their nutrition and reproduction.
The content of tocopherols is 2.5 times higher than olive oil.
These properties make argan oil an ideal component for a variety of creams and other cosmetic products.
Therapeutic effect of the oil:
Used to treat skin diseases such as neurodermatitis, psoriasis, dry eczema.
Massage with argan oil helps with arthritis, rheumatism and muscle pain.
Reduces blood cholesterol levels.
Massage (for arthritis, rheumatism and muscle pain, recommended mixed with black cumin oil).
Use as a bath oil.
Use in cooking:
In Morocco, it is traditionally used in cooking - for frying and for dressing salads and other dishes. When used in salads it is often mixed with lemon juice. Argan oil mixed with honey or yogurt is also often eaten for breakfast.
The appearance of the Argan tree is dated 25 million years ago. The explorer Leo Africanus first reported the Argan tree to Europeans in 1510. Argan (Argania spinosa, syn. A. sideroxylon Roem. & Schult.) grows only in the southwest of Morocco between the semi-desert Sous Valley and the Atlas Mountains. These trees are the only species in the genus Argania.
Moroccan Berbers call Argan the tree of life because it provides material for construction, fuel, food for people and animal feed, oil and medicine. In 1999, UNESCO declared this territory a “Biosphere Reserve”.
Due to the use of wood as a source charcoal and materials in construction, the area of forests has decreased by up to 50% over the past 100 years.
Recent export development and increasing income from Argan oil sales around the world keep hopes alive for the conservation of these rare and endangered trees.
ARGAN - an amazing tree of Morocco January 23rd, 2013
In the southwest of Morocco, in the valley of the Dra River on the outskirts of the Sahara, an amazing tree grows - Argania spinosa, which provides life for the two million population of Moroccan Berbers.
For the Berbers, Argania from time immemorial has been and remains the tree of life, since it is everything for them: it provides material for construction, fuel, food for people and food for animals, oil and medicine: from the branches of the tree the Berbers build frames for their adobe huts, from the trunks they make furniture, the wood is used as firewood, and the leaves are fed to goats.
Argan oil is squeezed from the kernels of the fruit - it is rich in vitamins and, depending on the degree of purification, is used for various purposes. It is added to cosmetics and is believed to moisturize and rejuvenate the skin. Doctors use it to treat atherosclerosis, chicken pox and rheumatism. A couple drops of oil added to a salad or tagine adds flavor to food. delicate aroma and taste, it is used to fuel lamps and lamps.
Argan seed oil is one of the most expensive plant products in the world, comparable in price to truffles, oysters or black caviar. From one tree you can collect about 30 kilograms of fruit. These fruits appear on the tree only once every two years.
Argan fruits are larger in size than olives; inside the fruit there is a hard kernel with 2-3 fat-rich seeds.
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This is what dried Argan fruits look like:
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For thousands of years, the technology for producing argan oil has not changed - still the same manual harvesting, cleaning of the pulp (and often the Berbers collect goat droppings, in which these seeds, undigested in the stomach, have already been cleared of it),
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Fruits are still crushed with stones and ground in the same stone mills.
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Women's labor is used in this physically difficult process. It takes more than 1.5 days to obtain one liter of oil.
No matter how much Ivan and Sergei tried to turn the stone mill, they were unable to squeeze out a single drop of precious oil!
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Argan is an evergreen deciduous tree, the painfully twisted trunks of which reach 8-10 meters in height, and the crown circumference is 14-15 meters. In search of water, the roots of the tree penetrate the sand to a depth of 30 meters. Thousands of sharp thorns protect the tree from being eaten by animals, but for camels the thorns are not a hindrance - they willingly feed on the leaves and fruits of Argan. The goats, calmly jumping along the branches of the tree, have also adapted to the thorns.
I had heard before about the amazing tree-climbing goats of Morocco, but I was very skeptical about it. Until the moment when on the road from Essaouira to Marrakesh I saw these pictures:
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During a particularly severe drought, the tree sheds its leaves and stops growing, sometimes for several years.
According to experts, the Berbers collect about 350 thousand tons of Argan fruits per year and obtain 12 million liters of oil from them. This is very little: sunflower oil Almost 9 billion liters are produced annually in the world, and approximately 3 billion liters of olive oil.
Depending on the type of processing, oil is divided into edible and cosmetic. To produce edible oil, the fruits are first fried, then they undergo cold pressed. Cosmetic oil cold pressed from unroasted Argan fruits.
Edible argan oil:
Studies carried out in French and Moroccan laboratories and clinics confirmed positive properties effects of argan oil on cardiovascular system. When consuming 1-2 tablespoons on an empty stomach, the following is observed: a decrease in blood cholesterol levels, stabilization blood pressure, blood sugar is stabilized, appetite is normalized, and the body’s immune system is strengthened. Argan oil is widely used in dietetics as it normalizes appetite and promotes weight loss.
This excellent remedy for the prevention of prostate cancer, obesity, miscarriages and premature births. It is a strong aphrodosiac - increases libido.
Vitamin E content is twice as high as in olive oil. The oil contains plant sterols (phytosterols), which have anti-inflammatory properties and help with arthritis.
Cosmetic argan oil:
Argan oil is a sensation in foreign cosmetology! It has no equal for use in cosmetology:
Thanks to the content of unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants, the oil prevents skin dehydration, premature aging, and restores the natural brightness of the skin;
Vitamin E also protects the skin from dehydration, nourishes, regenerates and increases its healthy glow;
Argan oil reduces wrinkles, stretch marks, treats skin irritations: acne, psoriasis, eczema, eliminates the consequences of chickenpox, burns, scars;
Argan oil is recommended for strengthening dry and damaged hair;
Argan oil is used to strengthen split and broken nails, protecting them from external aggressions;
The oil contains no fragrances, dyes, or preservatives that can cause irritation.
In an area of southwestern Morocco recently declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO, botanists estimate there are about two million trees spread over an area of 8,000 square kilometers.
I read about interesting fact, identified during attempts to propagate the tree: only a small part of the seeds germinate. There are suspicions that only those seeds that have passed through the intestines of a camel or goat germinate! (!)
I really regret that this interesting information I only learned about argan oil after returning home. Otherwise, all my luggage would consist of jars and bottles with cosmetics and edible oil amazing Moroccan tree - ARGAN!
The following sources were used in the preparation of materials.
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