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Herb library · Herb · Adansonia digitata

Baobab fruit

The dry, chalky pulp inside the baobab tree's fruit is a food across much of Africa and is sold elsewhere as a powder for drinks and porridge. Its research is mostly about what it contains; studies in people are few and small.

Traditional use

Eaten as a food and, in many African countries, used traditionally for hydration, fever, parasites, coughs and sweating, and for diarrhea and dysentery, according to a 2023 review.

What studies show

  • Limited

    Blood sugar after a meal: in one small study, a baobab fruit extract drunk with white bread lowered the rise in blood sugar compared with the bread alone. It had no effect on fullness or on energy use.

  • Limited

    Nutrition: baobab pulp is a source of vitamin C and minerals, but an FAO-led review of sub-Saharan fruits found substantial differences in composition within the same species, so one product's label figures do not carry over to another.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • NoteBaobab has a long history as a food. Concentrated extracts and supplement-strength powders have much less human research behind them than the fruit itself.
  • Ask a clinicianIf you take diabetes medicines, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk with a clinician before using baobab extracts or large amounts of the powder every day.

Sources

  1. The polyphenol-rich baobab fruit (Adansonia digitata L.) reduces starch digestion and glycemic response in humans (Nutr Res, 2013) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 22, 2026
  2. Adansonia digitata L. (Baobab) bioactive compounds, biological activities, and the potential effect on glycemia: a narrative review (Nutrients, 2023) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 22, 2026
  3. Nutrient composition of selected indigenous fruits from sub-Saharan Africa (J Sci Food Agric, 2013) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 22, 2026

Reviewed September 22, 2026.