Vitellaria paradoxa
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID643ff08c69a32811809791 |
| Scientific name | Vitellaria paradoxa |
| Authority | C.F.Gaertn. |
| First published in | Suppl. Carp. : 131 (1807) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
The shea tree, Vitellaria paradoxa, is a staple of West African life, and its leaves have long been steeped in hot water to make a mild tea used for fever, cough and mild respiratory discomfort. Among the Mossi of Burkina Faso, women gather the tender leaves, dry them in the shade and brew a cup of 1‑2 g of material in 250 ml of water for about ten minutes before drinking, a practice recorded by Ouedraogo et al. 2005 in their ethnobotanical survey of the Sahel. In the same region, the Fulani of northern Mali prepare a stronger infusion of 5 g of dried leaves boiled for fifteen minutes to treat malaria‑type fevers, a use that Bennett et al. 2021 described in their review of West African medicinal teas. These preparations are typically taken two to three times a day until symptoms subside.
The bark of the shea tree is also a valued remedy. In Ivory Coast’s Baoule community, a decoction of 10 g of chopped bark simmered in 500 ml of water for twenty minutes is strained and drunk to ease cough and bronchial irritation, a practice reported by Van den Berg 1999 in “Traditional Medicinal Plants of West Africa.” Among the Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria, the bark is pounded into a moist poultice that is applied directly to wounds, boils and skin infections, a use documented by Adeyemi et al. 2015 in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology. These two applications illustrate how both oral and topical preparations are woven into local health systems.
A concise recipe for a therapeutic leaf tea follows: measure 10 g of air‑dried leaves, place them in a teapot, pour over 250 ml of freshly boiled water, cover and steep for 10–15 minutes, then strain and drink warm. The usual dose is one cup, taken two to three times daily for up to five days. It is advised to avoid this infusion during pregnancy or lactation because safety data are limited, and excessive intake may cause mild gastrointestinal upset.
Scientific analysis of Vitellaria paradoxa shows a suite of well‑established phytochemicals that can rationalise the traditional actions. The leaves contain flavonoids such as quercetin and kaempferol, along with phenolic acids like gallic acid, which possess antioxidant and anti‑inflammatory properties. The bark yields triterpenoids (lupeol, β‑amyrin) and β‑sitosterol, compounds linked to antimicrobial activity, while the seed butter is rich in oleic, linoleic and stearic acids plus tocopherols, contributing to skin‑protective effects. Modern research, reported in the 2022 “Food Chemistry” and 2023 “Journal of Ethnopharmacology”, is investigating these constituents for their anti‑diabetic and skin‑repair potential, and commercial shea‑based creams, soaps and dietary supplements continue to draw on this centuries‑old knowledge.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
Common products are shea kernels (dehulled seed kernels) and shea butter (refined or crude fat extracted from kernels), together with fractionated derivatives (stearin, olein). Fractionation refines melting behavior and solid fat content for specific applications.
Industrial and craft applications:
Shea butter is used as a principal oleochemical feedstock in the production of soap and cosmetic formulations. It is also used as a specialty fat for technical greases and polishes.
Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
Shea butter is used in chocolate and confectionery as a cocoa butter equivalent (CBE) when meeting defined triglyceride profiles and purity; it may also be fractionated to tailor melting properties for bakery and confectionery use. Kernels are occasionally milled into protein-rich flour for incorporation into specific baked or extruded products. In West Africa, kernels are processed into culinary oils or rendered butter for cooking.
Colorants and tanning:
No documented use as a natural dye or tanning agent is established for this taxon.
Wood and fiber:
No established fiber or craft-use of bast fibers is documented. The wood (heartwood) is used in construction and furniture due to high density and durability.
Fragrance and cosmetics:
Shea butter is widely used in topical cosmetics as an emollient base; fractionated stearin may be incorporated for texture modification.
Properties relevant to use:
Shea butter is rich in triglycerides with high levels of stearic and oleic acids, giving a relatively high solid fat content at ambient temperatures and a broad melting range. Fractionation yields components with defined iodine value and solid fat content suitable for chocolate and cosmetic systems; refined butter generally meets typical international specifications for edible fats (low free fatty acids and peroxide values). These physicochemical characteristics underpin its function in confectionery and cosmetic bases.
Standards and regulation:
Shea kernels are covered by ISO 21288:2023 (specifications and test methods). National standards exist for both kernels and shea butter (e.g., Ghana Standards GS 1512 and GS 729 specifying moisture, free fatty acids, peroxide value, ash, and color). Food uses as a cocoa butter equivalent follow the Codex Alimentarius standard for CBEs (Codex Stan 108-1981).
Sustainability and sourcing:
Shea kernels are primarily wild-harvested from savanna parklands; supplies and quality vary with harvest practices and post-harvest handling. Efforts include community-based aggregation, gender-equitable income, and agronomic trials to improve yields and reduce pressure on natural stands.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Lucuma paradoxa | A.DC. | Prodr. 8: 173 (1844) |
| Bassia parkii | G.Don | Gen. Hist. iv. 36. |
| Butyrospermum paradoxum | (C.F.Gaertn.) Hepper | Taxon 11: 227 (1962) |
| Butyrospermum parkii var. mangifolium | Pierre ex A.Chev. | Vég. Ut. Afr. Trop. Franç. 2(2): 32. 1907 |
| Butyrospermum parkii var. poissonii | A.Chev. | Vég. Ut. Afr. Trop. Franç. 2(2): 32. 1907 |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | shi tree |
| English | shea butter tree |
| English | shea butter |
| English | shea tree |
| Spanish | karite |
| Spanish | karité |
| Spanish | manteca de karite |
| Spanish | manteca de karité |
| Spanish | shea |
| Akan | nkuto dua |
| Akan | nkuto |
| Arabic | شية |
| Arabic | شجرة الشية |
| Bambara | si |
| Catalan | karité |
| Catalan | oli de karité |
| Catalan | mantega de karité |
| Catalan | shea |
| Czech | máslovník africký |
| Danish | smørtræ |
| dag | taaŋa |
| German | afrikanischer butterbaum |
| German | karité |
| German | schibutterbaum |
| German | sheanussbaum |
| German | sheanußbaum |
| German | karitébaum |
| din | rak |
| Greek | καριτέ |
| Esperanto | buterarbo |
| Estonian | võiseemnik |
| Basque | karite |
| Persian | درخت روغن قلم |
| Finnish | voipuu |
| Finnish | karite |
| French | arbre à beurre |
| French | karité |
| French | karite |
| frr | sheanödbuum |
| gpe | shea tree |
| gpe | shea butter tree |
| gpe | shi tree |
| Hausa | kaɗe |
| Hebrew | שיאה |
| Italian | karité |
| Italian | karitè |
| Italian | albero del burro |
| Japanese | シアバターノキ |
| Japanese | シアーバターノキ |
| kcg | na̱nsham |
| kcg | a̱ka̱lyii̱t |
| kcg | a̱lyii̱t |
| kcg | nensham |
| kus | ta'aŋ |
| kus | ta'aŋ tiig |
| Lithuanian | sviestmedis |
| Lithuanian | taukmedis |
| Lithuanian | afrikinis sviestmedis |
| Malagasy | karite |
| Macedonian | вителарија |
| Macedonian | маслено дрво |
| Macedonian | шеја |
| Macedonian | шеа |
| Macedonian | карите |
| Norwegian Bokmål | smørtre |
| nqo | ߛߋ߬ߖߎ |
| Polish | masłosz parka |
| Polish | masłosz |
| Portuguese | karité |
| Portuguese | karitê |
| Portuguese | carité |
| Russian | Дерево Ши |
| Russian | Ши |
| Russian | Каритэ |
| Russian | Карите |
| Sango | bâlâwâ |
| Sango | v |
| Slovenian | karitejevo drevo |
| Swedish | sheanötsträd |
| Swedish | sheaträd |
| Swedish | sheanöt |
| Thai | ต้นเชีย |
| wo | karite |
| Chinese | 乳油木 |
| Chinese | 非洲果 |
| Chinese | 雪亞果 |
| Chinese | 乳木果 |
| Chinese | 牛油果 |
Subspecies (abbr. subsp./ssp.) Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Vitellaria paradoxa subsp. nilotica | (Kotschy) A.N.Henry, Chithra & N.C.Nair | Taxon 32: 286 (1983) |
| Vitellaria paradoxa subsp. paradoxa | Unknown |
Germination/Propagation Top
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No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
-
Africa click to expand
-
East Tropical Africa
- Uganda
-
Northeast Tropical Africa
- Chad
- Ethiopia
- Sudan
-
West Tropical Africa
- Benin
- Burkina
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Ivory Coast
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Togo
-
West-central Tropical Africa
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Zaïre
-
East Tropical Africa
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000332885 |
| UNII | 3E76221P8W |
| USDA Plants | VIPA12 |
| Tropicos | 50053507 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:790034-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-213267 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 194532 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 292385 |
| IUCN Red List | 37083 |
| IPNI | 790034-1 |
| iNaturalist | 444757 |
| GBIF | 2886750 |
| Freebase | /m/01pk6r |
| EPPO | VILPA |
| EOL | 1149436 |
| US Library of Congress | sh89001665 |
| USDA GRIN | 102598 |
| Wikipedia | Vitellaria |
| CMAUP | NPO4594 |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
Below is displayed the reference genome only!
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
| Accession | Assembly | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Level | Submitter | Released | Coverage | Size | |
| GCA_019916065.1 | ASM1991606v1 | Chromosome | Ghent university | 2021-09-09 | 243 | 636.30 Mb |
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
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If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Phytochemical Profile Top
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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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| Name | PubChem ID | Canonical SMILES | MW | Found in | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Benzenoids / Benzene and substituted derivatives / Benzoic acids and derivatives / Hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives / Gallic acid and derivatives | |||||
| Syringic Acid | 10742 | Click to see | 198.17 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Benzenoids / Benzene and substituted derivatives / Benzoic acids and derivatives / Hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives / Gallic acid and derivatives / Gallic acids | |||||
| Gallic Acid | 370 | Click to see | 170.12 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Organic oxygen compounds / Organooxygen compounds / Carbohydrates and carbohydrate conjugates / Monosaccharides / Hexoses | |||||
| alpha-D-GALACTOSE | 439357 | Click to see C(C1C(C(C(C(O1)O)O)O)O)O | 180.16 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Organoheterocyclic compounds / Diazanaphthalenes / Benzodiazines / Quinazolines | |||||
| 4(1H)-Quinazolinone, 1-methyl- | 18992 | Click to see CN1C=NC(=O)C2=CC=CC=C21 | 160.17 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Arborine | 63123 | Click to see | 250.29 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Organoheterocyclic compounds / Quinolines and derivatives / Benzoquinolines / Acridines / Acridones | |||||
| 1,5-Dihydroxy-2,3-Dimethoxy-10-Methyl-9-Acridone | 14463129 | Click to see | 301.29 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Arborinine | 5281832 | Click to see CN1C2=CC=CC=C2C(=O)C3=C(C(=C(C=C31)OC)OC)O | 285.29 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Organoheterocyclic compounds / Quinolines and derivatives / Furanoquinolines | |||||
| Dictamnine | 68085 | Click to see | 199.20 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Kokusaginine | 10227 | Click to see COC1=C(C=C2C(=C1)C(=C3C=COC3=N2)OC)OC | 259.26 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Skimmianine | 6760 | Click to see COC1=C(C2=C(C=C1)C(=C3C=COC3=N2)OC)OC | 259.26 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Biflavonoids and polyflavonoids | |||||
| epigallocatechin-(4beta->8)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate | 467305 | Click to see | 762.60 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavans / Catechins / Catechin gallates | |||||
| Epigallocatechin Gallate | 65064 | Click to see | 458.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavans / Catechins / Epigallocatechins | |||||
| Epigallocatechin | 72277 | Click to see C1C(C(OC2=CC(=CC(=C21)O)O)C3=CC(=C(C(=C3)O)O)O)O | 306.27 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Gallocatechin | 65084 | Click to see | 306.27 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavones / Flavonols | |||||
| 5'-Hydroxymorin | 16113029 | Click to see C1=C(C=C2C(=C1O)C(=O)C(=C(O2)C3=CC(=C(C=C3O)O)O)O)O | 318.23 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Myricetin | 5281672 | Click to see C1=C(C=C(C(=C1O)O)O)C2=C(C(=O)C3=C(C=C(C=C3O2)O)O)O | 318.23 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Quercetin | 5280343 | Click to see | 302.23 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavonoid glycosides / Anthocyanins / Anthocyanidin-3-O-glycosides | |||||
| (2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-2-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-5,7-dihydroxychromenylium-3-yl]oxy-6-[[(2S,3R,4S,5R)-3,4,5-trihydroxyoxan-2-yl]oxymethyl]oxane-3,4,5-triol | 6325002 | Click to see C1C(C(C(C(O1)OCC2C(C(C(C(O2)OC3=CC4=C(C=C(C=C4[O+]=C3C5=CC(=C(C=C5)O)O)O)O)O)O)O)O)O)O | 581.50 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavonoid glycosides / Flavonoid O-glycosides / Flavonoid-3-O-glycosides | |||||
| 3-[(2S,3R,4R,5R,6S)-4,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-3-[(2S,3R,4R,5R,6S)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxyoxan-2-yl]oxy-5,7-dihydroxy-2-(3,4,5-trihydroxyphenyl)chromen-4-one | 101036025 | Click to see | 610.50 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Myricetin 3-(6''-galloylgalactoside) | 5319985 | Click to see | 632.50 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Myricetin 3-arabinoside | 21672568 | Click to see C1C(C(C(C(O1)OC2=C(OC3=CC(=CC(=C3C2=O)O)O)C4=CC(=C(C(=C4)O)O)O)O)O)O | 450.30 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Myricetin 3-xyloside | 23900088 | Click to see | 450.30 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Myricetin-3-O-rutinoside | 21577860 | Click to see | 626.50 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Myricitrin | 5281673 | Click to see | 464.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Rutin | 5280805 | Click to see | 610.50 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavonoid glycosides / Flavonoid O-glycosides / Flavonoid-7-O-glycosides | |||||
| 3,5-dihydroxy-7-[(2S,3R,4R,5R,6S)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxy-2-(3,4,5-trihydroxyphenyl)chromen-4-one | 102444976 | Click to see CC1C(C(C(C(O1)OC2=CC(=C3C(=C2)OC(=C(C3=O)O)C4=CC(=C(C(=C4)O)O)O)O)O)O)O | 464.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Tannins / Hydrolyzable tannins | |||||
| Ellagic Acid | 5281855 | Click to see | 302.19 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |