As you look through the beauty products at your local store, the term “argan” has popped up on several items over the years. The “argan” ingredient is actually oil that comes from an argan tree. This plant doesn’t grow on every corner of your neighborhood. In fact, it’s a specialized plant that’s only native to one area.
In this article, you’ll learn a great deal about the argan tree. It covers these points, including:
- Historical aspects of the argan tree
- Argan-tree features
- How the tree benefits people
- How Berber women fit into the argan-tree story
- UNESCO’s role in preserving argan trees
- Argan oil within the tree
Understanding where your beauty products originate from is critical to properly using them. Correct usage leads to skin, hair and nails that look better than before.
The Argan Tree: A Look At Its History
Most people had never heard of the argan tree before its oil was advertised by beauty product manufacturers. What is this magical tree? First of all, it’s certainly not magical. However, it has some amazing qualities that help it thrive.
Knowing the Argan Tree
The argan tree is an evergreen with dark leaves that have a spiny appearance. The crown branches out so that it’s much wider than the trunk supporting it. It takes advantage of its sunny position so that photosynthesis occurs among the tiny leaves.
These trees can grow 10 meters high, which makes them huge focal points in a desert habitat. There are tiny flowers that emerge during the blooming season. After pollination, the flowers develop nuts that will eventually carry the oil that many people enjoy across the world as beauty enhancers.
A Special Habitat
You might be tempted to head out to a nursery, buy an argan tree and plant one for your own uses. Unfortunately, this scenario isn’t possible. Argan trees require a certain habitat.
In fact, these plants are only found in Morocco. The southwest region of Morocco has an elevation of less than 4,920 feet along challenging, soil conditions. Being able to thrive in poor soil is a benefit to this plant because they don’t have competition with other plants to grow tall. They tend to grow where no other plants can thrive.
A Long Life
It’s believed that the argan tree has been around since the Tertiary Age, which spans from 2.6 to 66 million years ago. Because of the tree’s long life, its difficult to say who first cultivated it. The first people of the region probably used it for shade as they got to know the plant and its features.
In the thirteenth century, a local botanist finally described the tree in his journals. This documentation led to other explorers learning about the tree. The plant’s strength in the face of difficult soil conditions makes it a tree to appreciate through the ages.
Local people refer to the plant as a “tree of life.” It provides numerous resources, including:
- Argan oil
- Animal fodder that feeds local livestock
- Wood for building materials
No other plant offers these features that support a community just north of the Sahara Desert.
Are you intrigued by the argan tree now? This amazing plant has other characteristics that are also worth mentioning. Explore the tree down to its smallest features as you gain a better understanding of it in the wild.
Diving Into The Tree’s Characteristics
From a cursory glance at the argan tree, it may simply have a basic crown, trunk and root system. This plant has so much more to give than just its nuts and oils, however. Every part to the tree has a distinct purpose and evolutionary history that makes it perfect for the Moroccan landscape.
1. The Roots
One of the most important characteristics of the argan tree is the roots. It can live through extensive droughts with the roots expanding outward in all directions. They also contribute to soil preservation while warding off any desert sand that might creep across the land.
2. The Trunk
Argan trees’ trunks aren’t tall and overwhelming because the growth is reserved for the branches. Short trunks offer purchase for goats’ hooves as they explore the plant. This tree is a critical part of the overall ecosystem where goats nourish themselves with the fruits as the plant achieves reproductive success through seed spreads.
The branches and leaves are arranged in dense configurations, which provides a lot of shade beneath the tree. Each leaf has a set of lancets that increases their surface area. They might remain cooler during the warm months with this narrow shape.
Argan trees last for more than 100 years so the branches stretch out with strong lengths over the years. It’s not unusual for a goat to climb all the way out to the end of a branch at times.
In reality, the argan tree’s flowers aren’t necessarily spectacular. They’re simply yellowish-green blossoms. Their amazing feature, however, is their reproductive cycle.
Within scientific circles, the flowers are referred to as hermaphroditic. This complex term means that the flowers have both female and male reproductive parts. As a result, the argan tree can be pollinated by either insects or self-pollination processes. A season without fruits is almost unheard of for this tree.
Most trees simply have seeds hidden within a fruit. The argan tree is different because of its unique fruit. Within one fruit you’ll have these items, such as:
- One nut
- Two or three seeds
The fruits drop to the ground, or they’re eaten by the local goats. Regardless of the fruits’ pathways, the nut and seeds eventually emerge to populate the ground with new plants.
Every characteristic makes the argan tree a true original in the natural world. However, you might wonder what makes this plant beneficial to people? Discover some of the lesser-known features that define this “tree of life.”
Benefits Derived From The Argan Tree
From just a casual glance at this article, the main benefit from the argan tree is its oil. However, there’s so much more to this plant than just its beautifying oils. Discover the unique benefits derived from the tree itself as you gain a better understanding of this Moroccan treasure.
1. Building Materials
The short trunk on the argan tree has a twisting nature. Look upward to find long branches too. Both of these wood sources are important for building-material purposes. Specifically, the wood is used as support beams.
No argan trees are decimated for their wood, however. The Moroccan people revere the trees, and they only take what’s absolutely necessary.
Native Moroccans also create charcoal from the argan tree. This substance is used for several purposes in the region, from cooking up food to heating a home. Cooking with charcoal gives the Moroccan food its distinct flavor. Without the argan tree, local delicacies would be entirely different.
3. Improves Quality of Life
Morocco is known for its harsh landscape, but the argan tree makes a difference for the surrounding community. Natives collect the fruits and produce the oil. This production line offers employment and better lifestyles for everyone connected to the argan tree.
It makes sense that the Moroccan people would protect the trees as they gain a plentiful lifestyle in exchange. People make money and raise their families with pride as the trees grow for several hundred years.
4. Protects the Soil and Surrounding Ecosystem
The arid land where the argan tree resides is a tangible lesson in conservation. What little rain drops down to the land is quickly absorbed by the soil. The argan tree extends its root system to great lengths, which leads to soil stability. Its reach also creates a barrier against the desert as it continues to expand elsewhere.
5. Crop Protection
Argan trees also benefit the locals’ crop production. Barley grows well under the trees’ shady crown. Without the crop, the locals’ livestock couldn’t thrive. It’s safe to say that the argan tree makes life possible in this part of Morocco.
There would be no argan-oil production without the help of the Moroccan people. Berber women, in particular, are critical participants in the oil’s production. The community as a whole protects the women and trees so that the quality of life continues to thrive. Fall in love with the work that these women perform nearly every day by learning more about their world.
Introducing The Berber Women
Argan oil may have never been discovered if not for the inhabitants of the Moroccan landscape. The Berber women should be thanked for their ingenuity when it comes to handmade argan oil. Learn about these women’s lives as you appreciate this resource even more so than before.
South of the mountains found near Marrakesh are the main grouping of argan trees. They’ve grown in this area for thousands of years. It’s hard to imagine any plant having dominance over a region for so long. However, they don’t grow naturally anywhere else in the world.
Natives in the area were limited in their resources because of the mountains and deserts surrounding them. They had to make due with their immediate surroundings. These people were and are still referred to as the Berbers.
The women are gatherers in their community. Everyone works hard to help the community thrive. Berber women explored and realized that the prolific trees in their region were full of fruit. Upon careful examination, they found the nuts to be helpful with their oily resources.
The Berber women continued to pull fruit and cultivate the oil well into the late 1900s. At this point, no major production was necessary because demand for argan oil was incredibly low. It simply wasn’t known as a rejuvenating oil just yet.
Widespread production finally came to Morocco. News of the oil quickly spread. Foreign investors were suddenly available for mass production. The Berber women may have been left out, but a clever solution was created.
The Berber women formed co-operatives where they worked as teams. In fact, they still perform this same job today. These co-ops acts like unions where they can carefully cultivate the oil with a strong paycheck.
You’ll be thrilled to hear that these women are thriving even today. They have ample funds to pay for everyday items, which leads to a better quality of life for everyone in this Moroccan community. The oil is still of high quality too. Foreign investors are thrilled at the production while still preserving the traditions among the native people.
You couldn’t be happier for the Berber women and everything that they’ve achieved. However, you might be concerned about preserving the trees and land for future generations. You deserve an introduction to UNESCO, which is an organization that seeks to preserve this Moroccan land. Their help makes oil production possible into the far future.
UNESCO’s Preservation Work
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO became a savior for the argan tree as the region was seeing a bleak future in the 1990s. This organization has actively protected and enhanced the area with its efforts. Learn more about UNESCO to gain a wider perspective of the world at large.
The Biosphere Reserve
The argan tree cannot be cultivated in any other location on Earth. Many scientists have tried and failed. The tree gained the attention of UNESCO as its numbers were declining at a rapid pace.
Argan trees were disappearing for several reasons, including:
- Increased removal for firewood and building-material purposes
- Initial foreign interests in argan-oil production
In 1998, UNESCO decided to declare the argan tree’s native lands as a biosphere. The natural wonders within this designated area could not be harmed by man’s hands. Living off of the tree was perfectly acceptable. Being an active participant in its demise or removal was now a crime.
This biosphere can now stand the test of time without any decimation that’s still being practiced in rain forests across the world today. This tiny, slice of land is the only place where argan trees thrive and produce fruit on a regular and natural basis.
Impacts to Women’s Lives and Community Spirit
Saving the argan trees also improves women’s lives in the Moroccan culture. These women have important jobs now. Their status has improved as they contribute to the family’s income. Young girls have a chance to go to school with the additional funds funneling into the family’s accounts.
Southwest Morocco continues to thrive because of the argan trees’ natural features. The roots hold the soil in place, which contributes to rich nutrients where crops can grow. Holding off the prevailing winds with the Sahara’s sands right behind them is another critical benefit to these native people. The desert could overtake the lands without the argan trees protection and root systems.
Between the Berber women’s dedication and the protected biosphere, argan trees have a nearly perfect region to thrive in for many more decades. Are you interested in the particulars that surround argan oil too? Sit back, and discover the real reasons why argan oil is truly “liquid gold.” A purchase may be in your future as a result.
Discovering Liquid Gold
Take one look at argan oil, and it really looks like liquid gold. Its appearance isn’t the only reason why the oil is referred to in this manner. Argan oil changes the look of your hair, skin and nails.
The fatty acids, sterols and antioxidants within argan oil make it a healing serum for your body. Your hair has a lustrous appearance while dry skin and fine lines seem to give rise to supple contours.
What are the benefits of argan oil? Here are the highlights, but they’re certainly not comprehensive:
- Fights dry skin and acne
- Improves scars and speeds up healing processes
- Acts as a sunscreen to reduce heat rash and burns in the sun
- Replenishes moisture in the hair
- Fights brittle nails
Don’t forget that argan oil is also a culinary ingredient too. Benefits to this ingested oil are eye-opening. With regular consumption, culinary argan oil offers these perks, including:
- Possible cancer prevention
- Enhanced circulation
- Blood-sugar stability
- Cholesterol control
The human body always responds better to treatments that are both applied topically and ingested. By consuming argan oil and adding it to your beauty regimen, you receive full-body benefits. Simply choose pure argan oil so that you don’t include any fillers in your life.
Producing Argan Oil
You’ve probably heard the stories about goats producing argan oil through their eating habits. Modern production, however, doesn’t include these steps. Machines and hand-picking begin the oil-production process.
Those collected fruits must be peeled. Machines remove the flesh from the nut, which is the real treasure for beauty fans. The oils are hidden within the nut.
Through careful production, machines or workers crack the nuts to reveal the seeds within. They must be careful about caring for the seeds so that they can be mashed in a controlled manner.
The seeds go through a mashing process that ultimately reveals the oils. Meticulous filtration occurs so that the oil is ready for purchase.
For the most part, modern production techniques prioritize machines to cultivate the oil. However, the Berber women still produce some oils by hand. If you actually visited Morocco, you’d be able to see when and where this hand production occurs.
You now have a strong grasp of the power found within argan nuts. The tree is a fascinating plant that continues to offer countless benefits to the Moroccan people and the world. Trying this oil and preserving the tree should be goals for every mature woman who appreciates nature’s resources.
The argan tree’s history and use in society is fascinating to mature women who appreciate the liquid gold found in the nuts. From understanding the Berber women’s role with the tree and UNESCO’s preservation efforts, the argan tree will grow and thrive well into the next decades.
Take a careful look at what you’ve learned about the argan tree, such as:
- The tree’s historical features
- Characteristics surrounding the plant
- Benefits derived from the tree
- Berber women and tree care
- Preservation efforts by UNESCO
- Liquid gold uses from the tree’s nut oils
Because the tree remains preserved in its native land, you can expect to have argan oil for many years to come. The Berber women will ensure that you have a pure product.