Jojoba

Jojoba

• What Is It?

  • Medicinal plan that is created into an oil.

  • Comes from the Simmondsia chinensis plant that is found commonly in North and Central American deserts and has been known to be cultivated in Egypt, Chile, and Argentina.

• How Does It Work on the Body?

  • It works on the body with its antioxidant properties, anti-acne, anti-psoriasis, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, analgesic, antimicrobial and anti-hyperglycemia.

  • Its mechanisms of action will be discussed in the next section in greater detail.

• What Is It Used for?

  • Anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic properties.

    • Habashy et al., conducting a study in 2005 that demonstrated reduction of edema and Prostaglandin E2 (a lipid compound that is the one of the main components of inflammation) in a rat study.

    • Supports that jojoba oil is involved in the blockage of both COX2, also known as cyclooxygenase II and lipoxygenase which leads to blocking inflammation.

    • This study was further confirmed with a study involving the results of jojoba liquid wax and the treatment of diaper rashes, also known as a napkin rash.

    • The study involved the jojoba wax and the combination of triamcinolone acetonide, nystatin, neomycin, and gramicidin.

    • Shown that the liquid wax was just as effective as the combination listed above and jojoba was known to have fewer side effects.

  • Anti-acne

    • Jojoba oil's properties as a liquid wax allow the dissolution of sebum deposits within hair follicles due to an ability to penetrate the follicles and remove the comedone which ends up clearing the skin.

    • One study done by A.R. Baldwin was shown that the anti-psoriasis activity of jojoba oil is related to the keratoplastic and keratolytic effect required to treat excessive scaling of the skin.

  • Antimicrobial

    • A study done by Ranzato et al. (2011) showed that the liquid wax property of jojoba has been shown to break down the solid wax coating of bacilli which along with the combination of antibiotics can treat Tubercle bacilli, leprosy bacilli, and brucelli.

    • Alcoholic extracts of jojoba have been shown to be effective against Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhimurium, and Candida albicans.

    • The alkaloid, saponin, and steroid component of the jojoba root extract is believed to be the cause of activity of the pathogens listed above.

• Dosage:

  • No known dosage as jojoba is not taken orally.

• Adverse Effects:

  • No studies have been shown to prove any adverse side effects of jojoba.

• Interactions:

  • No studies have been shown to prove any significant medication interactions with jojoba oil.