SERUMS
The majestic baobab tree is an icon of the African continent and lies at the heart of many traditional African remedies and folklore. The baobab is a prehistoric species which predates both mankind and the splitting of the continents over 200 million years ago
The magical Baobab Tree lives to an age of 5000 and more years and is up there with the oldest living inhabitants ever found on Mother Earth. It is the only tree that can regenerate itself after damage. It is in fact not truly a tree, but classified as a succulent. A giant one!
The flowers only open at night, to be pollinated by creatures such as bats, who go about the business of life after the crepuscular hours.
When I began my journey, I carefully researched the purported healing properties of various oils. The Baobab, not only being my spirit tree, surpassed the lot in my opinion and I’d found the oil I wanted as my foundation stone and symbol of all I and Africa’Zone stand for.
The Baobab oil I buy, is sustainably harvested, supports communities and is cold-pressed from the seeds of the fruit. The seed/egg/sperm of any creature or plant holds the DNA code for future generations. The DNA of regeneration, longevity; being just 2 intricacies in the baobab is impressive and we’ve found….seems to offer a myriad of skin and hair benefits.
I’ve created serums and butters to add additional skin benefits to complement and further enhance the baobab oil, according mostly, to anecdotal properties passed down by traditional healers and essential oil practitioners over time.
I make no medical claims and am not a doctor or qualified Traditional Healer. This article is not intended to either convey or replace any medical advice you have been given.
Over the past 5 years, I, my guinea pig friends and clients who have excitedly shared their experience, have discovered pleasing results, from our own personal experiences with regular use of the oil. It is only these that I discuss with you in the rest of the article.
For practical purposes, I am only discussing my original serum, Rejuvenating Magic Muthi Skin & Facial Serum – that being instrumental and pertinent to the findings I discuss in the rest of the article below.
The Soothing Serum is a new development containing the addition of much lauded Jojoba oil and different, carefully selected essential oils of Rose Geranium and Rosemary.
Both serums contain the same foundation ingredients of Baobab and Cannabis oil.
The healing properties of various strains of Cannabis oil (CBD) are by now being scientifically well documented as pharmaceutical companies add this wonderful plant to their repertoire.
Ingredients: Baobab Oil, Pomegranate Oil, 100 % CBD oil (Charlotte’s Web), Lavender Augustifolia Essential Oil and Myrrh Essential Oil.
Every household would benefit by having a bottle on hand as it heals a myriad of things, which I’ve experimented on over 5 years on myself and friends. Is worth trying on any skin problems, as my research is by no means all-encompassing to what it has achieved.
BURNS
Helped with all kinds of burns – it’s immediately helpful for rapidly healing sunburn and redness and even for older burn effects.
A friend was involved in a car accident a few years back and had terrible airbag burns. They were almost gone in a month.
I have also found that if applied immediately after any minor burn from the oven/braai/steam, the burn does not develop a blister and the burn mark has in most cases, disappeared entirely by the following morning. The pain is also immediately relieved.
WRINKLES AND SEEMS TO BE HELPFUL WITH ANTI-AGING AND SUNSPOTS
Reduced fine lines and wrinkles so feel free to use it on your face as a serum before applying your face cream. Sunspots and blemishes have been successfully treated and fade over time. Refer below to my early menopause – Years of extreme sun abuse and early menopause with no HRT rendered my facial skin paper like with masses of fine wrinkles. These have gone and the texture of my facial skin has improved dramatically.
DEEPLY MOISTURISING
Helped with dry, cracked and dehydrated skin, the omega 9 deep-moisturises and nourishes, offering rapid absorption without clogging pores or leaving a greasy feeling. I find the oil is also deeply moisturising and revitalising for the scalp and hair.
ALLERGIES, RASHES, HIVES, INSECT BITES AND ECZEMA
Have experienced fast relief. Soothes – it’s worked for treating for itchy dry flaky dandruff and has relieved the symptoms of eczema. It may help alleviate psoriasis as well, but possibly better without the lavender essential oil in those cases. Has worked reasonably well to alleviate itches we’ve tried it on, including bee stings, allergies and rashes, including nappy rash. They disappear quite quickly with topical application. It does help with insect bites and relieving itch and inflammation, although I personally get quicker relief from applying undiluted lavender oil. Likewise with sepsis on insect/spider bites, which I apply myrrh oil directly to and intersperse with topical application of the serum. If the spider bite persists after a day, see a doctor immediately.
My husband also had regular outbreaks of a type of weeping almost eczema rash on his hands. I don’t know what it’s called, or if indeed it is a type of eczema, but the serum has healed that too.
SCARS & POST OPERATIVE
Has reduced scars, stretch marks. Regular use has faded even the oldest scar tissue. It took 2 to 3 years for old tissue. Post-operative scarring has seen phenomenal success with regular topical applications. Best used as soon as dressings are removed. We have found that within 3 months most scars are little more than a hairline. Continued use has rendered them virtually invisible.
HEALING OF CUTS
The serum has shown that it knits an open wound or cut rapidly with generous topical application. Great for kids and also elderly people who struggle with easily broken skin.
I went through menopause at age 33, some 27 years ago and refused HRT. As such my skin on my arms has become paper thin and the slightest knock splits it or induces under skin bleeding, the results of which can linger for a month.
Regular application of the serum clears my blood spots within 10 days. The baobab, pomegranate and CBD are indicated to improve the texture of skin, as well as thicken it and improve elasticity, but I haven’t noticed any material changes as yet on my arms….this should improve if I used it more diligently, as it has on my face, and with more time and widespread usage as I only tend to use on the affected areas.
DERMATOLOGICAL PROBLEMS AND EARLY SKIN CANCER
I’ve managed to reverse all manner of self-inflicted damage to skin after years of serious sun abuse involving the use olive oil and dubbin and baking myself for 8 hours a day.
One in particular was cracked, scaly spots all over my back and neck which were white in colour. Think they are called Actinic keratosis. They used to regularly bleed and 20 years of visiting dermatologists reduced them in the short term, but they always came back. Were gone in a week and have never returned.
A fair amount of success has been evident with early surface skin cancer – NOT MELANOMA- in that it often disappears before the dermatologist appointment date arrives.
Friends have used the serum on moles that have crusted, changed shape and darkened to red and they have healed with non-recurring problems when used continually.
My husband regularly has growths burned off. Application of the serum on affected areas has cleared the growths as they occur and they disappear.
A client in KZN used the Baobab and CBD only, on lesions on her face, which cleared up after around 10 days, after having had them for many years.
BROKEN VEINS
This is a personal success, which I discovered accidentally by using the serum twice daily on my face. It was only after 2 years that I cottoned on and thought my face looked different, but couldn’t pinpoint what it was. My yetta Marelize……..it’s the veins……..It’s reduced my facial broken veins by around 65%. Yay me!
A CLIENTS HAND AFTER DOG BITE AND TREATMENT WITH MAGIC MUTHI
African Folklore and Myths
There is much more to the baobab tree than its physical appearance, properties and mystical qualities. It is also the inspiration behind several myths and stories.
Upside Down Stories
Legends abound as to why the tree looks like it has been stuck upside down into the ground.
One story goes that the god Thora did not like the baobab growing in his garden, so he plucked it out and threw it out over the wall of Paradise. It fell on the Earth below, landing upside down and simply continued to grow.
Another story goes that when the baobab was planted by God, it kept walking, so God pulled it up and replanted it upside down to stop it moving.
A third story holds that when God was planting trees on earth, he asked the animals to help him and gave every animal a tree to plant. The hyena was given the baobab, but was so disgusted by the tree, it simply shoved it in the ground upside down.
My favourite:
The first baobab grew next to a small lake. Taller and taller it grew until it started noticing the other trees. Some were tall and slender, some had brightly coloured flowers and other others had large leaves. Then one day it saw a reflection of itself in the lake which shocked it to its root hairs: There in the mirror of the lake it saw a huge fat trunk covered in bark that looked like the wrinkled hide of an old elephant; small, tiny leaves and pale, creamy flowers.
Very upset, the baobab complained bitterly to the Creator. ‘Why did you make me so ugly?’ it wanted to know. ‘Why couldn’t you make me elegant like the palm tree with its straight and slender trunk? Why did you have to make me so big and fat?’ the baobab protested.
‘Look at the masses of bright and beautiful flowers of the flame tree! What about me? Why couldn’t you give me flowers like that?’
On and on the baobab went, wailing and bemoaning the bad deal it had been given. When it spotted the fruit on the fig trees, its indignation knew no bounds.
God was becoming more and more exasperated with the wailing and complaining of the baobab until eventually, determined to silence the baobab forever, he came down, yanked it out of the earth and replanted it upside down. From that day on the baobab could no longer see its reflection or complain. Since then, it has been working in silence, paying off its ancient transgression by being the most useful and helpful tree around.
Variations on this story are told across Africa to explain why the baobab is so unusual and yet so helpful.