Sclerocarya birrea

Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst. (Anacardiaceae) commonly known as “marula” is a deciduous tree that can reach up to 17 m in height. It is commonly distributed in southern Africa including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia and Namibia. Traditionally, the stem bark is used medicinally to treat several ailments such as general gastrointestinal complaints, indigestion, diarrhoea, dysentery, haemorrhoids, malaria, as well as fever and ulcers. Marula seed oil is used in southern Africa as a shampoo for damaged, fragile and dry hair, and as a base oil for soap. Seed oil is popularly included in cosmetic products, and ethnobotanical literature states that the oil is used in skincare. The fruit are eaten fresh or fermented to distill spirits and to brew beer. Marula fruit with its exotic flavour boasts a high nutritive value and a vitamin C content three times the equivalent weight of oranges. In vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities of marula bark and leaf extracts, as well as seed oils, have been investigated, and antidiarrhoeal, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, antiplasmodial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-ageing properties documented. Semi-automated high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and flame ionisation detection (GC-MS/FID), ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS) and mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy were used to determine the chemical profiles of marula bark and seed oil. Oleic acid, palmitic acid, linoleic acid and stearic acid were the major fatty acid methyl esters detected in the seed oil. The presence of linoleic acid in the oil was confirmed by HPTLC when the plate was viewed under 366 nm radiation. The UPLC–MS analysis revealed the presence of catechin, epigallocatechin gallate and epicatechin in the methanol extract of the bark.