Tuesday, January 12, 2016

argan, the tree of life (argan, Argania spinosa)

majestic argan tree
Argania Spinosa the official name of organ tree or simply Arganier. The tree of life thrives only in a few areas southeast of Morocco. A perennial plant which reaches to 300 years of life, particularly durable, with roots extending up to 50 meters, survives with just 200 liters of water and helps maintain the Moroccan ecosystem in areas bordering the desert. It can reach 10 meters high.
The argan tree, remains unchanged in the last 1.6 million years, and is protected by UNESCO as a world cultural treasure, as the region in which it thrives, is continually shrinking.

They say that the cause of its spread is a kind of wild goat, which buries the fruits where it finds and then forgets them and then, they grow again... argan trees. The fruit feeds both the camels and the goats which, in order to reach the food, climb even on the tree!
tree climbing goats of Morocco
The gold of the desert, the argan oil, is hidden in the fruits that are green or yellow in the shape of almond. It takes about 12 months for the fruit to grow. The famous argan oil is produced through a complex process, a technique that passes from generation to generation, and so to produce one liter of oil precedes about 10 hours of work. All stages of work are done by the first and biggest Union of Argan Oil Women Cooperatives (UCFA) and only through this association can be given the Ecocert label, which certifies the organic cultivation and processing of argan oil.
the beautiful fruits of argan tree
The women of the area use argan oil to protect hair and skin from the strong dry wind, sun and desert sand.
argan oil
The argan oil is rich in linoleic acid, omega-3, omega-6 and gamma-linoleic acid, vitamin E, sterols and thanks to these ingredients it fights dryness and free radicals, oxygenates the skin cells and tissues, prevents aging and appearance of wrinkles, reconstructs skin elasticity, strengthens nails, hair and scalp. It also contains carotenoids, polyphenols and terpenoids, which have a strong antioxidant effect, but it also provides anti-inflammatory action due to palmitic and stearic acid, while squaline, a substitute of the oil,i works against skin cancer. It fights rheumatism and arthritis, treats stretch marks, psoriasis and eczema.
Stella Crown©
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