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Plant

Andiroba

Carapa guianensis

Also known as: Carapa guianensis, crabwood, carapa

An Amazonian tree whose seeds are pressed into a deep amber oil long used by Indigenous peoples as a medicine, insect repellent, and lamp fuel. Andiroba oil is one of the [[extractivism|extractivist]] tier's most reliable cash products — the tree fruits annually from the standing forest and the oil keeps for years.

Scientific

Carapa guianensis (family Meliaceae — the mahogany family) is a large evergreen tree of Amazonian terra firme and várzea forest, reaching 30 m. The fruit is a four-valved woody capsule containing 8–16 chestnut-coloured seeds. Fallen seeds are gathered from the forest floor, soaked, fermented, and cold-pressed to yield a clear amber oil with a bitter aroma.

The oil is rich in limonoids — bitter triterpenoids (notably gedunin and andirobin) responsible for both the medicinal properties and the bitter flavour. The triterpenoids are insecticidal and anti-inflammatory.

Cultural and historical

Andiroba oil is one of the oldest documented Amazonian medicines. Indigenous and Ribeirinho peoples have used it for centuries as:

  • A topical anti-inflammatory for wounds, bruises, arthritis, and insect bites
  • A natural insect repellent (often blended with candle wax to make repellent candles)
  • A hair and skin emollient
  • Lamp oil in regions before electrification

Modern phytochemistry has confirmed the anti-inflammatory and insecticidal activity, and the oil is now a commercial ingredient in cosmetics and natural-repellent products worldwide.

Production

Wild-harvested by Amazonian extractivist cooperatives; no plantation industry exists. Brazilian extractivist groups in Pará, Amapá, and Amazonas state are the principal commercial source.

See also

Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.

  • Shares approach with: [[copaiba]]
  • Member of: [[plants]]
  • Contained by: [[amazon-basin]]
  • Harvested by: [[extractivism]]
  • Produced by: [[cnpo-clariant-brasil-ltda-anannindeua-pa]] · [[cnpo-cooperativa-mista-dos-agricultores-familiares-dos-caetes-coomac-braganca-pa]] · [[cnpo-cooperativa-mista-dos-agricultores-familiares-dos-caetes-coomac-manoel-gonzaga-d]] · [[cnpo-cooperativa-mista-dos-agricultores-familiares-dos-caetes-coomac-oscar-rivaldo-pe]] · [[cnpo-grupo-de-produtores-nilson-ribeiro-adriano-morais-monteiro-colares-pa]] · [[cnpo-grupo-de-produtores-nilson-ribeiro-andre-morais-monteiro-colares-pa]] · [[cnpo-grupo-de-produtores-nilson-ribeiro-dionel-pereira-nogueira-colares-pa]] · [[cnpo-grupo-de-produtores-nilson-ribeiro-rosiane-da-silva-monteiro-colares-pa]] · [[cnpo-grupo-de-produtores-nilson-ribeiro-santo-antonio-do-taua-pa]] · [[cnpo-grupo-de-produtores-nilson-ribeiro-solange-gomes-pereira-colares-pa]]

What links here, and how

Inbound connections from across the wiki, grouped by lens and by relationship. These appear automatically — every entity page declares what it links to, and that data populates here on the targets.

Practical

produces

shares approach with

  • Copaíba the other major Amazonian medicinal oleoresin; often co-harvested

11 inbound links · 4 outbound