Argan kernel

The argan tree is a thorny, gnarled evergreen up to about eight to ten metres tall, with a broad crown, small leathery leaves and olive-like fruits that ripen to yellow-brown. Each fruit has a bitter fleshy layer around a very hard, woody nut. Inside the nut are one to three small, oval, whitish-brown kernels, each only about a centimetre long.

The kernels are cracked out by hand and then pressed. Oil from toasted kernels has a nutty, roasted flavour and is used in cooking, while oil from untoasted kernels is pale and used in cosmetics. The traditional mix of ground toasted kernels with honey and almonds, called amlou, is a famous Moroccan spread.

Argania spinosa is endemic to semi-arid southwestern Morocco, with small populations in western Algeria. The argan forest, or arganeraie, covers a wide area between the Atlas Mountains and the Atlantic, and the tree is well suited to drought thanks to deep roots. UNESCO designated the region as a Biosphere Reserve in 1998.

The common name comes from the Tamazight (Berber) word argan, and the species has been reclassified by botanists into the genus Sideroxylon, so Sideroxylon spinosum is its current accepted name in some references.

Argan is central to the culture and economy of the Amazigh (Berber) people of southwestern Morocco. For centuries, rural women have gathered the fallen fruit, dried it, cracked the nuts with stones and pressed or hand-milled the kernels to extract oil for cooking and household use. The pulp and press cake feed livestock, and the tree is famed for goats that climb the branches to eat the fruit, after which the nuts are excreted and collected.

From the 1990s, global demand for argan oil in cosmetics boomed, and women's cooperatives formed to produce certified oil with fair-trade premiums, which provided income and education programmes. In 2014, UNESCO added the practices and know-how concerning the argan tree to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Increased global demand brought pressures: overgrazing and agricultural expansion have reduced argan woodland, and adulterated or counterfeit oil circulates in the market. Conservation initiatives combine reforestation with support for cooperatives, and the tree remains a symbol of sustainable livelihoods in arid landscapes.

Toasted-kernel oil is drizzled on couscous, salads, bread, tagines and fish, and blended with almonds and honey into amlou. Untoasted oil is used for skin, hair and nail care in cosmetic products. The press cake feeds livestock, and the shells serve as fuel.

Traditionally, the oil has been used in Moroccan households as a medicinal and cosmetic remedy, and the wood of the tree is used for charcoal and tools. The residue left after pressing, known as the press cake, is also used as a protein-rich feed for cattle, sheep and goats.

Argan oil is high in unsaturated fats, mainly oleic and linoleic acids, and contains vitamin E and other minor compounds. Small studies suggest it may modestly influence blood lipids when used in the diet, but evidence is limited, and topical benefits for skin and hair are supported mainly by small or manufacturer-linked studies. It can be a pleasant, flavourful oil within a balanced diet.