Hi Wellness enthusiasts,

My name is Diénaba and I am the founder of Superfood of Africa, a platform that offers natural and ancestral African plants to heal the body and make your wellness journey enjoyable, exciting and tasty.

On this post, I am answering all the questions you might be asking yourself about our baobab fruit powder and I am also providing some unique insights on the tree, the fruits and the story behind them.

What is the baobab fruit?

• The baobab fruit is an ovoid-shaped fruit with a very hard shell covered by velvet-like coating. The seeds inside the shell are embedded in a delicious powdery pulp
• The fruit comes from the majestic baobab tree, also named the “tree of life”. The tree is indigenous to Africa and can reach 20 to 30 metres tall with a diameter for 2 to 10 metres. It is a long-lived tree and some trees were found to be over 1,000 years old
• The tree is called “tree of life” due to its ability to thrive in hostile savannahs of Africa where nothing else would. In the rainy season, the tree retains water in its trunk which will be used to support the surrounding wildlife and even population during the dry season
• Baobab fruits are not grown domestically and they are called “wild fruits” as the trees are found in woodlands in African savannahs
• It scientific name “Adansonia digitata” was given by Carl Linnaeus, honouring Michel Adanson who had been to Senegal in the eighteenth century to study the wildlife
• The fruit is known for its nutritional qualities and medicinal properties traditionally used in Africa.

   How is the baobab fruit used traditionally  in Africa?

The fruit is traditionally used for its nutritional and medicinal qualities. It is used to treat fever, diarrhea, dysentery, smallpox, measles, hemoptysis (the coughing up of blood), and as a painkiller. To cure infant diarrhea, a mixture made from the baobab fruit pulp mixed with millet flour and water is given to the child until cured.

What are the health properties of the baobab fruit?

• High Vitamin C level: studies have shown that baobab fruit pulp has a very high vitamin C content (280–300 mg/100 g), which is 7 to 10 times more than oranges (51 mg/100 g). One study demonstrated that the consumption of 40 g of baobab pulp provided 100% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C in pregnant women (19–30 years)
• Rich in antioxidant : the antioxidant level of the baobab fruit pulp is 10 times higher than the one of oranges
• Packed with dietary fibre with prebiotic agent : the baobab contain 50% dietary fibre if prebiotic type

How does it taste?

Sweet and tangy or citric taste of the fruit inspired one of the baobab’s popular names : “cream of tartar tree.” The baobab fruit tastes delicious, therefore very enjoyable and can be added to smoothie, mocktails, low-calorie ice creams and other drinks.

How is your baobab powder made?

The fruits take 6 months to bloom and are harvested once a year during the dry season from December to March. It is the only fruit that naturally dries while still being on the tree. When matured, the fruits fall from the tree or are simply picked from the tree. Over 100 fruits per tree are harvested.

The harvesting and processing of our baobab powder is done by a cooperative of resilient and strong women in a village in Senegal. The fruit comes in a hard shell with a velvety coating. The coating is rubbed off the shell to avoid mixing with the seeds. The shell is then cracked open, the seeds are extracted and the powder is separated from the seeds.

The fruit does not go through any additional processing.

What can it do for you?

• Fatigue and immune system weakness : in a stressful and fast paced environment, our immune system can weaken by both external and internal factors. You may not be able to control the external aspect but you can sure determine the nutrients you provide your body to boost your immune system. A weak immune system manifests by frequent inflammation, cold, tiredness, stomach issues etc. Being a rich source of vitamin C, daily intake of baobab powder can help reset your system balance and get your energy back
• Digestive problems such as IBS or leaky gut, constipation : the baobab fruit is an excellent source of prebiotic dietary fibre (50% of fiber) which helps promoting the good  gut bacteria.

Baobab has a long history of use as a medicinal product and has been used medicinally for centuries. The botanist and physician Prospero Alpini (1553-1617) mentioned that the Ethiopians used it on burns and rashes and to cool the effects of serious fevers. Egyptians made preparations from its powder to treat fevers, dysentery, and bloody wounds.

What is the recommended daily intake?

The daily recommended intake for healthy, non-smoking adults is 65mg of vitamin C. As for convalescents recovering from infectious diseases, and nursing mothers and smokers, they benefit significantly from an intake exceeding 250mg. Data collected from several literature shows that consumption of 40 g covers 84 to more than 100% of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of pregnant women (19-30 years).

Any known side effects?

There has not been any side effects recorded on the baobab fruit powder within the daily intake recommendation. An overconsumption of vitamin C can cause diarrhea and stomach pains.

Why is baobab important to me?

The baobab tree holds a very special place in my family stories and culture. My family is from a village in the region of Casamance located in the south of Senegal where baobab trees abound.

Countless stories of my family, both happy and sad, are in relation to this tree, its fruits and leaves. The stories of my mother climbing the tree to pick its fruits and leaves were our bed stories. The natural health properties of the fruit and its leaves makes it part of my daily diet.

Also, one of my favorite street treats when in Senegal is the baobab ice cream called “bouye”. It’s baobab pulp powder mixed with juice or dairy, sugar and spices. The simplicity of this ice cream makes it even more delicious.

How can I use the baobab fruit powder?

Under our recipes section we have added for you quick, easy and delicious recipes. These are my creation and I want to encourage you to create your own recipes.

• Sources
• January 2015Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine 5(1):79-84
• Baobab food products : a review on their composition and nutritional value  (FJ Chadare, AR Linnemann, JD Hounhouigan, MJR Nout, MAJS Van Boekel)
• https://cgspace.cgiar.org/handle/10568/47381
• Antioxidant capacity of Adansonia digitata fruit pulp and leaves – January 2002 (Silvia Vertuani, Elena Baccioli, Stefano Manfredini, Valentina  Buzzoni)

Nutritional evaluation of baobab seed June 2014  (Wilson Lamayi Danbature)