Mimosa tenuiflora or Tepescohuite

Also known as “the skin tree” or tepezcohuite, mimosa tenuiflora only grows in the South-western Mexican state of Chiapas.

In 1984, a gas station exploded in one of Mexico City’s suburbs, making over 3,000 victims with second degree and third degree burn claims. As a consequence of a lack of other type of medication, mimosa tenuiflora was used to treat people who had been massively burnt, with a skin destruction of over 60%.

Dazzling healing was observed: people’s skin had partially healed within 15 days! Within less than a month, the skin healing was complete. 90 days later, people’s hairs had grown back, and the tissues were totally reconstructed without any after-effect or visible mark, and without resorting to grafting.

On that occasion, doctors found out that mimosa tenuiflora had amazing properties. The plant was used again when Mexico was struck by a dreadful earthquake a year later. Tepezcohuite (meaning “the skin tree” in Nahuatl, Mexico’s most widespread dialect) was then declared part of the country’s “national heritage” by the Mexican government.

As early as the 10^th century, Maya healers were aware of the tree’s regenerating properties. As it was efficient to cure burns and wounds, they applied mimosa bark powder to wounds to soothe pain and heal cutaneous tissue rapidly without marks.

Mimosa tenuiflora bark powder helps protect the skin from the destructive action of free radicals, increases cell turnover, and has unmatched and dramatic skin regenerating and repairing properties.

The active principles are extracted from the plant bark and include:

• tannins, known for increasing skin impermeability and firmness by reducing pore size,
• bioflavonoids (protective pigments with veinotonic properties),
• numerous trace elements (zinc, iron, magnesium, copper, manganese), vital for the development of the cell biochemical process. Bioflavonoids combat free-radical damage by inhibiting the enzymes and free radicals which break down collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. In this way, they slow down skin aging. Their veinotonic action means an increase in capillary wall resistance and a decrease in membrane permeability. This stimulates the circulation and improves intracell communication by reviving the healing process.

The bark powder also contains:

• a powerful analgesic which accounts for an immediate relief of burn pain,
• bacteriostatic and fungicidal agents which help the healing of tissue lesions,
• aminated acids (leucine, valine, tyrosine, arginine and lysine) which enable the stratum corneum to retain water. As a result, they promote skin moisturizing, which is an essential step to augment all skin cell metabolisms.

Mimosa tenuiflora or tepescohuite in OFFICINEA care :
Crème pour la nuit OFFICINEA	Crèmes pour le jour OFFICINEA	Sérum contour des yeux OFFICINEA	Huiles sèches pour le corps OFFICINEA	Huile sèche pour le corps de Bébé OFFICINEA