Ucuuba Butter - Baboonwood - (Virola surinamensis, Myristicaceae)
POPULAR USES
Commonly, the oil is used as an ingredient of candles and to burn for light, which spreads an aromatic odor. In home medicine, it has been successful at treating rheumatism, arthritis, colic, ulcers, and hemorrhoids. The butter of ucuuba, which is hard and yellow, can be used in combination with other ingredients for the production of candles and plant-based soaps, and is a substitute for paraffin, which is made with petroleum. Soaps and creams made with ucuuba show a proven anti-inflammatory effect, and have healing and anti-septic properties. A mature ucuuba tree can be sold for R$ 5.00, which is then transformed into broom handles that are sold for R$ 0.40 each in the fairs and ports of Belém. However the seeds, which are sold for R$ 0.50/kg, can generate an income of R$ 18.00 to R$ 25.00 per year, assuming a productivity of 30 to 50 kg of seeds per year. The fruits are collected along beaches and streams throughout the Amazon region, stored, and sold to make plant-based butter that replaces animal tallow when making soap.
ECOLOGY
Ucuuba is a native tree of the floodplains found throughout the Amazonian region, extending to the states of Maranhão and Pernambuco. The indigenous name of the tree means grease (ucu) and tree (yba). This species prefers flooded regions, and reaches a height of 25 to 35 m. A mature tree can produce between 30 to 50 kg of seeds per year. The seeds are rich in fats (60%–70%) and extracts of oil / tallow can reach 50% per kilo of seeds (dry weight). A plantation with 150 trees per hectare can yield up to 7 tons of seeds per year, which can be processed into 3500 kilos of fat per hectare. Trees can grow 3 m over the course of two years. The wood is of excellent quality and is used for particleboard and laminated wood. The extraction of trees for these uses is endangering the remaining forest resources.
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