The Mysteries Of Tamanu Oil, The Polynesian Acne Remedy

Today, we will discuss an acne remedy which saved one woman’s life as she knew it during the last 100 years, and saved thousands of lives altogether during the preceding 10,000 years.

Deep in the archives of French healthcare lore is the tale of an anonymous patient with a gangrenous ulcer, admitted to hospital after any natural healing seemed hopeless. The woman’s fate was apparently sealed, as doctors intended to amputate her leg to save her life.

In a desperate final measure, the wound was dressed regularly with our prospective acne topical treatment. The wound completely healed, the woman kept her leg, and the only remaining sign of this close shave was a smooth and flat scar.

This miracle treatment is tamanu oil, a natural oil which gained sudden popularity a few years ago.

 

The cure for acne: hiding on a tropical beach in Fiji?

Tamanu oil is extracted from the nut of the fruit of the ten feet tall tamanu tree (Calophyllum inophyllum), found mostly in coastal areas with sandy, salty soil.

The tree has a few scattered outposts in East Africa and South India, but its stronghold is Polynesian islands like Fiji and Tahiti. The tamanu tree’s survival method is simple: the fruits drop onto the sand and are pulled into the sea by the rising tides, embarking on a long voyage until they land on the shores of another sandy island. They then plant themselves, and create a whole new colony of trees.

Read Annihilate Your Acne – get the ultimate diet for clear and glowing skin!

Polynesian locals eat the flesh and extract the seeds within. They dry these seeds in the sun for two whole months, which browns them and increases the content of oil inside. Finally, the seeds are either hand pressed or expeller pressed with modern machinery, but not with modern chemicals, for real tamanu oil is always cold pressed.

Thus, the Polynesian islanders have a green-tinted oil which has saved their lives countless times over. Tamanu oil is the default treatment for disinfecting wounds, and calming burns. It is constantly used to treat spider bites, mosquito bites, and snake bites (there’s over 450 species of snake in Indonesia alone).

The women use tamanu oil as a traditional beauty treatment, and it’s often stated that Polynesian women have the most beautiful complexions on earth.

Polynesian mothers rub tamanu oil into their babies to keep their skin smooth. Tamanu tree branches are revered for containing the life force of the gods whenever they feel like making a trip to Earth. Tamanu oil is even said to relieve a sore throat simply by rubbing it topically onto your neck.

While teenagers in preindustrial England made futile attempts to clear pimples with lead-based makeup or witchcraft, the natives of Tahiti and Fiji had no idea of what acne even was. Only in the last hundred years has tamanu oil left the islands of Polynesia, and only in the last ten have acne patients become excited about it.

 

Why tamanu oil can calm raging acne

Our first study analysed 5 different tamanu oils, making the results rock solid. TO1 was from Indonesia, TO2 and TO3 were from Tahiti, TO4 Fiji, and TO5 New Caledonia. While still the same species, the different geographical origin is guaranteed to give them nutritional differences.

Firstly, the scientists tested tamanu oil’s antibacterial properties, using human cells and examining 49 strains of bacteria implicated in skin diseases.

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The 3 gram negative bacteria strains continued to grow, but all 46 gram positives ones were halted. That’s excellent news because propionibacterium acnes, the dreaded acne bacteria that lurks in skin pores, is a gram positive bacteria. In fact, p.acnes itself was tested…

…and each type of tamanu oil was “highly active” against it, destroying bacteria cells and inhibiting others’ growth.

Tamanu oil was a more potent bacteriacide than the antibiotic ofloxacin; TO1 was the most effective.

A lesser known acne bacteria called propionibacterium granulosum was also decimated. This bacteria also feeds off oily skin and colonises human skin pores, but is present in only 100^th the numbers of p.acnes. While this study described its role as “feebler than that of p.acnes”, p.granulosum was still deemed to be worthy of investigation, and acne-prone skin usually contains far more.

Initially, the scientists discovered that tamanu oil stimulated the secretion of a bactericide called β-defensin 2, which the immune system naturally produces. That’s an intriguing power, but β-defensin 2 only strikes against gram-negative bacteria.

Further analysis revealed that fatty acids such as linoleic acid were not responsible for killing p.acnes either. It was down to more obscure plant borne compounds, and they narrowed the list down to four: calaustralin, calophyllolide, inophyllum C, inophyllum E. These four coumarins are unique to the tamanu fruit nut.

We have our answer, but the peptide remains interesting. What if tamanu oil stimulates another peptide which is active against gram-positive bacteria like p.acnes? A candidate could be beta-defensin 1.

Either way, the fact that tamanu oil inhibits p.acnes cannot be denied. Five different oils from four different regions had the power.

 

Chapter two – wound healing madness

Next up, we have wound closure acceleration – whether any Indonesians using tamanu oil for shark attacks and tiger bites had the right idea.

The 5 tamanu oils were tested on a human tissue scratch wound, at concentrations of 0.01%, 0.1%, and 1%. All five accelerated the rate of wound closure and did so much more effectively than the olive oil comparison.

TO1 and TO2 were most effective, while TO5 was slightly weaker. The scientists also tested tamanu oil’s cytotoxicity, or ability to kill healthy skin cells. For all five varieties, the concentrations required for wound healing were 27 to 76 times lower than the minimum cytotoxic concentrations.

Our next study was even greater, as it discovered the mechanics involved. This time, tamanu oil from French Polynesia (an overseas collectivity of the French republic) increased levels of collagen and glycosaminoglycans in wounds.

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Collagen is the major connective tissue, which is vital for laying down a matrix of new flesh in any wound imaginable, whether a leg cut, a great white shark bite, or a hacked-to-pieces pimple. Glycosaminoglycans are not fully understood (despite being an ancient molecule which originated long before the dinosaurs inherited the earth) but are vital for directing other chemicals and proteins in the wound, like a manager at a building site.

Collagen levels increased 1.1 to 1.23 fold after 4 hours, but after 24 hours they increased 1.4 fold. Glycosaminoglycans were similarly time dependent, increasing 1.75 fold in 4 hours and a massive 3.7 fold in 24 hours. Tamanu oil had similarly excellent effects on wound healing overall and even beat a topical vitamin C preparation: 14 hours to heal vs 15 hours to heal.

The benefit for acne would be more rapidly healing old and dying pimples, but also delayed wrinkles and ageing. The explanation for boosting collagen is probably tamanu oil’s unique resin section, which is rich in obscure bioactive compounds. These include calophyllolide, tamanolide, inophyllum D, inophyllum P, inophyllum C, calanolide B, tamanolide D, and much more. These resinous compounds are also the magical substances behind the antibacterial properties.

 

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POSITIVE – tamanu oil seems to be particularly effective as a sunscreen, since this study showed that 1% concentration tamanu oil could inhibit 85% of UV radiation damage to DNA.

The sun protection factor (SPF) was 18-22, which theoretically grants you an extra 180-220 minutes in sunlight without sunburn if you normally burn after ten minutes. I wouldn’t advise taking that literally, but it’s still great. In another study olive oil and coconut oil only scored 7.549 and 7.1196 respectively.

POSITIVE – the same coumarin compound which inhibited p.acnes, called calophyllolide, has “significant anti-inflammatory properties” according to this study. Among the millions of plants on earth, tamanu tree nuts are the only one where calophyllolide occurs, as far as our limited herbalism merchants know.

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NEUTRAL – despite the glorious defeat of p.acnes bacteria, there are few amazing testimonials from acne patients. Many report that tamanu oil did nothing but moisturise their skin. There’s a few fantastic stories and a few poor ones, but not enough of either to uncover the truth.

NEUTRAL – tamanu oil has an official comedogenicity score of 2 out of 5, indicating a “moderately low” chance it will clog pores. That’s below coconut oil (4) and above castor oil (1), and equal to grapeseed oil (2). Tamanu oil might clog your pores if your skin pores have a genetically small diameter.

NEUTRAL – forgetting about the unique resin section, the fatty acid composition of the average tamanu oil is as follows:

• Stearic acid: 24.58%.
• Palmitic acid: 15.86%.
• Oleic acid: 30.94%.
• Linoleic acid: 25.78%.
• Alpha-linolenic acid: 0.25%.
• Others: 2.59%.

Our ally linoleic acid and our enemy oleic acid are roughly balanced in this oil. Oleic acid disrupts the skin barrier and is why olive oil is poor as a topical treatment (70% concentration). Linoleic acid strengthens ceramide proteins and that’s why grapeseed oil is so glorious (69.6%).

Tamanu oil varies by country, as one Tahitian oil contained 39.24% oleic acid while one Fijian oil contained 28.07%. But it’s still low overall, so the fatty acid profile is neutral for acne.

THEORETICALLY NEGATIVE – in all the archives and reports, I haven’t seen a single concrete downside of tamanu oil.

The one possibility is that because the resin contains so many unique compounds, one or two might cause a freak reaction. Ethnicities from Oceania could even be more adapted to the plants and oils from the land in which they evolved; Europeans may not succeed with tamanu oil. Luckily, both scenarios are complete speculation.

 

The verdict – does tamanu oil clear acne?

In Western civilisation, an attempt to kill p.acnes bacteria involves a century of research, a billion dollars of funding, thousands of hardworking scientists, and millions of disappointed teenagers before an effective but painful solution is achieved.

In Polynesia, you have to stroll across a sandy beach and whack a tamanu tree with a hammer. Overall, tamanu oil does live up to its storied reputation. It almost certainly won’t cure your acne, because p.acnes bacteria is only one piece of the puzzle. Clogged skin pores are why p.acnes bacteria thrives in the first place and an unnatural diet is why clogged skin pores appear.

However, you will pile more and more pressure on your acne to give up and call it a day. Boosting collagen is an especially rare power for topical remedies, but tamanu oil joins aloe vera and cinnamon in this exclusive elite club.

 

STRATEGY ROOM

Ideally, you should apply tamanu oil when your acne is already moderately active. The antibacterial properties are effective for both soothing acne and preventing it.

It’s smartest to leave tamanu oil on overnight or all day for maximum benefit. You can rub tamanu oil into your entire face OR you can apply it locally. For local antibacterial benefits, apply to a particularly red spot and cut off the inflammation stimulation.

The ultimate product follows the usual gold standard for any skincare oil: cold pressed and free from contaminants, just like the Polynesians have been making it for millennia. A pure tamanu oil should be green tinged, with a strong aroma that varies from nutty to reminiscent of a stock cube.

Do NOT buy a pale yellow tamanu oil, for it will have been deresinated and thus robbed of its most special compounds. A darker, richer yellow is acceptable, because cold pressed oils have natural variation too. A thick consistency is optimal.

This Prime Natural Organic Tamanu Oil fits all the requirements and gives this ancient oil the best chance at helping your acne.

Follow your natural instincts and if you successfully get in touch with your lizard brain, or maybe primitive ape brain in our case, you will know from sight and smell exactly which tamanu oil is the best.  

NEXT: learn the root causes of acne, clear your skin permanently

 

 

Thanks for reading!