Desert gold, this is how Argan oil is called.
Arganier, whose Argan fruit is widely used for its cosmetic, dietary and health properties, is a very tall and robust evergreen plant, it can exceed 10 m. in height and even live up to 200 years, moreover, it was declared a heritage of the biosphere by UNESCO in 1998. Due to its characteristic of adaptability to the hot climate and arid soils, it is a fundamental plant for the fight against desertification, keeping fertile the land in which it lives. For these reasons, its prevalent development occurred in the regions of Essaouira and Agadir, in the southwestern area of Morocco, taking its name from the village of Argana.
Argan is the fruit of the Arganier plant, it is a drupe with a color that can fade from yellow to brown. The fruit is harvested when it spontaneously falls from the plant at the end of August, after which it is left to dry, so as to be able to eliminate the pulpy part of the fruit and take the nut containing the almonds (from 1 to 3), from which the famous and very precious Argan oil.The use of Argan oil is not limited only to Morocco, on the contrary, it is currently widespread throughout the world for its known benefits such as:
- Food supplement: it is an excellent ally to keep cholesterol levels under control. It also performs a preventive action against the risk of cardiovascular and rheumatic diseases and even stimulates brain activity. In fact, Argan is an oil with a high amount of unsaturated fats.
- Anti-inflammatory: excellent treatment against infections, insect bites and skin abrasions.
- Cosmetic use: excellent moisturizer for skin and hair. It makes the skin soft and velvety preventing dryness, also used on the lips. It has an anti-aging action as it protects the skin from smog and external pollution, delaying skin aging. Being a natural product it is also particularly suitable in pregnancy as a prevention and / or treatment of stretch marks. Also on the hair, Argan oil has a revitalizing and invigorating effect.
Let us dwell on the benefits of Argan oil in the food sector.Argan oil, due to its nutritional characteristics, is a food with a high level of beneficial fatty acids (omega3, omega6, omega9), functional in diets against:- Dyslipidemias (hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia).- Hypertension.- The metabolic syndrome.- Complications deriving from diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases.- Oxidative stress. In summary, Argan oil is able to regulate cholesterol (thanks to oleic acid), stimulates brain cells and protects liver tissues. Containing carotenoids, ferulic acid, sterols and polyphenols, Argan oil is used in traditional Moroccan medicine to rebalance the digestive system, strengthen the immune system and help reduce LDL cholesterol and the presence of sugar in the blood.
The product itself has no particular contraindications, however it is recommended to use it sparingly, since, being an extremely concentrated oil, it is sufficient to use a few drops to obtain the desired result, both in the food sector and for cosmetic purposes.
