With the ability to bounce back from near-death conditions, the Resurrection Plant (Myrothamnus flabellifolia) is the epitome of nature's resilience. Growing in the challenging terrains of South Africa, this unique plant has evolved with incredible moisture-retention attributes. These unique attributes make it a prized ingredient for tired and dehydrated skin promoting protection from oxidation, improved skin elasticity, and heightened radiance.
Introducing Resurrection Plant
Few botanical marvels demonstrate the same endurance as the Resurrection Plant. Think of a desolate desert landscape, scorching sun overhead and not a single drop of water in sight. In such unwelcoming terrains, the Resurrection Plant has devised extraordinary survival tactics.
For half the year, this plant appears lifeless, its leaves shrunken and dormant. Yet, with the arrival of the first drops of rain, it revives in a spectacular fashion, unfurling a sea of tiny, vibrant green leaves, eager to capture every droplet.
Its remarkable rejuvenation inspired its name but what is the secret of the plant’s miraculous ‘resurrection’? A profound root system and the interplay between the tannin 3,4,5-tri-O-galloylquinic acid and Trehalose.
Benefits of the Resurrection Plant for Skin
The plant's survival mechanisms and abundance of potent phytochemicals translate into remarkable benefits for our skin.
Intense Hydration: Trehalose, a key nutrient found in the plant, plays a crucial role in providing protein and lipid stability, ensuring that the skin remains hydrated and supple. Working synergistically with 3,4,5-tri-O-galloylquinic acid, these components create a moisture-locking barrier, ensuring even the driest and most sensitive of skins are drenched with hydration, bestowing a fresh and radiant appearance.
Barrier Protection: The Resurrection Plant's own survival mechanisms, including the presence of Raffinose and Stachyose for osmotic stress protection, mirror its ability to fortify the skin's natural barrier. In an environment brimming with pollutants and aggressors, the skin's resilience is bolstered, minimizing dermal water loss.
Antioxidant Powerhouse: The skin is under constant assault by free radicals, leading to DNA damage in skin cells, impairment of collagen and elastin production, and accelerated aging. Rich in a slew of antioxidants like Gallic acid, Ferulic acid, Ellagic acid, and Quercetin glucoside, the Resurrection Plant offers a formidable shield against these relentless onslaughts. Studies on other resurrection plants, such as Haberlea rhodopensis, have found that their extracts, rich in components like myconoside, significantly stimulate antioxidant skin defenses and boost protein synthesis, offering insights into the broader potential of resurrection plants in skincare.
Rejuvenation of Dehydrated Skin: Dehydration leaves the skin appearing aged and lifeless. The Resurrection Plant, teeming with compounds like Arbutin that inhibits melanogenesis, not only addresses pigmentation but breathes life back into tired, parched skin. The skin emerges plump, revitalized, and resilient against environmental stressors.
Cell Regeneration: One of the standout attributes of the Resurrection Plant is its prowess in regenerating damaged skin cells. Studies on the Haberlea rhodopensis extract showcase its superior ability to boost collagen and elastin synthesis, surpassing even renowned ingredients like retinoic acid and retinol. Coupled with its intense hydration properties and antioxidant-rich profile, the Resurrection Plant emerges as a stellar contender in skin rejuvenation.
A Diverse Healer
This incredible plant isn't just renowned for its skincare benefits. Locally, its desiccant-tolerant leaves are brewed into a herbal tea, cherished by communities like the Mokgola in the North West Province in South Africa.
Traditionally, it's been a versatile remedy, used to address ailments ranging from respiratory issues and inflammation to heart conditions and even epilepsy. Rich in essential oils and bio-active compounds, this plant stands as a testament to the diverse healing potential of South Africa's flora.
Our Resurrection Plant is sustainably cultivated and sourced from a reputable producer who strives for full compliance with the Nagoya protocol and has a BioTrade and BioProspecting permit issued by the Department of Environmental Affairs in South Africa.
The Resurrection Plant in the African Botanics Collection
Our commitment at African Botanics is to merge scientific acumen with nature's most potent ingredients. The Resurrection Plant, infused in our formulations, is a singular, high-potency extract for revived, radiant, and resilient skin.
This resilience, rejuvenation, and sheer life force of Resurrection Plant are precisely what we aim to capture and impart to your skin through our formulations.
Resurrection Cell Recovery Serum
Revive your skin with Resurrection Cell Recovery Serum. This retinol-infused night serum lifts, firms, and brightens, suitable for all skin types.
Nourish your skin with this potent serum powered by colloidal silver and enriched with resurrection plant to promote balance and vitality while reducing redness for a radiant complexion.
A cutting-edge skin-fortifying face treatment that delivers multi-correctional benefits; hydrating, plumping, lifting and soothing. The well-rounded results include brighter, more even skin tone, reduced redness and inflammation while improving barrier function.
Skin benefits of a myconoside-rich extract from resurrection plant Haberlea rhodopensis - PubMed (nih.gov)
Exploring the Potential of Myrothamnus flabellifolius Welw. (Resurrection Tree) as a Phytogenic Feed Additive in Animal Nutrition - PMC (nih.gov)
Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical characterization of Myrothamnus flabellifolia Welw - PubMed (nih.gov)