The Baobab Tree

Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) is a deciduous tree which belongs to the plant family called Bombacacee. It is originarly from the tropical regions of Africa where some trees are said to be 2000 years-old.

Some species called “bottle tree” were exported and cultivated in Florida, and in Oceania (Adansonia Gregorii). The tree trunk can reach a circumference of 15 meters, a height of 20 meters and display foliage 20 meters in diameter.

The Baobab Tree is protected and cherished by the African Population and is attributed various legends and myths. Its “spirit” protects the villages, and it is so highly respected by the inhabitants that only initiates and sages are permitted to climb it. This monument of nature is for a brief time adorned annually with enormous and delicate yellowish-white flowers and its very long deep roots allow it to withstand even the fury of cyclones.

This giant normally soars solitary among the most ancient trees on our planet and it grows all on its own, often in desert and rocky terrain, bringing life to the landscape with its unusual, extraordinary shape: an enormous conical trunk with branches which look like roots reaching to the sky. But, on the west coast of Madagascar can be found a truly unique case, two Baobab trees clinging together in a kind of embrace which is said to have lasted for 600 years. It is no coincidence that they are called “The Lovers”.

This tree-sculpture, one of the largest on earth, is beneficial even when it is no longer alive. Its hollow trunk has been used as a prison, a tomb and sometimes simply as house for entire families. The wood of its trunk is very soft and porous which gives it the characteristic of accumulating water, just like a reservoir. Experts have calculated that it can accumulate up to 100,000 litres, which allows it to survive during the long periods of drought. It leads an extremely long solitary life: most Baobabs live for 500 years, but it seems that in some parts of Africa there are archetypes that are 5000 years old.

The name Baobab is probably derived from the Arabic “bu hibab“ or “fruit with several seeds”. The Latin name was taken from the French botanist Michael Adanson, one of the first scientists to study the plant’s characteristics, and from the distinctive finger-shaped leaves.

The tree bears fruit, also called "Monkey Bread", once a year. The fruit of the Baobab measures from 10 cm to 45 cm. It has an ovoid or irregular globular-cylindrical shape. It is composed of a woody, very hardy outer part and of an inner part constituting the pulp of the fruit. The pulp of a ripe fruit is naturally dehydrated and has a whitish powdery appearance and a slightly sour taste. The fruit also contains red fiber and seeds. The fruit was already known in Ancient Egypt and has even been found in graves.

Fruit, bark fiber, leaves and seeds are conventionally employed in several African regions as foodstuffs and for medicinal purposes. Baobab contains a number of substances commonly used in Traditional African Medicine for the treatment of various diseases and for that reason it is also referred to as “the Small Pharmacy”, "the Magic Tree" or "the Tree of Life".

As yet unknown to the general public, the fruit and leaves of the Baobab have been widely studied and analysed by researchers all over the world and there is a wealth of medical literature on this tree illustrating its qualities. Most studies have been conducted since 1999, in Italy by BFCS, the single largest harvester and producer of Baobab Ingredients, in collaboration with Professor Manfredini from the University of Ferrara in conjunction with Ambrosia Lab.

In Europe, an application for (with Herbal Science International) Novel Foods Approval with Herbal Science International has been filled to allow Baobab as a Food Ingredient. The intention is to use the pulp as a food ingredient in a range of food products, thereby giving it a very bright future.

In 2007, BaobabTek in Canada was granted a Natural Product Number (NPN) for Baobab (Adansonia Digitata) Fruit Pulp thereby allowing Baobab Fruit Pulp to be listed by Health Canada in the Natural Health Products Directorate under the patent number # 120426. Baobab Fruit Pulp is now available for consumption in North-America.

HEALTH BENEFITS

Before they grow so big, the Baobab start by being little"
Le Petit Prince - Antoine de Saint Exupery