See what “Shea (tree)” is in other dictionaries. Contraindications and side effects

In African notes, the famous traveler Ibn Batuta describes the tree that amazed him, which he saw in tropical Africa: “...Among the trees growing in this type of forest there is one whose fruits are equally similar to plums, apples and apricots, but are not any of them. The shape of the fruits of this tree resembles an elongated cucumber; upon reaching ripeness, it cracks and exposes its internal contents, the appearance of which is similar to flour. ...The kernels located inside the seeds are crushed and oil is squeezed out of them, which the people inhabiting this area use for a variety of purposes: they cook food with it, use it to fuel lamps, cakes fried on it become crispy and tasty; They anoint the body with it, and also, mixed with earth, coat houses, using it instead of lime ... "

2.

What kind of tree struck the traveler so much? It is called Butyrospermum parkii, or more simply - shea tree. Outwardly, it resembles our ordinary oak: tall (up to 20 meters), branched, powerful, spreading, evergreen tree with leathery leaves. Throughout the year, there is a periodic change of leaves: some fall, others grow, the tree is never left without leaves. The bark is very durable, covered with a thick layer of cork and can protect the tree from fires, which often occur in African savannah. Shi is an African centenarian - lives up to 200 years.

3.

The tree grows quite slowly, it blooms only in the 12th year of life, and actively bears fruit only at the age of 30-50. It blooms in December and blooms with fragrant brownish flowers until March. The fruits, about four centimeters in diameter, ripen in June-August. At the core of the fruit is a seed similar to a horse chestnut, which is called a nut. This nut is one of the main sources of oil in Africa. The same famous oil that I used Egyptian queen Cleopatra. It was brought to her by caravan route from Nubia (modern Sudan) in clay jugs.

4.


The shea tree in Africa has several names: it is called shea, kare, colo, si (si). Exactly from last option and entered English language name shea – shi, that’s what he was called in late XVIII century Scottish explorer Park Mungo, who was the first to describe the plant and its wonderful properties.

5.


In Africa, the tree is highly respected as it is considered sacred. The collection of its fruits is accompanied by a special ancient ritual: the fat obtained from the first fruits is used for cooking holiday dish, which is eaten by all participants harvesting the crop. Then chickens are sacrificed, and the festive ceremony ends with drinking alcoholic drinks, that is, fun.

6.


According to tradition, women collect the fruits. Peeled nut kernels are pounded in wooden mortars to form flour, then this mass is boiled to an oil-like state, as a result, shea butter is obtained.

7.


In Europe, they first learned about the shea tree in the middle of the 19th century. In Russia, the first mention of shea butter was found in the Pharmaceutical Journal (No. 14 of July 15, 1879). It talks about its resistance to rancidity and the possibility of being used in medicine as a base for ointments, patches and suppositories. Chemists also praised the fruits for their high fat content and ability to be stored. for a long time no preservatives.

IN recent years valuable raw materials are used as a natural base in cosmetic production. Shea butter is simply an ideal product for caring for the skin of the face and body. Thanks to the high content fatty acids and vitamins (A, E, D, F), the oil moisturizes the skin well, accelerates the healing of superficial wounds and allergic dermatitis (due to the high content of linoleic acid), has a rejuvenating effect - reduces the number of wrinkles, restores smoothness and elasticity to the skin, protects against ultraviolet rays (thanks to cinnamic acid).

The oil is widely used in hair care products (balms, shampoos, masks) - it nourishes, gives radiance and shine to dry and damaged hair. Shea butter is added to a variety of cosmetic products: soaps, balms and body lotions, creams and face masks, shower gels, foot creams.

Shea butter helps well with muscle fatigue, pain, and rheumatism. Massage with oil relieves tension, soreness and promotes skin regeneration.

In addition to the cosmetic industry, the oil is also used for food purposes - for the production of margarine, and in combination with cocoa butter - for the production of chocolate.

Shea butter is an expensive product because sacred tree It grows and bears fruit only in its homeland - Africa, and all attempts to cultivate it in other areas have not yet been successful. But in its homeland, the tree is practically not specially grown; it grows on its own and, accordingly, the amount of oil that is obtained from one tree is limited.

In America, there is the Shea Butter Institute, which classifies the quality of the resulting oil. He distinguishes four classes: A, B, C, F. Class A oil is the highest grade Premium oil, 100% natural, used in expensive creams and for the treatment of various skin problems. And class F oil has only a moisturizing effect on the skin and has virtually no healing properties. The class depends on the oil extraction technology.

This miracle grows in hot tropical Africa next to huge desert Sugar. Most likely it is climatic conditions endowed the shea tree, or rather its fruits, with such beneficial properties, which people are currently actively using as a source of youth, beauty and health.

Many visitors to Africa sincerely admire the smooth and healthy skin of local women and their thick hair. Moreover, African women manage to preserve this wealth under the mercilessly scorching sun and scorching dry wind of the savannah. In addition to the bizarre play of genes, the centuries-old secret of the amazing skin condition of Africans lies in the regular use of skin extract obtained from the seeds of the shea tree. After all, Africans begin to actively use it, starting from infancy.

The shea tree has many names: colo, shea butter, African tallow tree, vitellaria amazing, etc. It is found in 19 countries African continent. To obtain valuable oil, fruits, similar to miniature avocados, begin to be collected only from trees that have reached 30 years of age (the lifespan of a tree can reach 300 years). The direct source of oil is the seeds found in the pit. They are dried, boiled or fried, and then carefully crushed.

The following methods for producing oil are currently known:

• manual (tested for centuries);
• industrial.

The manual method is more labor-intensive. Patient African women crush the seeds in mortars, then add a little water to them and grind them for a long time until a brownish paste forms. It is then rinsed to produce foam, which is collected and boiled. The top layer of the decoction prepared in this way is removed and cooled. The resulting substance is oil. It is a bit like baked milk.

Modern technological improvements in the process of obtaining shea butter include additional heat treatment, filtration, bleaching and deodorization. The resulting oil has an attractive snow-white color and has no specific odor.

Benefit

Shea butter has medicinal properties.

Africans have long adapted to consuming nutritious shea butter as food. It is a worthy substitute for both creamy and familiar to Europeans sunflower oil. Shea butter contains a variety of poly- and monounsaturated (stearic, oleic, palmitic, linolenic, linoleic). These substances serve:

• strengthening all cell walls;
• participants in the formation of hormone-like substances;
• source of energy.

In civilized countries, shea butter is practically not eaten, but is used in some industries food industry(for example, for making margarine or chocolate, shea butter perfectly replaces cocoa butter).

It is much more in demand in the production of various cosmetics and healing balms. Shea butter has become a popular component of masks, creams, lipsticks, and scrubs. It is perfectly absorbed into the skin and goes well with other aromatic essential oils. In addition, this oil is believed to have medicinal properties. It:

• supplies the skin with essential fat-soluble vitamins (D, A, E), maintaining its elasticity and healthy condition;
• increases the formation of collagen, thereby preventing age-related changes in the skin and stretch marks - stretch marks (they are formed when heavy weight or during pregnancy);
• reduces inflammation and associated tissue swelling (therefore, shea butter is used for minor injuries, sprains, bruises, myositis and arthritis as a local remedy, which is rubbed locally into the affected area);
• differs in antimicrobial activity;
• locally increases blood circulation (therefore it can be a good help during massage);
• heals burns, cracks, small wounds, diaper rash;
• nourishes and moisturizes the skin, fighting against flaking and protecting from any vicissitudes of the climate (aggressive sun, dry hot wind, frost, sea ​​water etc.);
• strengthens nail plates, cuticles and hair.

Harm

However, you need to remember that, like any exotic product, shea butter can easily provoke an allergic reaction. Therefore, before using it for the first time, it is better to conduct a kind of allergy test by smearing a limited area of ​​skin with shea butter.

The disadvantage of shea butter is the lack of large-scale clinical trials that meet the requirements of evidence-based medicine, which could categorically confirm it beneficial influence on the human body.

Features of application

Shea butter is used in cosmetology.

Shea butter or products of which it is a component can be purchased in pharmacies or specialty stores. natural cosmetics(including in online stores). When purchasing, you must carefully read the composition of the product. The fact is that the method of making oil affects not only the final cost. Traditional African manual technology allows you to preserve more valuable substances. This oil is usually unrefined; it has a creamy or slightly greenish color and a perceptible nutty odor. Natural (without preservatives) butter is assigned class A. Class F shea butter is considered the lowest quality; it only has a moisturizing effect.

Syn: shea, vitellaria amazing, butyrospermum parka, oil tree.

Shea butter is a tree of the Sapotaceae family with a spreading crown and leathery leaves. It grows for several centuries, reaches 10-20 m in height. Oil is extracted from its seeds, which is widely used in cosmetology, pharmacology and as a food product.

Ask the experts a question

In medicine

The plant is not used in official medicine and is not included in the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation.

Oil is extracted from the shea nut, which is used to heal wounds and burns, relieve inflammation and swelling in joint pain, treat cracked heels and prevent scars and stretch marks. Shea butter is used to protect the skin from exposure to ultraviolet radiation and frost, as well as in complex therapy in the treatment of allergic dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis. The anti-inflammatory properties of the oil allow it to be used in the treatment of runny nose.

Contraindications and side effects

Shea butter is contraindicated for people prone to allergies. It contains latex, which can cause allergic reactions. You should use ointments and creams that contain shea butter with caution. Due to the lack of scientific data on the effect of the plant on pregnant and lactating women, as well as children, experts do not recommend the use of shea butter for these groups of people.

In cooking

The fruits of the tree, similar in taste to plums, are consumed by Africans in fresh, oil is produced from the seeds. Shea butter is widely used in cooking in all African countries. It is used for frying, added to ready meals and used in making sweets. In many areas it replaces all other animal oils and plant origin. On the African continent they use unrefined oil shea butter It has a rather strong nutty aroma and contains a large amount useful substances and has a short shelf life.

In European countries, shea butter is used in the food industry, as a substitute for cocoa butter in the production of chocolate and other confectionery products, and also as a raw material for the production of spreads and other culinary combined fats.

Shea butter has recently been used in Russia. It is used mainly in confectionery factories. In both European countries and Russia, only refined oil is used.

In cosmetology

Shea butter has been used in cosmetology for about 20 years. Today it is one of the constituent elements of various cosmetics developed by dermatologists. Widely used in the production of skin care, anti-aging and sun protection cosmetics. It is added to lipsticks and lip balms, as well as hand creams and products against cellulite and stretch marks. Using shea butter on your lips moisturizes them and protects them from sun rays and wind, softens and relieves inflammation. It is also added in the production of natural soap.

Using shea butter on the face helps improve skin color, nourish and moisturize it. It is used to care for all skin types, including sensitive skin around the eyes. Use shea butter to protect the skin from the sun, low temperatures and wind. To do this, apply it to exposed areas of the body 40 minutes before going outside, and after absorbing the excess, blot it off with a paper napkin. The protective effect lasts for 8 hours.

It is useful to use shea butter as a night cream, especially for aging skin. The fats it contains promote the synthesis of collagen fibers and skin regeneration.

You can use shea butter for your hair. It nourishes, moisturizes and relieves dryness and brittleness, improves blood circulation in the scalp, strengthens hair follicles, helps restore hair structure, and stops hair loss. The oil should be applied to dry hair and kept warm for at least 2 hours.

Shea butter can often be seen in commercial hair care products, especially for lines for the restoration and care of split ends, brittle hair, which is often subject to chemical treatment (perm, dyeing) and thermal effects.

You can increase the effect of the oil by combining it with different essential oils and other natural ingredients. Shea butter helps active substances penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin. When preparing creams and masks with shea butter, you should consider the type and current state skin.

Classification

Shea butter, shea butter or amazing vitellaria (lat. Vitellaria paradoxa, or Butyrospermum parkii) is a representative of the genus Vitellaria (lat. Vitellaria), the Sapotaceae family (lat. Sapotaceae).

Botanical description

Shea butter is a large evergreen tree. The trunk diameter at the base is up to 2 m, the height reaches 10-20 m. It has powerful branches with thick bark and a spreading crown. The leaves are leathery, whorled, 5-15 cm long, and have an elliptical shape. They regenerate throughout the year, becoming very dense during the rainy season. The tree begins to bloom at the age of 20. The flowering period is from December to March. The flowers are brown, with a pronounced aroma. Shea begins to bear fruit at the age of 50. The fruits are green, no more than 5 cm in diameter, shaped like a plum, and turn brown when ripe. The core of the fruit is a nut-shaped stone. Shea fruit actively bears fruit for a hundred years.

Spreading

Shea grows in tropical Africa: Ethiopia, Mali, Sudan, Central African Republic, Zaire, Uganda, Cameroon, Benin, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and Nigeria. The tree is a wild crop. Cultivation of the plant is complicated by the specific growth and fruiting of the tree.

Procurement of raw materials

When preparing shea butter, the pulp of the core of the tree fruit is used. Oil is prepared in two ways: the traditional method of manual pressing (unrefined oil) and the industrial method of solvent extraction (refined). In the first method, the nut kernels are separated from the fruit pulp, washed and dried. The dried nuts are crushed by hand, roasted and ground until smooth. Add during grinding hot water so that the paste does not harden. The resulting homogeneous elastic paste is melted over low heat. This removes excess liquid and cleans the oil. The resulting product is poured into molds, cooled and stored in a dark place.

In the second method of processing raw materials, oil is extracted by dissolving kernels with hexane (solvent) and includes a number additional systems cleaning. In this way, the cake remaining after oil production is processed. Preparation of shea butter (shea) using the extraction method occurs in factories.

Chemical composition

The seeds of the plant are of high value. They contain 45 - 48% fat, 10% protein and 25 - 30% carbohydrates. Composition of shea butter obtained traditional way, includes a large amount of fatty acids (myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, arachidic), terpene alcohols (alpha- and beta-amyrin, parkol, lupeol, butyrospermol), phytosterols (alpha-spinasterol, delta-7-stigmasterol ), latex (source of caritene) and vitamins (E, A).

Pharmacological properties

Using shea butter in skin care moisturizes it and protects it from harmful effects sunlight, slows down the aging process. Unsaponifiable fats, which are part of shea butter, exhibit regenerating properties, affecting collagen synthesis. These properties also ensure that the product is effective in eliminating scars, scars, burns and other consequences of skin trauma.

The anti-inflammatory properties of the oil help to effectively combat skin problems (acne, skin dermatitis) and runny nose. Using the oil for sprains and joint pain helps relieve swelling and pain.

Use in folk medicine

Shea butter has long been used by Africans for healing various diseases skin. Currently it is popular all over the world. Shea butter is used to heal wounds and burns, relieve inflammation and swelling during joint pain, treat cracked heels and prevent scars and stretch marks.

Historical background

Mention of wood and shea butter dates back to the reign of Cleopatra. The queen equipped entire caravans, which delivered her valuable product in clay jugs. The cultural traditions of Ancient Africa are inextricably linked with this plant. The funeral bed of the deceased king was carved from the wood of an old shea tree.

One of the references to the plant and the oil from the fruits of which it is extracted is contained in the treatise of Muhammad Ibn Battuta (1304-1368/69), an Arab lawyer, traveler and ambassador of the Moroccan Sultan to Sudan and Mali. In his African memoirs he describes:

“... Its seeds are crushed and oil is extracted from them, which is used for a variety of purposes. They cook with it, they burn it in lamps, and they make the cakes that were mentioned on it. They smear themselves with it, mix it with the earth they have there, and coat their houses with this mixture, just as they coat them with lime in other places. They have a lot of this oil and it is easy to get. It is transported in large pumpkins from one city to another. One such pumpkin holds as much as a jug holds in our countries.”

The botanical characteristics of the plant were first described by Mungo Park (1771-1806). In his 1797 “Passage to Africa” remarks, he wrote: “Besides slaves and exotic goods, the natives can supply Butter oil or hard vegetable oil. It is similar to ordinary oil and similar in use, and the tree grows in wild forests.”

Shea tree derivatives were brought to Europe from Egg on the Niger in the mid-19th century. In 1879, the first reports of shea butter appeared in Russia. Between 1930 and 1952, the first experiments were carried out on the use of oil for skin care. But since the mid-1960s it has given way to cocoa butter.

The next period of popularization of shea butter occurred in the early 80s. Since then, it has been actively used throughout the world as a natural base in the production of high-quality cosmetics.

Literature

1. Minaev S.V. Ellas M., Carney J. African oil tree: Feminized natural subsidy // Social and humanities. Domestic and foreign literature. Episode 9: Oriental and African studies. Abstract journal. - M.: Institute of Scientific Information on social sciences RAS, 2008. - No. 4. - P. 86-90.

2. Baranov P. A. In tropical Africa (Notes of a botanist). M.: USSR Academy of Sciences, 1956.

3. Bakhareva S.N. Plant resources Western and Central Africa. L.: Nauka, 1988.

4. Ancient and medieval sources of ethnography and history of sub-Saharan Africa. T.4. Arabic sources 18-19 centuries. Per. M.A. Tolmacheva. M.: Eastern literature, 2002.

5. Arutyunyan N.S., Korneva E.P., Martovshchuk E.V., et al. Laboratory workshop on the chemistry of fats. St. Petersburg: Giord.2004.

6. Muravyova D.A. Tropical and subtropical medicinal plants. M.: Medicine, 1997.

African lands and hot climate created a real miracle - the shea tree. There are many legends surrounding the unique properties of this plant.

There is a claim that thanks to the oil extracted from this tree, Queen Cleopatra maintained her beauty and youth.

It is quite difficult to test this hypothesis now, but appearance and the absence of wrinkles in local women confirms the miraculous properties of such a drug.

Today there are many scientific research With this plant, worthy discoveries have been made, which have attracted the interest of specialists in medicine, cosmetics, and cooking.

Shea and shea butter: are they the same tree?

This amazing tree has many names: shea, kare, colo, si. Therefore, if shea is indicated, then it is the same as shea.

IN African countries this plant is considered sacred, and collecting the fruits is a real ritual. In Europe, shea butter was first used only in the middle of the 19th century.

The unusual tree grows in Nigeria, Sudan, Guinea, Uganda, Congo, Mali. Its appearance is very similar to domestic oak.

However, in order to form an accurate understanding of what it looks like African plant, it is necessary to point out its main distinguishing features:

• height long-term tree karite can be from 10 to 20 m;
• wide and weighty crowns protect fragrant brown flowers from the scorching sun;
• large leaves have glossy surface and are constantly renewed, so it is impossible to see the branches bare;
• the durable bark that covers the trunks has fire-resistant properties, thanks to which it is protected from possible fires during the hot season;
• the tree begins to bloom when it reaches twenty years of age, and the period of active productivity coincides with its fiftieth anniversary and lasts at least a hundred years;
• the fruits on the shea tree smoothly give way to fragrant flowers, gradually reaching a dark brown color during ripening;
• the round shape of the fruit in diameter is no more than 4 cm;
• all the value of the plant is hidden in the seeds with elastic kernels, which are located in the creamy pulp of the fruit. They are exposed at the moment of full ripening.

The famous shea butter is extracted from the kernels of the fruit by grinding and squeezing them. This is exactly the miracle product that can be used in different areas life activity. African people They use it in cooking, home construction, creating cosmetics, and even as a way to illuminate their homes.

Take a look at the photo depicting a shea tree and its fruits, and all the descriptions given will become more clear and visual:

Photo gallery

Areas of use of shea butter

The oil obtained from the fruit of the tree is the most valuable product. Its important advantage is its high fat content and long-term shelf life without the use of preservatives. Large quantity The vitamins (A, E, D) and fatty acids it contains make such raw materials indispensable in cosmetology.

The areas of use of shea or shea butter cover the following areas:

• creams and lotions are developed with its content to soften and moisturize the skin, eliminate wrinkles and other signs of aging;
• is a component of elite shampoos and conditioners, as it perfectly nourishes and gives hair a healthy shine and silkiness;
• shower gels, masks, hand and foot creams, oil for nail plates - a small list of body care products that the modern cosmetics industry offers;
• in the food industry, margarine is prepared from the shea tree, which grows in the African hinterland, and added during the preparation of sweets and chocolate;
• medicine uses miraculous oil to treat rheumatism, muscle fatigue and pain due to stretch marks in the lower back;
• Using this product during a massage relieves fatigue, muscle tension, and tightens the skin.

The raw materials from shea kernels shown in the photo are extracted by hand and industrial methods:

Photo gallery

Both options have their advantages and disadvantages. As a result of industrial high-tech preparation of oil, a pure product is obtained without unnecessary odors and impurities.

By manually processing shea seeds, you can save more useful components, however, achieving impeccable “purity” of raw materials is almost impossible. The difference between such techniques is not only their price, but also the resulting oil class: A, B, C, F. This gradation allows you to create creams with different targeted effects: from the most valuable with a therapeutic effect to ordinary moisturizers.

Shea butter is an expensive product, since the tree of the same name grows only in Africa in wildlife. Locals they do not cultivate it and do not engage in special cultivation.

The shea tree shown in the photo, no matter how hard the scientists tried, could not take root in any European or Asian country:

Photo gallery

Hot climate African continent was able to endow the tree and its fruits unique properties, which make many women more beautiful and more confident!

Properties of shea tree fruits (karite)

How much does shea tree fruit (karite) cost (average price for 1)?

Viteoaria amazing or shea tree (karite) belongs to the Sapotov family. The shea tree or Vitellaria paradoxa grows mainly in countries such as Mali, Guinea, Congo, Ghana, Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire. As can be judged by its distribution area, the shea tree (karite) is a fairly heat-loving plant, which is a plant with a spreading crown, which, as a rule, does not exceed a height of 20 meters. Uniquely, the life cycle of the shea tree (karite) reaches a duration of several centuries.

What is even more surprising is that the shea tree begins to bloom at just twenty years of age, and fruits appear starting from the fiftieth anniversary of the plant. Then the shea (karite) tree bears fruit for more than a hundred years in a row. The fruit of the shea tree has long been used in cooking by the inhabitants of the African continent. In Europe, healing vegetable oil is extracted from the fruits of the shea tree, which is widely used in the cosmetics industry. The fruits of the shea tree are collected in green, unripe form. Over time natural material changes color and the fruits turn brown.

As a rule, medium size The fruit of the shea tree does not exceed four centimeters in diameter. Inside the fruits of the shea tree there is a nutritious pulp, which has a consistency similar to cream. Located inside the fruit large seed, from which the essential oils of the plant are obtained. It is the seed of the shea tree that is rich in content essential oils, which are of great value to cosmetics manufacturers. Shea butter, like the vast majority of vegetable oils, is produced in two main forms - refined and unrefined. Refined cabbage soup oil is used in cooking.

In African countries edible oil Shea is considered almost the only stable source of fats, which are so necessary for normal life human body. The unrefined version of the product is used to make cosmetics for hair, as well as face and body skin. Yours original title the shea tree received thanks to one of the folk African names plants. The shea tree is called shea, kolo, kare, as well as si or si, which gave international name Arsthenia. It is worth noting that the shea tree is considered sacred in Africa.

Each harvest of the first harvest of the shea tree is accompanied by a sacred ritual. It is especially worth emphasizing that fat is obtained from the first fruits of the shea tree, which is used to make holiday treats. Vegetable oil, obtained from the fruits of the shea tree, has a wide range of healing capabilities, which have been used for the benefit of humanity for hundreds of years.

Calorie content of shea tree fruits (karite) 0.1 kcal

Energy value of the fruits of the shea tree (karite) (Ratio of proteins, fats, carbohydrates - bju).