Tamanu Oil

Organic cold pressed Tamanu Oil is a very therapeutic, healing oil for skin care. In fact, it is noted as somewhere between a carrier oil and an essential oil, perhaps due to its complex therapeutic properties. The oil is considered to have antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as regenerative activity. It is included in a wide variety of therapeutic formulas - generally at about 20-30% of the total recipe, though it can certainly be used on its own (yet its aroma may be a bit strong for some if used "neat").

To utilize its antiviral properties for HSV-1 and -2 (Herpes Simplex Virus), one may mix a small bottle including a 10% concentration of melissa essential oil and apply directly (adjusting the formula if one is sensitive to it). For example, to make 1/2 ounce, use 1.5milliliters of melissa essential oil - about 45 drops, and 13.5 milliliters of Tamanu oil (we would simply use a one ounce or half ounce bottle, add the melissa, then get as close as possible to 1/2 ounce total by adding the carrier oil).

For treatment of Herpes Zoster (shingles), Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt recommends a 50:50 blend with Ravensara aromatic essential oil. With this and the blend with melissa above, some naturopathic practitioners recommend rubbing a few drops into the base of the spine, in addition to the actual outbreak location, as it is thought that that is where the viruses lie dormant.

Tamanu is called for in recipes for nearly every skin care "condition" -- for eczema, dermatitis in general, prematurely-aging skin and skin over-exposed to UV radiation, for cases such as athlete's foot and other rashes, etc, etc. If you find recipes for the condition you'd like to address, we do highly recommend adjusting the carrier oil portion of the recipe to include tamanu oil if you can. We here feel that strongly about it.

Please note: this is cold-pressed, unfiltered, and in its natural state. The oil is naturally thick and grainy, which does not affect the important therapeutic properties of the oil. Some lots may be very thick -- in this is the case, gently warm the oil in a warm water bath to make pourable before blending with other oils.

Tamanu nut oil is pressed from the nuts of trees grown on islands in the South Pacific. For greatest therapeutic effect, the nuts are dried under palm leaves for two months before the oil is then pressed. This is probably what leads to to the somewhat interesting aromatic, color, and viscosity properties of the oil - as it really is like no other in this regard.

General Use and Recipes including Tamanau

• Tamanu can be added to any skin care base. It is best combined with other carrier oils that target the condition being addressed. Say, for example, one is managing psoriasis, and would like to include Borage Seed oil for its high GLA content, and either virgin Coconut for its anti-inflammatory actions, or hempseed for its high concentrations of essential fatty acids. In most cases, such a base oil can be made by using equal parts of each carrier oil. If all 4 oils were used, each would be 25% of the base. In four ounces, that's just under one ounce each (to make room for the essential oils), and in any size, the carriers can be added after the essential oils, and their volumes estimated without significant impact on the therapeutic quality of the blend.

• For sun protection, the following blend can be used -- for 4 ounces: a base of equal parts Rosehip, Tamanu and Virgin Coconut oils. Argan oil may also be included, for four equal parts. To this, add 4ml Sea Buckthorn Berry, 1ml Calendula, 2ml Rosehip Seed and 1ml Carrot Root CO2 essential oils. Further, add 16 drops Frankincense (or Sandalwood) and 12 drops German Chamomile CO2 essentiail oils. This formula may leave the skin a little red for perhaps 10 minutes, but this is just the antioxidants in the oils being absorbed by the skin. Give it some time -- it's a very healthy formula!

• For woulnd healng: make one ounce of formula, including a base of equal parts Tamanu, Borage and Hempseed Oil. To this, add 18 drops Helichrysum italicum essential oil, 7 drops Calendula oil, 7 drops Rosemary Verbenone and 1/2ml (16 drops) each Sea Buckhthorn and Carrot root CO2 essetial oils.

• For an anti-fungal foot care formula, make 2 ounces: just under one ounce each of Tamanu and virgin Coconut oils. Add 15 drops each Benchmark Thyme, Tea Tree, Geranium x asperum (Egyptian geranium) and Lemongrass essential oils. This can be used anywherer it is felt the skin is in need support eliminating micriobes.

Some Scientific Reviews of Tamanau (Calophyllum inophyllum)

• In regards to the oils' skin healing actions, researchers in the Journal of Cosmetic Sciences (2002 Dec;24(6):341-8.), in a report called "Tamanu (Calophyllum inophyllum) - the African, Asian, Polynesian and Pacific Panacea" note the following:

Tamanu or Calophyllum inophyllum has been used traditionally as a local medicine for many different purposes. The oil has been proven to be vulnerary and cicatrising in its effects. The chemicals responsible for this action are calophyllolide and inophyllum in addition to other complex polyphenols.

Vulnerary simply means a skin-wound healing agent, and cicartrising means the oil will help in scar formation --- Now don't worry about scars the way we think of them: marks or bumps we don't want to have on our skin -- cicartrising implies that the oil helps the skin in "knitting" itself back together more quickly.

• The oil was instigated specifically for its ability to prevent excessive UV radiation exposure. In the European Journal of Pharmacological Science (2007 Mar;30(3-4):203-10. Epub 2006 Nov 9) researchers in Paris, France published a study called "Cytoprotective effect against UV-induced DNA damage and oxidative stress: role of new biological UV filter." Here is a summary of the abstract:

After middle age, a decrease in the production of antioxidants and anti-oxidative enzymes appears with accumulation of endogenous molecules that are phototoxic. UV radiations can induce reactive oxygen species formation, leading to various ocular diseases (Ed. note: This study has particularly to do with Tamanu's potential as being a component of essentially "sunscreen for the eye", most likely in the form of eye drops. Howver, this certainly does open the larger question as to the potential for tamanu oil to act as a natural sunscreen for the skin as well.).

The researchers continued: "Because most UV filters are cytotoxic for the eye, we investigated the anti-UV properties of Calophyllum inophyllum oil in order to propose it as a potential vehicle, free of toxicity, with a natural UV filter action in ophthalmic formulation. Calophyllum inophyllum oil, even at low concentration (1/10,000, v/v), exhibited significant UV absorption properties (maximum at 300nm) and was associated with an important sun protection factor (18-22). Oil concentrations up to 1% were not cytotoxic on human conjunctival epithelial cells, and Calophyllum inophyllum oil appeared to act as a cytoprotective agent against oxidative stress and DNA damage (85% of the DNA damage induced by UV radiations were inhibited with 1% Calophyllum oil) and did not induce in vivo ocular irritation...Calophyllum inophyllum oil thus exhibited antioxidant and cytoprotective properties, and therefore might serve, for the first time, as a natural UV filter in ophthalmic preparations.

• Finally, the oil appears to have anti-cancer properties as well, as demonstrated in this study, "Cancer chemopreventive agents, 4-phenylcoumarins from Calophyllum inophyllum." published in Cancer Letters. (2001 Aug 10;169(1):15-9.)

In a search for anti-tumor-promoting agents, we carried out a primary screening of ten 4-phenylcoumarins isolated from Calophyllum inophyllum L. (Guttiferae), by examining their possible inhibitory effects on Epstein--Barr virus early antigen (EBV-EA) activation induced by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate in Raji cells. All of the compounds tested in this study showed inhibitory activity against EBV, without showing any cytotoxicity. Calocoumarin-A (5) showed more potent activity than any of the other compounds tested. Furthermore, calocoumarin-A (5) exhibited a marked inhibitory effect on (skin) tumor promotion in an in vivo two-stage carcinogenesis test. The results of the present investigation indicate that some of these 4-phenylcoumarins might be valuable as potential cancer chemo-preventive agents (anti-tumor-promoters).

It is clear that tamanu oil is one of the most broadly therapeutic carrier oils in use in aromatherapy today, and we use it regularly ourselves, primarily in skin care blends addressing UV radiation overexposure, as well as formulas for skin conditions such as athlete's foot (yes, we go to the gym!). We expect to include it in a great many skin care products produced by Synergy Essentials in the near future -- watch out for it!