Mobola Plum

Description

Parinari curatellifolia, the mobola plum in an evergreen, medium sized and mushroom shaped tree that grows up to 20m in height. It grows in sandy soils, in open deciduous woodlands.

Fruit

The fruit are red-brown when ripe, round, scaly and speckled. They mature from October to March. These fruits are fleshy and contain an edible sweet and fibrous pulp and one to two seeds enclosed in a hard stone. The seeds are a very rich source of oil.

Distribution

The tree is widespread in the drier parts of Tropical Africa. It is found in each of the PhytoTrade Africa countries in varying densities. It is found almost entirely throughout Zambia and Zimbabwe and extends to the northern parts of Botswana and Namibia mostly in the Caprivi Strip. It occurs frequently on plateau miombo and Kalahari woodlands.

Traditional uses

The wood is used in making canoes and mortars and in building houses. The bark is used in making beehives. Both the bark and the leaves yield a very good dye used in colouring traditional craftwork.

The pleasant tasting fruit has a variety of uses and forms a major part of the staple diet in Southern Africa. It is commonly consumed raw or is made into porridge or delicious syrup, which provides the basis for a refreshing non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverage.

Kernels obtained from the mobola plum stone are used in relish and oil is also extracted from them which is used in cooking and for skin and hair application

The bark is used in tanning of leather and is also used as treatment for pneumonia The root infusion is taken orally for treatment of a painful uterus and as mouthwash for toothache.

Known properties

Fruit pulp contains vitamin C sugar and minerals ions essential for a healthy body. The oil of contains several essential fatty acids that help in maintenance of a healthy skin. Parinari oil is beneficial because of its content of polyunsaturated fatty acids and in particularly a eleostearic acid which brings regenerating, restructuring and moisturizing properties to the skin. The oil therefore has potential in cosmetics as it also forms a protective film over the hair fibre, protecting it from external aggressions.

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