Argan oil, extracted from the seeds of the argan tree in Morocco, has numerous uses in cosmetics and as a dietary supplement due to its high vitamin E and essential fatty acid content. The oil is expensive due to the difficulty of extraction, but can be found in health food and cosmetics stores or ordered from cooperatives in Morocco. Women traditionally make the oil by hand and use the remaining pulp and shells as animal feed and fuel.
Argan oil is an oil extracted from the seeds of the argan tree, native to southwestern Morocco. There are numerous uses for argan oil and other argan tree products and demand is often high for genuine argan products. Because the oil is difficult to extract, it tends to be very expensive, and this cost is carried over into products that contain argan oil, even in trace amounts. Depending on what you want to use the oil for, you might find it at a health food store or cosmetics store; consumers can also order the oil from cooperatives in Morocco.
The argan tree or Argania spinosa has grown in Africa for thousands of years and archaeological evidence suggests that people have been extracting its oil for centuries. The trees tend to develop twisted, gnarled trunks and branches, with deep root systems that have helped them adapt to the harsh desert conditions. When a tree is well established, it can live for hundreds of years, producing small flowers in April and followed by small fruits that look almost like lime trees.
To extract argan oil, people must remove an outer layer of pulpy pulp from a hard seed that must be cracked open to reach the seeds inside. The pulp has an unattractive smell, and is also not very tasty; it is typically used as mulch or animal feed. Broken shells are burned as a fuel source, as is the wood from felled argan trees, which can also be used to make furnishings; Moroccans make very efficient use of this ancient tree.
Traditionally, women have made argan oil, first by roasting the seeds to release a rich, nutty flavor and then grinding them by hand to extract the oil. The resulting paste can be pressed to obtain as much oil as possible and then fed to animals as a nutritious feed supplement. The dark oil has a rich flavor that appears in some Moroccan foods, classically amlou, a sauce for bread, and the less toasted oil is used for cosmetics. It is also possible to recover the seeds from goat feces, as the digestive process softens the hard shells, but these seeds tend to have a pungent odor which makes them less desirable.
This oil is naturally rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, making it an excellent dietary supplement. It’s also very good for the skin; vitamin E can help smooth out cracked hands, knees and elbows while nourishing the skin, and essential fatty acids can also promote skin health. These benefits have made argan oil popular in cosmetics for centuries in Morocco and beyond, and small vials of the expensive oil are often sold in high-end cosmetic stores.
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