Jojoba
Botanical Description & Habitat
Simmondsia chinensis
Family
Buxaceae
Habitat
Native desert plant growing wild in the frost-free regions of southern California, southern New Mexico, and western Mexico deserts.
Description
An evergreen shrub growing from 12 to 15 feet in height. Jojoba has a deep tap root system extending 20 to 30 feet into the earth. The plant has very dense foliage and when mature, has a rounded bushy shape. The jojoba nut is the size and shape of a coffee bean and is contained in an acorn-type pod.
Medicinal parts
Nut (seeds)
Historical Properties & Uses
The jojoba bean contains an extremely valuable polyunsaturated oil used throughout the hygiene and cosmetics industry; pure jojoba oil is as good or better than prized but controversial sperm whale oil.
Jojoba oil has a positive effect on skin problems such as acne. It interrupts the normal feedback mechanism that controls the skin's sebaceous glands, preventing oversecretion and imparting a soft, velvety feel to the skin.
Jojoba acts in a similar manner on the scalp and hair; it reduces the buildup of sebum, acts as a hair thickener, and helps prevent excessive hair "fallout." For these reasons it is often included in shampoos and hair conditioners. The oil also inhibits tubercle bacilli and may contain an anti-cancer principle.
Method of Action
Jojoba is a valuable oil
Unlike all other polyunsaturated plant oils, jojoba oil is extremely resistant to oxidation reactions. Conventional processing produces a pure, clear, odorless oil that may be used as a dietary vegetable oil or salad oil; however, its inherent expense prevents widespread use as a condiment.
Ideally, any substance applied to the skin should have a low acid value. Normally, jojoba oil has a very low acid value of 1%, but faulty handling and processing may raise this value as high as 5%.
Jojoba oil has an iodine value of 81%-85%, which implies a large degree of unsaturation. It is often necessary to correct the layman, who believes that iodine value refers to the amount of iodine in the plant.
Jojoba oil stabilizes penicillin, greatly extending its storage life.
Jojoba may have antitumor activity
Initial screenings by the U.S. Department of Health indicate jojoba oil may contain an effective antitumor agent.
Jojoba oil has antibiotic action
Jojoba oil is an effective carrier for fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, and E. It inhibits tuberculi bacilli and has been used to treat acne vulgaris.
Jojoba oil is used to treat and cure skin conditions
In its now classic report, the Purex Corporation proposed a novel approach to the treatment of the skin problems resulting from overproduction of sebum by the sebaceous glands under the skin. The researchers theorized continual washing of the skin actually stimulated sebum production; conversely, sebum production slowed down when the skin became overly oily. A negative feedback system was apparently involved. It would be theoretically possible, therefore, to convince the system to stop producing sebum by applying a light coating of oil-containing substances to the skin. Jojoba seemed the ideal substance, since it lubricated the skin, would not sour, and imparted a soft, velvety feeling to the skin. Early experimental trials along these lines were successful, and Purex attempted to generate industry interest for further research and development. Unfortunately, there was not a large enough supply of jojoba oil available to make the project feasible.
Jojoba oil has many applications in the cosmetics industry
Jojoba oil has generated a great deal of interest in the cosmetic industry, especially in countries relying on the sperm whale as their major source of high quality oil. Sulfated and isomerized jojoba oils are equal or superior to sperm whale oil for use in cosmetics. Once again, however, limited supply has slowed research and application.
Jojoba oil is used to treat hair and scalp problems
The use of jojoba as a scalp and hair treatment presents special problems. Jojoba operates in the same manner as most hair thickeners: when applied to freshly-washed hair, it coats each hair with a fine layer of oil, imparting body and shine. It acts on the scalp to reduce sebum buildup, remove collected sebum, and encourage the normal growth of hair.
Normally, 75% of the hair is in a state of growth, while 15% is in a resting state; it is during the resting phase hairs fall out, at the rate of about 16 to 20 hairs per day. Jojoba tends to visibly accelerate hair "fallout" during the first few weeks of use. While it is unlikely jojoba oil, or any other agent, can completely prevent hair fall-out, what it may do is help insure new hair replaces what falls out.
It is important jojoba be applied to clean hair. It is illogical, however, to combine jojoba with a shampoo, as is often done, because shampoos are designed to remove oil, and jojoba has no special resistance against detergents. Hair should be washed and jojoba oil reapplied frequently, since long intervals between shampoos result in rapid accumulation of dirt in the hair. Once a jojoba program is begun, it should not be discontinued suddenly; such an abrupt change could result in a rapid secretion and build up of sebum, due to overstimulation of the sebaceous glands.
The dietary use of jojoba oil has not been extensively investigated. It has been determined, however, the oil is not absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, and huge quantities must be ingested before serious toxicity results.
Drug Interactions & Precautions
There is presently insufficient data on this subject.
Safety Factors & Toxicity
Tests by several leading cosmetics manufacturers have uniformly reported low or no toxicity.
There have been rumors of allergic reactions, but it is likely such reactions were in response to impurities in the crude oil, or in response to oil having a high acid value as the result of poor processing and handling. No allergic reactions have been recorded to pure, refined jojoba oil.
An LD50 of 21.5 ml/kg body weight in rats has been established, a value that underscores the plant's nontoxicity to humans under normal use.
Preparation & Administration
Oil
for external use
Note: This Herbal Preparation information is a summary of data from books and articles by various authors. It is not intended to replace the advice or attention of health care professionals.
References
Am Hospital Formulary Service. Am Soc of Hosp Pharm. Wash, D.C.
Bressler, R., M.D. Bogdonoff & G.J. Subak-Sharpe. 1981. The Physicians Drug Manual. Doubleday & Co, Inc. Garden City, NY. 1213 pp.
Brown, J.H. Manufacturing Chemist And Aerosol News, 50(6), 47, 1979.
Facts and Comparisons. The Lawrence Review of Natural Products. Sep, 1995.
Goodman, L.S. & A. Gilman. 1975. Pharm Basis of Thera. Macmillan, NY.
Hansten, P.D. 1979. Drug Interactions, 4th ed. Lea & Febiger, Phila.
Jojoba Happenings, several issues, especially Volumes 15-22.
Kastrup, E.K., ed. 1981. Drug Facts and Comparisons, 1982 edition. Facts and Comparisions Division, J.P. Lippincott Co, Phila(St. Louis).
Leslie Rawles, Conversations with the contributor at Univ. of Arizona. Leung, Albert Y. 1980. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredient used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. John Wiley and Sons, NY. 409 pp.
List, P. & L. Hoerhammer. 1969-1976. Hagers Hanbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, vols. 2-5. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Martin, E.W. 1978. Drug Interactions Index, 1978/79. J.B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia.
Millspaugh, C. F. Am Medicinal Plants. Dover Publications, Inc. New York, NY, l974.
Miwa, T.K. Cosmetics And Perfumery, 88, 39-41, 1973.
Mowrey, Daniel B., Ph.D. Exper. Psych., Brigham Young University. Director of Nebo Institute of Herbal Sciences. Director of Behavior Change Agent Training Institute. Director of Research, Nova Corp. Nippon Bio-test Labs. Reports. Japan.
Mosovich, B: Treatment of acne and psoriasis. Proceedings. Israel, 1984.
Purex Corporation. Reports On Jojoba.
Thomas, C.L. 1985. Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. F.A. Davis Co. Pub., Philadelphia. 2170 pp.
Tyler, Varro E., Lynn R. Brady, et.al. 1981. Pharmacognosy. Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia. 520 pp.
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