Baobab the Superfruit
Anti-Inflammatory, Antiviral, Antimicrobial, and Antioxidant
Are you looking for a new superfood to add to your diet? You can't go wrong with baobab! For ages, the baobab, often known as "the tree of life," has been used as food, medicine, and other things. It's possible to use every part of the tree, and it's a good source of important minerals including vitamin C, potassium, and iron.
Anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, and antioxidant activities are thought to exist in baobab fruit and powder. Baobab leaves, bark, and seeds have traditionally been used as a "panacea," or a remedy for practically any ailment. We're talking about diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, and microbiological infections, as well as more common ailments like toothaches, diarrhea, and fevers.
With a tangy citrus flavor, baobab powder can be used in smoothies, homemade healthy desserts, salad dressings, and more to reap the many benefits of baobab. Not only is baobab a fantastic health food, but it also has some amazing facts, such as its ability to store vast amounts of water in its trunk and its exceptionally long life span of hundreds to thousands of years! The advantages of baobab are desirable.
What Exactly Is Baobab?
If you're wondering how to pronounce baobab, it's Bey-Oh-Bab. Baobab is a genus of nine deciduous trees belonging to the hibiscus or mallow family (Adansonia) (Malvaceae). The baobab tree grows in Africa, Australia, and the Middle East.
Is baobab beneficial to your health? The pulp, leaves, seeds, and kernels of the baobab tree contain an astonishing assortment of macronutrients, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids, according to research.
What is the appearance of a baobab tree? With their unusual barrel-like trunks that are smooth and polished, baobab trees stand out from other trees in the area. The trunks can be pinkish grey or copper in color, and when the tree isn't leafed, the branches resemble roots protruding into the air.
Flowers bloom on baobab trees at night and fall off within 24 hours. What do they appear to be like? The African baobab tree (A. digitata) produces a huge, white bloom with a pendulous form. Galagos (bushbabies) and bats pollinate these blooms frequently.
There's also baobab tree fruit, which bakes in the sun for around six months before drying naturally on the branch. It is then harvested for a variety of purposes (more on that later).
Is the fruit of the baobab tree edible? Yes, it most certainly is. Baobab fruits, which resemble smooth coconuts, have a dry, cream-colored pulp surrounded by seeds when cracked open.
Because the pulp is naturally dehydrated in the shell, no heat or pasteurization is required, and it may simply be processed into a baobab fruit pulp powder for use as a nutritious addition to your diet.
Health Advantages
Immune System (No. 1)
Both the leaves and the fruit pulp are utilized to boost the immune system. This isn't surprising given the high vitamin C content of baobab fruit pulp (280–300 mg/100 g), which is seven to ten times higher than that of oranges (51 mg/100 g)
Vitamin C's immune-boosting properties have been demonstrated in numerous studies. For example, according to a study published in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, taking adequate vitamin C (together with zinc) can help reduce symptoms and shorten the duration of respiratory tract infections like the common cold.
Furthermore, the research highlights how vitamin C and zinc can aid in the prevention and treatment of pneumonia and malaria infections, particularly in children living in underdeveloped countries.
Absorption of iron
The high vitamin C content of baobab fruit aids in the absorption of iron. If you have iron-deficiency anemia or simply want to increase your iron consumption, baobab can assist. Vitamin C aids in the absorption of nonheme iron, which is found in plant-based foods such as baobab. Baobab is an excellent way to increase your intake of both vitamin C and iron because it is a meal that includes both of these essential elements.
Skin Care
Both the fruit and the leaves of the baobab tree are high in antioxidants. We know that antioxidants not only aid in illness prevention but also protect and improve the health of our skin.
Baobab, which is high in vitamin C and may be used both internally (the fruit and leaves) and topically (the seed oil), can help to fight oxidative stress, which increases indications of aging, while also increasing collagen production, which is anti-aging. Vitamin C also aids in the regeneration of vitamin E, which is important for skin protection and restoration.
Blood Sugar and Digestion
In a 2013 laboratory study published in Nutrition Research, researchers hypothesized that baobab fruit extract would decrease starch digestion in vitro and show potential for reducing the glycemic response (GR) in humans while also increasing satiety and diet-induced thermogenesis (a metabolic process in which your body burns calories to produce heat).
After an in the vitro digestion process, baobab extract from six distinct African locales was baked into white bread at various doses to determine the ideal dose for minimizing starch breakdown and sugar release from white bread.
What did the scientists discover? At both low and high doses, the polyphenol-rich baobab fruit (Adansonia digitata) extract lowered starch digestion and glycemic response. However, there were no notable impacts on satiety or energy expenditure.
Weight Retention
The effects of baobab fruit extract on satiety were investigated in a 2017 study published in Nutrition and Health. They predicted excellent results because the baobab fruit is high in health-promoting dietary fiber and polyphenols.
Twenty healthy volunteers ingested either a test smoothie with 15 grams of baobab extract or a control smoothie with no baobab extract throughout this one-day single-blind crossover trial. After that, subjective satisfaction scores were taken. The researchers discovered that people who drank the baobab smoothie reported feeling less hungry.
"This research has significant implications for the usage of baobab for lowering hunger, maybe having a positive influence on weight maintenance," according to the study's conclusion.
Nutritional Information
The following are the contents of two teaspoons of organic baobab powder:
calories: 30
Protein content: 0 grams
6 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams fat
5 g of fiber
a gram of sugar
cholesterol: 0 mg
sodium 5 milligrams
Vitamin C (15 milligrams) (17 percent DV)
Iron 2.7 milligrams (15 percent DV)
Vitamin A 250 international units (5 percent DV)
Potassium 200 milligrams (4.3 percent DV)
Magnesium 16 milligrams (3.8 percent DV)
Calcium in the amount of 40 milligrams (3.1 percent DV)
Uses
What is the significance of the baobab tree? The baobab tree is primarily used as a food source. Baobab is a staple meal in the locations where it thrives. All parts of the tree, including the fruits, flowers, leaves, shoots, seedling roots, and roots, can be eaten. The leaves can be eaten raw or prepared in a similar way to spinach. When dried, the leaves make an excellent thickening for sauces, soups, and stews.
What is the flavor of the baobab fruit? The fruits, often known as "monkey bread," have a white, mealy, sour flesh that can be eaten raw, used in beverages and other recipes, or powdered.
Baobab oil is made from baobab seeds. What is the purpose of baobab oil? The oil extracted from the seeds of the baobab tree can be applied topically and is very hydrating and healthy for the skin. The oil can also be consumed.
The baobab tree is eaten by what animals? Baboons and warthogs are two creatures that have been observed eating the seed pods of baobab trees in the wild. Baobab fruit, young leaves, seeds, and oil are also fed to domesticated farm animals as part of their diet. Burning the fruit pulp produces a strong smoke that is thought to keep insects away from animals.
"Several plant sections have interesting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities, and baobab has been used extensively in traditional medicine since ancient times," according to a scientific review of baobab.
Various portions of the baobab tree have been used as a general panacea in traditional medicine, and it has been used to treat a long variety of health ailments, including malaria, TB, fever, microbiological infections, diarrhea, anemia, toothache, and dysentery.
Ayurvedic medicine practitioners in India have utilized baobab to treat diarrhea, dysentery, excessive thirst, and skin inflammation since ancient times.
Camu vs. Baobab
How does baobab compare to Camu camu, another superfood? Both are excellent sources of vitamin C, a crucial mineral. Camu has a higher vitamin C content than baobab and is regarded as the world's highest source of vitamin C. They also contain considerable amounts of potassium, an electrolyte recognized for its blood pressure-lowering properties.
Baobab is abundant in soluble fiber, antioxidants, and other minerals including calcium, in addition to vitamin C and potassium. Camu, on the other hand, is high in manganese and a good source of antioxidants including quercetin and anthocyanins.
Camu Camu is tart and sweet like baobab, however, baobab is less sour than Camu Camu. Both provide a citrus flavor to anything they're used with. Camu Camu is also commonly consumed as a powder that is added to liquids or blended with dishes such as porridge and yogurt. Camu Camu is also available as a tablet or a drink.
Baobab and camu camu has comparable but somewhat varied nutritional profiles on their own, so you can choose one based on whatever nutrients you want to add to your diet or your personal preference for flavor. Overall, camu camu and baobab are two excellent superfoods that can be used to enhance the nutritional profiles of both food and drink.
Recipes and Where to Find
Fresh baobab fruit is difficult to come by outside of the places where it grows. Baobab is available in powder or capsule form at your local health shop or online in locations where the fruit is not available. Baobab fruit powder can be purchased alone or as a component in plant-based nutritious powders. Fruit chews and nutrition bars also include it.
Baobab powder can be sprinkled on yogurt or cereal. You can also use it to make a delightful and far healthier alternative to soda by mixing it with water or sparkling mineral water. It's also a delicious, nutrient-dense smoothie component. Try adding a pinch of baobab powder to a sauce that needs a citrus boost.
Baobab can also be used in the following ways:
Lemon juice is added to cold or hot water.
dissolved in coconut water
Dressings for salads, marinades, and sauces
Tossed into soups and stews
Baked into muffins and cookies at home
strewn over fresh fruit
Here are some delicious and healthful baobab recipes to try:
South African Salad Dressing with Baobab Water
Ice cream made from baobabs (Vegan)
History and Interesting Facts about Strawberry, Mango, and Baobab Smoothies
There are numerous fascinating facts about baobab trees. For instance, water makes up around 75% of a baobab tree! Where does the water in the baobab tree go? Water is stored in a variety of places on baobabs, including their trunks and natural hollows between their branches. Locals regularly dig hollows into baobab trees to make storage wells to catch falling rainwater in severely dry locations where baobab trees abound.
What is the age of the baobab tree? It's a tree that's been around for a very long time. The oldest living baobab tree has been carbon-dated to be almost 6,000 years old! It gets much more interesting: inside the hollow trunk of this extraordinarily old tree in South Africa lies a pub called "The Big Baobab Pub." (18) Unfortunately, since 2005, nine of the 13 oldest African baobab specimens and five of the six largest trees have died or had their largest or oldest stems collapse and die.
What is the significance of the baobab tree? In many locations where they grow, the trees have a strong cultural and religious significance. As I previously stated, it is renowned as the "tree of life," and all of the baobab species are still widely used by locals as both food and medicine.
Side Effects and Risks
The United States Food and Drug Administration designated baobab fruit as GRAS (generally regarded as safe) in 2009. (FDA). There are presently no known adverse effects associated with baobab powder. Of course, it's critical to carefully read product instructions and not exceed authorized dosages.
Consult your doctor before adding baobab powder to your diet if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, being treated for a medical condition, or using medication.
Last Thoughts
Baobab is a genus of nine deciduous trees belonging to the hibiscus or mallow family (Adansonia) (Malvaceae). The baobab tree is affectionately known as the "tree of life."
What is the baobab's fruit called? It's a one-of-a-kind source of vitamin C, iron, potassium, and numerous other nutrients.
The fruit is powdered and can be used in smoothies, salad dressings, soups, and a variety of other dishes.
Is baobab good for you? It certainly is, which is why it has been used extensively in traditional medicine for a variety of ailments, including malaria, TB, fever, microbiological infections, diarrhea, anemia, toothache, and dysentery, since ancient times.
The following are some of the advantages of baobab:
The immune system function is improved, and illnesses are fought.
It improves iron absorption.
When used both internally and externally, it improves skin health.
Improved digestion and blood sugar management
A possible weight-reduction aid