Ancient Polynesian Discovery
The
ati tree produces white, perfumed flowers and later a small fruit. The
tamanu fruit is edible and tastes a bit like an apple. When the fruit
is removed or falls away, the fruit's kernel or shell contains the tamanu
nut. When the kernels are dried in the sun for a few weeks, they turn
brown and give off a characteristic, nutty odor. During the drying process,
the oil content of the tamanu nut becomes very high, in spite of the fact
that the oil does not exist in the ripe fruit. Ati trees grow wild and
no pesticides or man-made fertilizers are used. The resulting tamanu oil
is pure and organic. Leaves and fruits falling from the trees become a
natural mulch fertilizer.
The
ancient Polynesians soon discovered that the dried nuts contained the
unusual, but healthy oil Tahitians called tamanu oil, the name we have
adopted for the product as it is the best known. As shown above, each
island nation had different names for the nut oil, but the species of
ati tree we use is the main source of tamanu oil in the Pacific region.
The
natives in ancient Polynesia learned to extract the oil from the nuts
and began to use it as their preferred skin care aid. The hot sun, high
humidity, and the sea winds that carry tiny grains of damaging ocean salt
made it imperative they find a skin protective agent derived from their
only source-- the plants growing in their islands. They thought it to
be beneficial for burns, sunburn, rashes, wounds and other skin problems.
They still use tamanu oil today throughout the Pacific region. In our
time, people living in many parts of the world are becoming users of Tamanu
Oil as the unique skin-care properties of this remarkable product become
better known.
In
ancient times, Tamanu oil became very popular and it was a preferred plant
taken with the ocean canoe voyagers from one island nation to the entire
Pacific region. It was so highly regarded, the natives everywhere protected
the trees, carefully harvested and dried the nuts, and extracted the tamanu
oil--all under the watchful eyes of their native healers and kings. The
natives believed tamanu oil was a "sacred" gift of nature.
Polynesian women are noted for their wonderful complexions and many attribute this to their daily use of Tamanu oil as a moisturizing, natural cosmetic on their faces, bodies and hair. They also use it for the care of their babies' skin, so sensitive to rashes and other skin problems.
