Scientific Name: Aleurites moluccanus
Bahasa Indonesian: Kemiri
Batak: Gambiri
Basic Information:
The candlenut is a flowering tree in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, also known as candleberry, Indian walnut, kemiri, varnish tree, nuez de la India, buah keras, or kukui nut tree, and Kekuna tree.
Its native range is impossible to establish precisely because of early spread by humans, and the tree is now distributed throughout the Newand Old World tropics. It grows to a height of 15–25 m (49–82 ft), with wide spreading or pendulous branches. The leaves are pale green, simple, and ovate, or trilobed or rarely five-lobed, with an acute apex, 10–20 cm (3.9–7.9 in) long. The nut is round, 4–6 cm (1.6–2.4 in) in diameter; the seed shell has white, oily, and fleshy kernel that contains a thin embryo surrounded by an endosperm. Its kernel serves as the source of oil, and is covered with a thin layer of secondary seed coat.
The nut is often used cooked in Indonesian and Malaysian cuisine, where it is called kemiri in Indonesian or buah keras in Malay. On the island of Java in Indonesia, it is used to make a thick sauce that is eaten with vegetables and rice. The raw fruit is poisonous.
Modern cultivation is mostly for the oil. In plantations, each tree produces 30–80 kg (66–176 lb) of nuts, and the nuts yield 15 to 20% of their weight in oil. Most of the oil is used locally rather than figuring in international trade.
Candlenut oil has been used for various purposes, such as for the preparation of paints, varnishes, wood polish and linoleum, for illumination, soap manufacture, cosmetics and wood preservation, preservation of fishing nets and in the batik industry. Candlenut oil used in combination with coconut oil has been used for skin and hair treatment.
Health Benefits:
- Traditional healers recommend candlenuts to individuals who are suffering from diarrhea because its fiber content can help in adding bulk to stools, therefore putting an end to diarrhea. Candlenuts also have antimicrobial properties, and it’s no secret that most cases of diarrhea are due to the ingestion of contaminated food and water
- To relieve about fungal infections, you need put the candlenut’s oil to the part of your body with fungal infections. Do it regularly to make the results optimal.
- Candlenuts are very beneficial for people whose cholesterol levels are outside of the normal and healthy range because these tree nuts help increase the levels of good cholesterol and in the process lowering the levels of bad cholesterol
- Candlenut has melatonin that will make you relax and quick fall asleep. This is good for people with bad insomnia
- If your child gets a fever, take 15 grams of pulutan’s root, and some candlenut’s oil, it can down fever. What you needs are 15 grams of pulutan’s root, some candlenut’s oil, pan, some water, and a glass. First, boil all the ingredients, 15 grams of pulutan’s root and some candlenut’s oil, with waters. After that, filter it and put in a glass. And ready to drink
- Candlenuts contain heavy amounts of protein. It’s exactly for this reason why consuming them can help in building muscles
- The oil finds applications as a strong hair stimulant and is widely used in hair care
- Candlenut oil is used to make massage oil for a certain kind of headache (possibly caused by meningitis) in Cook Islands and Tahiti
- The Aqueus Solution of the nuts can be a treatment for autoimmune diseases and is working against pneumonia bacterial.
Fun Facts:
- In Hawaii, fishermen would chew the nuts and spit them on the water to break the surface tension and remove reflections, giving them greater underwater visibility
- In ancient Hawaiʻi, Candlenuts nuts were burned to provide light. The nuts were strung in a row on a palm leaf midrib, lit on one end, and burned one by one every 15 minutes or so. This led to their use as a measure of time
- Seeds are applied externally to the male genitals as a contraceptive in Papua New Guinea
- Candlenut tree wood is used for making canoes, gunwales and seats
- On May 1st, 1959, Candlenut was declared as the state tree of Hawaii due to its numerous uses
- By hawaiians the soot of burned nuts are used as black ink for tattoos
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleurites_moluccanus
https://www.phcogcommn.org/sites/default/files/10.5530pc.2017.2.12.pdf
Precautions and FDA Disclaimer: This web site is intended for educational and historic reference purposes only. Kukui Nut Oil has been used safely for thousands of years, however, before using kukui nut oil, people with nut allergies should consult a physician. The information on this web site concerning alternative treatments for skin conditions have not been evaluated by the FDA. Kukui Nut oil is not intended to treat or cure any skin condition, illness or disease. Always seek your family practitioner before use if you have an advanced skin disease or plan on using Kukui Nut oil for any such alternative treatment. References concerning the benefits and natural treatments using Kukui Nut oil for skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, dry skin, damaged skin, acne, sensitive skin are from historic references, personal testimonials and for educational purposes only. Affiliate links are added to the site to promote certain products. The companies and affiliate links referenced in this web site have not evaluated or approved such topics concerning alternative treatments using Kukui.
How to plant a Candlenut tree?
You just can plant a nut and wait. Or you take from us a seedling or a small tree. If the tree is young he can stay in half shadow, later when he should get huge, he need a lot of sunlight. And also the tree will take a lot of space. He will grow very fast and very high. All the small trees around will give up. Down under of a Candlenut tree it is not possible to grow a lot anymore. Chili is still growing.
The tree can use a lot of compost, but not really needs it. He take out a lot of the minerals of the soil. He is a very hungry tree.
The branches of the tree are not strong. It is dangerous to climb the tree and often also huge branches just break and fall down. Never stay under a huge candlenut tree, when it is windy or even they have a lot of fruits. Newer let a tree grow over your house, or park your car down under.
What you can use all from the tree?
The outer skin of the nuts we use as food for the Black Solder Fly to make worms, which are food for our ducks, chicken and fish. The hard skin of the nuts and the soft inner skin we dry and we use it as fuel for our PizzaSauna oven.
From the nuts we make our cold pressed Kukui Oil. The sediment of the oil we fry and we use it then for cooking and backing.
The leaves could be used for medical treatments. The wood we cut to boards and give them to the lake for at least 3 month to carbonize them. Then it is a wonderful soft lightweight wood, which is perfect to make a Sauna cabin.