BRAZIL NUT (bertholletia excelsa)

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	BRAZIL NUT
	*bertholletia excelsa*

Name
BRAZIL NUT

Scientific Name
bertholletia excelsa

BRAZIL NUT

The family: Lecythidaceae Bertholletia

Etnicos Names: Brazilnut, Castanheiro do For, nut of For, Creamnut, Castana of For, Castana of Brazil

The parts Used: Nut, Oil of Seed

The properties/the actions: The emollient, Nutritive, Antioxidant, Insecticide

Fitoquimica: Of linolenico, acid alpha, Antimony, Cerium, Cesium, Europium, Lanthanum, Lutetium, Samarium, Scandium, Selenoprotein, Tantalum, the Tungsten, Ytterbium

Chestnut seller does For, the name that the Brazilian denominates east tree, is in many States of Amazonian Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. He is very predominant in the Brazilian states of Maranhao, of I kill Grosso, of the Acre, of For, of Rondonia, and Amazon. The tree is enormous, frequently reaching the height of 160 feet or more. The fruit is a ligneous, spherical and great capsule or case and measures an average of six inches in the diameter and can weigh up to 5 pounds. The cases of the fruit grow branches by the end of heavy, then they mature and they fall of the tree of the June of January. Within each case of fruit he is 12 to 25 nuts of Brazil with its own individual skeleton.

The trees of the nut of Brazil can produce approximately three hundred or more of these cases of fruit. The commercialization and export of the nut of Brazil today of Amazonía Brazil, that began in the 1600 was done by Dutch retailers, were second single one surpassed by the rubber. Although thousands of tons of nuts of Brazil export every year of Brazil, virtually all production of nut of Brazil comes from wild of forest and harvested trees of virgin earth. The trees grow very slowly and very little they are cultivated truely. The United States matters annually only on 10 tons.

The Nuts of Brazil are a nut of three sides with white meat or meat that is made up of 70 greasy percents or the oil and 17 percents protein. The oil is extracted of the nuts and is used commonly in Peru and other South American countries make the soap. In the Brazilian Amazon, the bark is made the tea to deal with the indisposiciones the liver and diseases. By centuries, the Indigenous Tribes of the forest have trusted of the Nuts of Brazil like an important and significant aid of their diet. Thus the importance that it has was used as value of commerce, having produced much money. The indigenous Tribes eat the crude nuts, or rallados and are mixed in with their feeding. In the Brazilian Amazon, the nuts are rallan with the thorny roots of the palms of Socratea in mush white known like leite chestnut, and then they mix it with the flour of mandioca (yucca). Being a this valuable source of calories, fat and the protein for much of the people rural and urban of Amazon.

Having a high oil content, of this plant (Nut of Brazil) candles take control miniatures. The oil is extracted of the nuts and is used by the natives and farmers to cook, for the lamps, the soap, and food of cattle. The empty cases of the seed, often called "ollas of monkey, " they are used to take around aumadores small fires to discourage the attacks of black flies, and they are also used like glasses of collection to reunite látex of rubber of used trees and glasses like drinking. The rinds of these seed the cases have also been used in Brazilian the popular medicine to make in the tea to treat pains estomago.

The Oil of the Nut of Brazil is clear a yellowish oil that it has an pleasant and sweet scent and the flavor. In addition to the protein and the fat, Nuts of Brazil are a substantial source of selenium, antirust an important one. A single nut of Brazil exceeds the daily recommendation selenium. The proteins found in nuts of Brazil are very high in acids containing of sulphur of amino as cysteine (8%) and methionine (18%) and are also extremely rich in the glutamina, acid of glutámico, and arginina.

The Oil of the Nut of Brazil contains mainly palmítico, oleic and linoleic and the acids alfas of linolenic and small amounts of mirística acids and stearic and phytosterols. Today, Oil of Nut of Brazil is used in soaps, to condition of champúes for the hair. He is conditioning a wonderful one of hair; they give brightness, and body and smoothness to the hair. Aids renew to, hair without life and broken in their ends and allows that hair remains smooth and silky. It provides stability to the detergent properties and aids clean the hair. It is possible also to be found in products of well-taken care of of skin as it acts like a wonderful humectante of the skin. The oil of the Nut of Brazil in used in creams to maintain smooth and smooth the skin.

The references:

Schultes, R. And, "Obsequios of the Flora de Amazon to the Mundo". Arnoldia 50(2): 21-34 (1990).

Vasquez, M. R., 1990 Plantas Utiles de Amazonian Peru. Second Turn. Filed with the National Agricultural Library of USDA.

Schultes, R., Raffauf, R., 1990, the Curativo Forest, the Press of Dioscorides.

Smith, Nigel, William, J., Plucknett, Donald and Talbot, Jennifer. 1992. The tropical Forests and their Cosechas. To publish of Comstock, NY

The branch, L. C., and give Silva, I. M. 1983. The popular Medicine of Alters for Ciao, For, Brazil. Act Amazonica 13 (5/6): 737-797. Manaus, Brazil.

The Duke, J., 198ă. The guide of Medicinal Plants, Indians and of the northeast. The Publications of Quarterman, MA.

Ampe, C., to the one of ET, "La acid succession of amino of proteins of rick of sulfur 2S of seeds of nut of Brazil (of Bertholletia H.B.K.) excelsa." Eur. J. Biochem. 159: 597-604 (1986).

The sun, S.., to the one of ET, "las Properties, biosynthesis and processing of a rich sulfur protein in the nut of Brazil (of Bertholletia H.B.K.) excelsa." Eur. J. Biochem. 162: 477-483 (1987).

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