Tamanu for Cosmetics
Oil of Tamanu is suitable for general skin and cosmetic purposes. The oil's mild and pleasant aroma and luxurious feel make it ideal for use in lotions, creams, ointments, and other cosmetic products. Oil of Tamanu absorbs readily, leaving the skin feeling smooth and soft. The oil adds a glow to skin, without any residual greasiness or oiliness. Tamanu oil has been shown to improve skin appearance by improving skin elasticity, firmness and smoothness.
Tamanu oil and Scar Healing
Tamanu oil applied to wounds possesses the capacity to promote the formation of new tissue, thereby accelerating healing and the growth of healthy skin. This process of forming new tissue is known as cicatrization. Tamanu oil is a widely used traditional topical aid. In Pacific island folk medicine, Tamanu oil is applied liberally to cuts, scrapes, burns, insect bites and stings, abrasions, acne and acne scars, psoriasis, diabetic sores, anal fissures, sunburn, dry or scaly skin, blisters, eczema, and herpes sores, and to reduce foot and body odour. Polynesian women apply Tamanu oil topically to promote healthy, clear, blemish-free skin, and massage it onto babies to prevent diaper rash and skin eruptions.
Anti-neuralgic and Skin Healing Activity
Traditionally Tamanu oil has a history of topical use for relieving the pain of sciatica, shingles, neuralgia, rheumatism, and leprous neuritis. In the late 1920s, Sister Marie-Suzanne, a nun in the Society of Mary stationed in Fiji , became aware of a local topical aid for neuritis known locally as
dolno , i.e., Tamanu oil. The nun began to administer Tamanu oil topically to leprosy victims for the relief of neuritis associated with that disease, with apparent positive results. Her reports of success with this treatment attracted the interest of scientists in France.
As a result of its effective use in Fiji , Tamanu oil was further investigated by French researchers in the 1930s for its anti-neuralgic effects. But they quickly became more interested in Tamanu's cicatrizing (scar healing) properties, which subsequently received the most attention. French medical literature on Tamanu oil reports several instances of its successful use in cases of severe skin conditions, with photographs showing before and after use. In one of the most remarkable instances, a woman was admitted to the St. Louis Hospital in Paris with a large gangrenous ulcer on her leg that would not heal. Though doctors were sure that amputation was inevitable, she was given regular dressings of Tamanu oil. The wound eventually healed completely, leaving a smooth, flat scar. In other cases, Tamanu oil has been reportedly employed successfully to heal severe burns caused by boiling water, chemicals, and X-rays.
As these reports are of largely anecdotal and modern evidence to back them up is lacking. This author could not recommend Tamanu oil for any other purposes than as a cosmetic oil to improve skin condition.
