Foraha(Not an essential oil, this is a carrier oil!) Foraha, a/k/a tamanu, kamanu and Alexandrian laurel, Madagascar. Calophyllum inophyllum. Sold by weight. This beautiful opalescent cold pressed green, slightly waxy oil is rich and thick, with a delicate nutty or spicy smell. It stimulates cell regeneration and is good for fragile or broken capillaries. Foraha is a traditional medicine in the So. Pacific, where it is used for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and cicatrizant properties. Foraha has been used to treat leprosy. It helps wounds to heal and is soothing for eczema and skin irritations such as burns, rashes and insect bites. It is used as an aid for relieving pain, healing wounds, herpes lesions and post-surgical scars. A combination of foraha and Ravensara aromatica essential oil has been used successfully as a treatment for shingles. Rarely used as a carrier oil due to its quite thick in consistency, but may be part of a blend with other carrier oils. It’s highly recommended as a facial oil, either alone or with essential oils added. Shelf Life: 6 months to 1 year if properly stored. Since this is a rather thick oil, you should always stir well before using to allow any matter which may have settled at the bottom of the container to become well mixed once again.

Properties

Foraha or Tamanu Oil is used for skin softening, moisturizing. It has regenerative and antiseptic properties. Foraha oil is very efficient for dry and damaged hair. Brings back tone to permed hair and revives the brillance of colored hair. Foraha Oil contains a unique fatty acid : the calophyllic acid and in the sterol componant an antobiotic lactone and non steroidal agent the callophyllolide which is anti inflammatory. It is a cicatrizing oil and antibacterial.
External use

Tamanu Oil - The Fruit It is purported by islanders and local natural healers that Tamanu Oil possesses a unique capacity to promote the formation of new tissue, thereby accelerating wound healing and the growth of healthy skin; this process is known as cicatrisation. For this reason, Tamanu Oil is widely used as a 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, herpes sores, athletes foot, and the reduction of foot and body odour. They also massage Tamanu Oil into the skin as they believe it helps to relieve neuralgia, rheumatism and sciatica. Tamanu Oil is also employed by Polynesian women for promoting healthy, clear and blemish-free skin; they also use it on their babies as it is said to help to prevent nappy rash and skin eruptions.

The Tamanu nut is a botanical oddity. When the fruits of the tree are collected and cracked open, the blond nut kernel inside contains no apparent oil. But when the kernels are sun-dried on a rack for 1 - 2 months, they turn a deep chocolate brown colour, and become sticky with a rich, pleasant-smelling oil. Using a simple screw press, the oil is then squeezed from the dark kernels. The resulting oil of Tamanu is dark green and luxurious. Though oil of Tamanu is thick and rich, once it is applied to the skin it is readily and completely absorbed, leaving no oily residue.

Traditionally, oil of Tamanu is reported to be very effective for relieving the pain of sciatica, shingles, neuralgia, rheumatism and leprous neuritis. In 1918, researchers associated with the French pharmacopoeia began research into Tamanu Oil for topical and subcutaneous use. The French researchers quickly became impressed by Tamanu's cicatrising properties and in the French medical literature on Tamanu Oil, several instances of its successful use in cases of severe skin conditions have been reported. In one remarkable instance, 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 healed completely, leaving a smooth, flat scar. In other cases, Tamanu Oil has been employed successfully to heal severe burns caused by boiling water, chemicals and X-rays.