Tireless Tamanu

It just never stops.

Tamanu is a ‘drift seed’ like  a coconut.  Their shells, imperious to the sea waters, can float for months, even years, at sea.  This miracal nut travels the ocean waves, and if nature so chooses, it takes root on the coastal sands of the south pacific islands, maturing into the famed tamanu tree. This tree also grows on the mainlands and coasts of South Asia.

The oil is successfully stored at room temperature.Tamanu oil should be a rich, dark green colour.  Not black. A black oil may indicate that the tamanu has been mixed or thrown in a fire to speed up the curing process. There are lighter coloured oils available on the market, but these should also be avoided.  They are most likely diluted with another carrier oil.  The price may or may not indicate this, but beware.

How to buy?

Always look for 100% pure dark green coloured tamanu oil with a strong nutty odour. 

We understand that the quality of Tamanu may vary slightly from island to mainland and also from the practices of cultivation.  Our goal was to find a sustainable, organic and affordable pure oil.

We purchase our sustainable organic oil from Mountain Rose Herbs, who in turn get their oil from Vietnam.  We have included the certificate here on our site.  Mountain Rose Herbs guarantees sustainable products and upon request have answered many of our queries.

On Tamanu oil as a red-listed oil:

"We are working diligently on trying to have all of these "red-listed" herbs and oils certified Fair-Trade, but this is an ongoing process and is only available through certain means. Please note that we do all that we can to source our organics from sustainable and lawful sources and will not sell a product just because it is popular without these means being held in place. We work very hard to source our organics from the most sustainable sources for a most affordable price."

On Sustainability:

Mountain Rose herbs is in close contact with a certified farm in Vietnam. “The tamanu nuts are sustainably harvested from a Certified Organic cultivated crop of wild Tamanu, or Calophyllum inophyllum, and does not use any child-labor or unlawful harvesting practices with their employees.”

On Certification: 
See third certificate (scroll down)

There are many websites extolling the endless properties of tamanu oil:  anti-inflammatory, anti-neuralgic, antibiotic and antioxidant.

"The real healing power of this traditional topical oil is its unique ability to promote the formation of new tissue, thereby accelerating wound healing and the growth of healthy skin (anti-aging). The scientific term for this process is "cicatrization". Scientists don’t fully understand the unique cicatrizing properties of the Oil as it has an extremely complex portfolio of chemistry that is difficult to decipher or explain.In addition, Tamanu Oil contains Sc Glucan which provides natural UV protection in that it prevents 85% of the DNA damage and oxidative stress induced by UV radiation at 1% concentration as a new biological UV filter with a SPF 18-22."

Earth to Body offers tamanu oil as a cosmetic product.   We have listed all of the cosmetic properties on our site under our Head to Toe Tamanu Oil.

In addition to the oil we also make a cream, a soap and body oil with tamanu.

The nourishment of the tamanu is endless!  It just never stops!