Macadamia integrifolia

Macadamia

Generally recognised as safe

Other names: Macadamia nut, Queensland nut

Macadamia—subtropical east coast; nuts in cultural landscape.

Evergreen tree with glossy leaves and clusters of hard nuts.

Family: Proteaceae
Plant type: Tree

What the safety levels mean (expand legend)

Generally recognised as safe. Often a common herb with reasonable harvest and use; still read the specific warnings on the card.
Information. Primarily informational — details in the text and warnings below matter most.
Caution. Needs extra care (dose, duration, sensitive groups, interactions).
Risky. Significant risks — verify sources, contraindications and professional guidance.
Not for home experimentation. Not suitable to experiment with at home without knowledge and certainty.
High risk for internal use. Particular risk with internal use (e.g. alkaloids); avoid prolonged or irresponsible dosing.
Not specified. Level not filled in yet — rely on individual warnings and links below.

Macadamia — plant habitus (Wikimedia Commons). — Photograph on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Plant habit

Quick overview

A practical summary; details are in the sections below.

Safety grade: Generally recognised as safe details
Scientific sources on the card: Yes — sources are listed with claims Science section
When and what to harvest: Fruit — March–September
Full harvest section
Processing methods: Culinary use
All methods and recipes on the card
Topics and symptoms: Circulation comfort (folk)
Topics section, Symptoms overview

Identification and mix-ups

Round fruits with very hard shell and edible kernel.

Possible mix-ups and risks

Related macadamias by leaf and fruit.

Similar herbs

No related herbs are linked yet.

Topics and symptoms

More topics are in the symptoms and topics overview.

Circulation comfort (folk)
Scientific· Preliminary or weaker scientific findings

Geographic occurrence

Australia
Common (expected wild occurrence in the region)

Harvest

FruitMarch–September
vegetace
Region: Australia
Notes: The nuts in their green husk drop ripe to the ground from March to September and are gathered from the ground; within 24 hours they are dehusked and slowly dried over several weeks to 1.5 % moisture, or they mould. The shell is the hardest of any edible nut and needs a special cracker.

Storage

Airtight storage(Fruit)
Shelled kernels keep 3–6 months in an airtight container in the fridge, longer in shell and dry; the high fat content goes rancid in warmth.
Light:
Out of light.
Moisture:
Damp kernels mould.
Safety:
Macadamias are toxic to dogs (weakness, tremor) — nothing under the table.

Processing methods on this herb card

Culinary use(Fruit)Suitability: High suitability
Cooking, baking, seasoning as food — general category without therapeutic claims.
Full method description (from the catalogue)
Culinary use covers herbs as ingredients in dishes, drinks, or spice mixes. This overview does not evaluate medicinal effects — only reminds you about species intent, allergies, and heat treatment where needed (e.g. some fruits or plant parts).
Combining with alcohol, sugar, or long cooking changes outcomes; verify culinary sources.
Traditional context for this method: yes·Scientific context for this method: no
Macadamia nut butter
About 15 minBeginnerScience profile
Open recipe →

Traditional / spiritual use

Kept separate from science — entries are cultural or symbolic, not medical advice.

Kindal kindal — the nut that brought the tribes together
General
Traditional useFolk useHerbal lore
The Gubbi Gubbi and Wakka Wakka peoples of south-eastern Queensland gathered macadamia nuts (kindal kindal, jindilli) at seasonal gatherings on the slopes of the Bunya Mountains and traded them, cracking them between dimpled stones. It is the only Australian native plant to become a global food crop — via Hawaii, where it arrived in the 1880s. A record of tradition.
Form:
obchodovaný ořech deštných pralesů, sezónní shromáždění
Claim strength:
Tradition
Source note:
Gubbi Gubbi and Wakka Wakka ethnobotany (Queensland); history of commercial macadamia growing (Hawaii, from 1882).

Scientific notes

Each claim lists a study type and a source (URL or DOI) where available. Dose notes from the literature are informational only.

How to read evidence strength and study type labels

Labels summarise how the catalogue entry is tagged — they are not a medical verdict on efficacy. For every row, read the summary, limitations and source link.

Evidence strength

Evidence level not specified: The author did not grade the record; judge from the summary, limitations and source link.
Narrative / orientational literature: Descriptive or expert literature without controlled group comparison — context rather than proof of effect.
Weak evidence: Study or conclusion with major methodological limits; treat only as a pointer for further reading.
Preliminary findings: First or smaller studies — interesting direction, not the final word on efficacy or safety.
Moderate strength of evidence: Moderate strength by study design; sample and context limits still apply.
Stronger evidence: Stronger design or consistency of results within the study's stated limits.
Review article: A review summarises multiple sources; quality depends on review method and field.

Study type

Narrative / expert text: Expert text or overview without a classical study design.
In vitro study: Cell culture or test-tube experiment — does not show an effect in the body.
Animal study: Animal model — transfer to humans is not automatic.
Observational study: Observing groups without random treatment assignment; confounding is possible.
Clinical trial: Human clinical trial; sample size and control group matter.
Randomised controlled trial: Randomised controlled trials are among the stronger designs when well conducted.
Review study: A review aggregates multiple papers — quality depends on selection rules.
Systematic review: Systematic review with explicit search and selection methodology.
Meta-analysis: Statistical pooling of studies; outcome depends on input data and heterogeneity.
Regulatory assessment / monograph (EMA, WHO…): Regulatory body summary for a herbal product — different context from a single RCT; often about products, not home tea.
Expert monograph (herbal preparations): Structured literature summary for a plant or drug — quality depends on author and edition year.

A randomised crossover trial (25 mildly hypercholesterolaemic adults, 5 weeks) found that a diet with 42.5 g of macadamias a day lowered total and LDL cholesterol compared with an average American diet of the same fat content.
Preliminary findingsClinical trialYear: 2008
Limitations: Small sample, short duration, controlled feeding from a research kitchen; the effect arises from replacing saturated fat, not adding nuts. Funded by an industry association.
Griel AE, Cao Y, Bagshaw DD, Cifelli AM, Holub B, Kris-Etherton PM — The Journal of Nutrition
A Macadamia Nut-Rich Diet Reduces Total and LDL-Cholesterol in Mildly Hypercholesterolemic Men and Women
DOI: 10.1093/jn/138.4.761

Images

The main photo is in the card header. More images will appear here when available.

Safety

What the warning types mean

The type on each warning helps group themes — it does not replace the separate severity badge.

Internal use: Risks from swallowing, extracts, duration of use or concentration for internal use.
Interactions / medicines: Possible effect on medicines or concurrent treatment — check sources and a professional.
Raw plant parts: Raw, unripe or poorly prepared plant parts can be dangerous.
Toxins and regulation: Toxic constituents or regulated compounds (e.g. in distillates).
Contact with the plant: Skin or mucosa irritation from contact with fresh plant or sap.
Allergy: Allergic reactions, often linked to family sensitisation.
Harvesting and contamination: Contamination, species mix-ups or harvesting from unsuitable places.

No structured safety records yet.