Candid Interview with Kokum Butter...

Native and Naturalized Home of Kokum Tree

Garcinia indica  Tree and Maturing Fruit

Kokum trees are grown throughout Africa, India and beyond.  Garcinia indica  is a tropical evergreen tree that grows to a height of 50 or more feet.  Found in both wet and relatively dry regions, this tree is mostly wild and when cultivated it is done only on a very small scale.  Kokum trees do not require irrigation, spraying of pesticides or fertilizers due to the fact that they are naturalized to this region of the world.  Early in the year, Kokum fruits are tender and green, ripening to a deep reddish purple as harvest time nears. These precious fruits are in the height of harvest through out April and May of each year.

A Spice, A Drink, A Dye, A Medicine, A Beauty Secret and More

A single tree can bear hundreds of fruits annually that are used to flavor traditional food dishes, make an antioxidant rich drink (kokum sherbet), and used in cooking as an edible vegetable fat.  A butter is also rendered from the kernel of the fruit that has long been used in treatments for both skin and hair.

Fruit From the Kokum Tree

The fruits are picked upon ripening.  The outer skin is removed and the seeds and skin are dried separately in the sun.  The harvesting of Kokum (butter and other products) is almost solely a cottage industry. As there are no regular Kokum orchards anywhere. Kokum butter is rendered when the kernals inside the fruit are dried.  They are then crushed into a pulp and put into boiling water.  The vegetable fat is skimmed off the top as it slowly boils out. The Kokum butter is then put into a clean vessel, ran through a cheese cloth (or by some other means of straining out plant debris). As it cools it also begins to harden.  Kokum butter when left at room temperature is one of the hardest vegetable butters know to man. It's melting point is between 99 and 104 degrees F (38-40 C) but melts well when in contact with skin. 

Kokum Butter

Kokum butter is a very good antioxidant (combatant of free radicals).  It is rich in citric acid, hydroxicitric acid, malic acid, polyphenols and acetic acid.  Also containing garcinol, vitamin B complexes, potassium, manganese, and magnesium.  What does this mean for our skin?  This butter is a very emollient off white butter.  Naturally it has much less natural odor than coco butter or other vegetable butters. It is rich in essential fatty acids (omega's 3, 6, and 9).  These EFA's  aid in cell oxygenation and are more bio available for our bodies, meaning it is easier for our skin to accept the nutrients than from many other natural butters.  The vitamin E found in Kokum butter aids and supports skin elasticity and flexibility of the cell walls.  This wonderful butter has the ability to soften and heal chapped and cracked skin of the lips, hands and soles of the feet.  Kokum butter has been used in Traditional Ayurvedic medicine (the healing art form through out India) for thousands of years.  They have used it in healing skin ailments such as rashes, burns, skin allergies, as well as an aid in the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles, chapped, dry skin, as an aid to improve the hydration barrier atop the dermal layers of skin.  This butter has always been seen as the best option for sensitive skin.  It is non-comedogenic (non pore-clogging) making it suitable for use on the face and other acne prone areas.  It is a wonderful addition to many cosmetics though very rarely used in products in the United States.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR A PLACE TO BUY KOKUM PRODUCTS, PLEASE VISIT US AT http://www.rechercheorganics.com  and  find us on facebook!

We carry multiple products with Kokum Butter:
      Organic Goats Milk and Kokum Butter Soaps of all scents
      Whipped Shea Butters (with the addition of Kokum Butter)
       Lip Savvy Hydrating Lip Balms
       And More...