Andiroba Oil is an emollient nut oil which has been processed from the seeds or nuts of the Amazonian tree, Carapa guianensis. The Indians in the Amazon have used andiroba oil for centuries as a natural insect repellent.* Chemical analysis of andiroba oil has identified the presence of a group of chemicals called limonoids. The anti-inflammatory and insect repellent properties of andiroba oil are attributed to the presence of these limonoids, including a novel one which has been named andirobin.* For more information on andiroba go to the Tropical Plant Database.

Traditional Uses:* for insect bites and stings; as an insect repellant; for psoriasis, dermatitis, heat rash, skin fungi, and other skin problems; for skin parasites; for skin cancer

Raintree's andiroba oil has been sustainably harvested in the Amazon Rainforest. Click here to learn more about our rainforest ingredients and wild harvesing methods. This product contains no preservatives or additives; it is 100% natural oil. This product is backed by Raintree's Unconditional Guarantee.

This Raintree product has not been the subject of any clinical research. All available third-party research on andiroba can be found at PubMed. A partial listing of the published research on andiroba is shown below:

Insect Repellant & Insecticidal Actions:
Roy, A., et al. “Limonoids: overview of significant bioactive triterpenes distributed in plants kingdom. Biol. Pharm. Bull. 2006; 29(2): 191-201.
de Mendonca, F. A., et al. “Activities of some Brazilian plants against larvae of the mosquito Aedes aegypti.” Fitoterapia. 2005 Dec; 76(7-8): 629-36.
Silva, O. S., et al. “The use of andiroba Carapa guianensis as larvicide against Aedes albopictus.” J. Am. Mosq. Control Assoc. 2004 Dec; 20(4): 456-7.
Miot, H. A., et al. “Comparative study of the topical effectiveness of the Andiroba oil (Carapa guianensis) and DEET 50% as repellent for Aedes sp.” Rev. Inst. Med. Trop. Sao Paulo. 2004 Sep-Oct; 46(5): 253-6.
Konan, Y. L., et al. “Comparison of the effect of two excipients (karite nut butter and vaseline) on the efficacy of Cocos nucifera, Elaeis guineensis and Carapa procera oil-based repellents formulations against mosquitoes biting in Ivory Coast.” Parasite. 2003 Jun; 10(2): 181-4.
Sylla, M., et al. “Evaluation of the efficacity of coconut (Cocos nucifera), palm nut (Eleais guineensis) and gobi (Carapa procera) lotions and creams in individual protection against Simulium damnosum S.L. bites in Cote d'Ivoire.” Bull. Soc. Pathol. Exot. 2003 May; 96(2): 104-9.
Gilbert, B., et al. "Activities of the Pharmaceutical Technology Institute of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation with medicinal, insecticidal and insect repellent plants." An. Acad. Bras. Cienc. 1999; 71(2): 265-71.
Mikolajczak, K. L., et al. “A limonoid antifeedant from seed of Carapa procera.” J. Nat. Prod. 1988; 51(3): 606-10

Antiparasitic & Antiprotozoal Actions:
Mesquita, M. L., et al. “Antileishmanial and trypanocidal activity of Brazilian Cerrado plants.” Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz. 2005 Nov; 100(7): 783-7.
MacKinnon, S., et al. “Antimalarial activity of tropical Meliaceae extracts and gedunin derivatives.” J. Nat. Prod. 1997; 60(4): 336-41.
Titanji, J. P., et al. “Novel Onchocerca volvulus filaricides from Carapa procera, Polyathia suaveolens and Pachypodanthium staudtii.” Acta. Leiden. 1990; 59: (1-2) 377-82.

Anti-Allergic Actions:
Penido, C., et al. “Inhibition of allergen-induced eosinophil recruitment by natural tetranortriterpenoids is mediated by the suppression of IL-5, CCL11/eotaxin and NFkappaB activation.” Int. Immunopharmacol. 2006; 6(2): 109-21.
Penido, C., et al. “Anti-allergic effects of natural tetranortriterpenoids isolated from Carapa guianensis Aublet on allergen-induced vascular permeability and hyperalgesia.” Inflamm. Res. 2005; 54(7): 295-303.

Anti-Inflammatory & Pain-Relieving Actions:
Penido, C., et al. "Antiinflammatory effects of natural tetranortriterpenoids isolated from Carapa guianensis Aublet on zymosan-induced arthritis in mice." Inflamm. Res. 2006; 55(11): 457-64.
Penido, C., et al. “Anti-allergic effects of natural tetranortriterpenoids isolated from Carapa guianensis Aublet on allergen-induced vascular permeability and hyperalgesia.” Inflamm. Res. 2005; 54(7): 295-303.
Hammer, M. L., et al. “Tapping an Amazonian plethora: four medicinal plants of Marajó Island, Pará (Brazil).” J. Ethnopharmacol. 1993 Sep; 40(1): 53-75.

Wound Healing Actions:
Nayak, B., et al. "Experimental Evaluation of Ethanolic Extract of Carapa guianensis L. Leaf for Its Wound Healing Activity Using Three Wound Models." Evid. Based Complement. Alternat. Med. 2009 Oct 13.
Hammer, M. L., et al. “Tapping an Amazonian plethora: four medicinal plants of Marajó Island, Pará (Brazil).” J. Ethnopharmacol. 1993 Sep; 40(1): 53-75.

Cytotoxic and Anticancerous Actions:
Moura, M. D., et al. “Natural products reported as potential inhibitors of uterine cervical neoplasia.” Acta. Farm. Bonaerense. 2002; 21(1): 67-74.
Cohen, E., et al. “Cytotoxicity of nibolide, epoxyazadiradione and other liminoids from neem insecticide.” Life Sci. 1996; 58(13): 1075-81.
Hammer, M. L., et al. “Tapping an Amazonian plethora: four medicinal plants of Marajó Island, Pará (Brazil).” J. Ethnopharmacol. 1993 Sep; 40(1): 53-75.
Nakanishi, K., et al. “Phytochemical survey of Malaysian plants.” Chem. Pharm. Bull. 1965; 13(7): 882-890.

Antimicrobial Actions (bacteria):
Nakanishi, K., et al. “Phytochemical survey of Malaysian plants.” Chem. Pharm. Bull. 1965; 13(7): 882-890.

Toxicity Studies (Non-toxic effects):
Costa-Silva, J., et al. "Acute and subacute toxicity of the Carapa guianensis Aublet (Meliaceae) seed oil." J. Ethnopharmacol. 2008 Mar 28; 116(3): 495-500.
Costa-Silva, J., et al. "A toxicological evaluation of the effect of Carapa guianensis Aublet on pregnancy in Wistar rats." J. Ethnopharmacol. 2007 May 30; 112(1): 122-6.

Chemical Constituents Identified:
da Silva, V., et al. Isolation of limonoids from seeds of Carapa guianensis Aublet (Meliaceae) by high-speed countercurrent chromatography." Phytochem. Anal. 2009 Jan; 20(1): 77-81.
Tappin, M., et al. "Development of an HPLC method for the determination of tetranortriterpenoids in Carapa guianensis seed oil by experimental design." J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal. 2008 Dec 1; 48(4): 1090-5.

---

RELATED PRODUCTS:

Customers who bought Andiroba Oil were also interested in the following products:



Andiroba Tech Report -- A Technical Plant Data Report is available for andiroba.