The Baobab (Adansonia digitata), commonly known as "tree planted backwards", is a tropical tree that belongs to the family of the Bombacáceas, family that consists of 150 species, almost all of them from the tropical regions, with generally very large fruits , like Durio zibethinus (Durian) or the Zapote, (Matisia cordata). It grows spontaneously in Africa, Australia and Madagascar.
Baobab, also known as "monkey bread tree" or "pharmacy tree", is a species native to the semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa that can reach impressive dimensions, exceeding 30 meters in height and a diameter of 20 meters This tree is characterized by the width of its trunk, which can store up to 120,000 liters of water, and the scarcity of its leaves. His presence is so imposing that the Senegalese writer Ken Bugul gave as title to one of his books El baobab that went crazy.
Its fruit, the múcuas, hang from the highest branches of the tree suspended by its long petioles. It is a fruit whose edible part is dry and its taste sweet, but with a slight acidity. This fruit is rich in vitamins and minerals.
If the mousse dissolves in boiling water we obtain an infusion that once cooled and taken as a cold drink has an extraordinary unique flavor.
Called by the Africans "MAGIC TREE", "TREE FARMACIA", "TREE OF LIFE", the name BAOBAB comes from the Arabic "BU-HIBAB" (fruit of the many seeds). His life is extremely long: most of the Baobabs live about 5000 years, but in some areas of Africa there are copies of over 5000 years old. Its sacred value is respected for all African peoples; proof is that only the "wise" can climb their branches to pick fruits and leaves. Normally this old giant of our planet lives in solitude and can reach 20m in height and 12m in diameter and can store up to 100,000 liters of water inside, where it is naturally clean, since the contamination of organic substances does not penetrate outside the cortex
Baobab flowers are large, white, with five petals. It is a flower of a night, which opens in the twilight and withers in the course of the day. Pollination is generally guaranteed by bats, moths and small insects, which feed on the abundant sugary nectar.
WHERE THEY GROW
The Baobabs grow mostly in sandy soils and calcareous, prefer a very warm climate, are very resistant to drought and also to strong winds. We can find Baobabs in Senegal, in Gabon, in the Central African Republic, in Zaire, in Nigeria, in Mali, Ghana, Togo, Congo, Sudan, Eritrea, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Angola and Madagascar.
The presence of Baobabs outside the African continent is due to the Arab, French or Portuguese sailors and travelers who exported the fruits, this is why today we can find these trees in Arabia, Australia, Central America (Cuba and Haiti), Florida, New Zealand, the Philippines, the Antilles and, also Europe (Alicante, Spain). and in the world
Known as the tree of life, and its fruit as a superfood, it came to Colombia as a natural alternative for health and beauty. See what it is about
what is Baobab for?
Thanks to the alliance between science and nature, scientists have managed to materialize hundreds of natural medicines that used to be part of a mystical ritual of various cultures in the world, although they worked, they did not understand very well why.
Now with technology and globalization, the popular 'menjurjes' from other continents such as Africa come to Colombia to share their medicinal properties. This is the case of the Baobab, which in the masterpiece of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: The Little Prince, was a tree that had to be plucked from the earth because they could blow up the planet.
However, if the Little Prince, or Saint-Exupéry, had studied the characteristics of the Baobab more thoroughly, they would find that it could live between 800 and 4000 years; that its trunk can hold 6 thousand liters of water and that people who know its properties make infusions with their leaves to recover from some physical ailment.
Although it seems part of the fiction, this tree is also known as the 'pharmacy tree' because of its multiple vitamins and minerals that harbor its fruits. In fact, its fruit, which when ripe is more elongated zapote, contains 6 times more vitamin C than an orange and twice the vitamin A that has a melon.
Despite the climatic conditions, the tree has an impressive trunk, which fits in the arms of 10 people, and which is perfect to keep its fruits hydrated in times of drought. On the other hand, its fruits that are produced once a year, are able to contain B1 / B2, for the production of melanin; B4 for blood circulation; F that keeps the skin elastic and shiny.
Thanks to the export, you can find all kinds of natural products with Baobab fruits in the country. In creams, masks and oils that anyone can use, especially those who suffer from dryness or who want to restore shine and elasticity to the skin.
In fact, for high performance athletes is a great ally when it comes to calming muscle discomfort, inflammation and bruising. On the other hand, pregnant women can use the baobab, before and after delivery to have optimal muscle recovery.
If the Little Prince had known the great benefits of the Baobab, he would very likely continue to uproot the trees, but not to prevent the planet from exploding, but to take advantage of the millenary properties of its fruits.
Energy drink
The fruit of Baobab can reach up to 45 centimeters in height and can have up to 100 capsules of bittersweet flavor inside, which has a high content of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fiber. In Colombia you can find the powder of the fruit and it is used to mix with any juice you want to obtain a natural, energetic and healthy drink.
Oils and moisturizers
Baobab oil is already in any pharmacy or health food store and comes in several presentations according to your needs. Some products are indicated to treat dryness, wrinkles and blemishes; others are to moisturize the scalp and the tips; others specialize in strengthening nails and others in ideal massage oils to relieve body discomfort.
Specialized treatments
If you want an expert to teach you how to get the most out of all the benefits of Baobab, in Colombia you can find several spa centers that work with organic products.
Why can baobabs live more than 1,500 years?
They have a huge and hollow trunk, and adorn the landscape of various regions of Africa and Australia.
But the size is not the only striking feature of the baobabs, the trees that also threatened to destroy the small planet inhabited by the little prince, the character in the novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
The other remarkable feature is that they can live for more than 1,500 years.
Now, an international team of researchers managed to understand the secret of their longevity.
After analyzing samples from the interior cavity of a specimen in Mozambique, whose trunk has a circumference of 21.44 meters, the researchers noticed that the oldest part of the tree was not close to the interior as it usually happens.
"Until now, the only normal or common cavities mentioned in the literature for all tree species are those caused by the wood that would have been removed, so that age at the cavity level decreases as it moves away from the wood. cortex and approaches the cavity, "explain the authors of the study.
But this is not the case with Lebombo's baobab.
"The only possible explanation (...) is that these cavities, which we call false cavities, are actually naturally empty spaces (that were never filled with wood) between several cells arranged in a circular shape that would have merged," they add.
"This new architecture allows baobabs to grow more and live longer," say the authors of the research, published in the journal PLOS One.
Similar pattern
They discovered that the Lembobo baobab is actually made up of five united stems. They also found evidence of the existence of a sixth stem in the past.
The oldest part of the tree is 1,355 years old and the youngest is 900.
During the nearly one hundred years after the youngest stem began to grow, the stems united and formed the false cavity that reached its current size and stopped growing about 500 years ago.
The scientists - from Romania, South Africa and the United States - also dated the age of another 20 baobabs. They found that one of them is more than 1750 years old.
All showed the same pattern in the age distribution of the wood, which indicates that their trunks are made of fused stems
good friends this is all discovering a bit of this wonderful tree a wonder of nature
