Borututu
A yellow colouring from the bark of an African tree, used in Ghana and Angola
No single value: Borututu is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, yellow.
Borututu is a yellow colouring made from the bark of the Cochlospermum angolense tree. It is used in Ghana to colour shea butter and is also known as a traditional medicine in Angola, where it goes by names like mburututu.
- Borututu is made from the bark of Cochlospermum angolense.
- In Ghana, it colours shea butter yellow.
- Known as mburututu in Angola and paajawu in Ghana.
- Used in traditional medicine and food.
What colour is Borututu?
Borututu is a yellow colouring substance obtained from the bark of the African tree Cochlospermum angolense. The colour it produces is described as vibrant yellow, especially when added to shea butter in Ghana. It stands out for its use in both food and traditional medicine, and is known by different names in local languages.
Where does Borututu come from?
The name borututu comes from Angola, where the tree and its bark are widely used and known as mburututu in Chokwe and Kimbundu. In Ghana, the bark is called paajawu. The tree itself is native to Africa and is used in several countries, including Nigeria and Niger, for medicinal and colouring purposes.
How is Borututu made?
Borututu colouring is made by using the bark of the Cochlospermum angolense tree. In Ghana, the bark is added during the boiling of shea butter to give it a yellow tint. The bark is also dried and sold as pills or tea in health stores, mainly for its claimed medicinal properties.
Where Borututu is used
In Ghana, borututu bark is used to colour shea butter during its preparation. In Angola and other African countries, it is used in traditional medicine, often as a tea or in pill form. Its main uses are in food colouring and as a herbal remedy.
Yellow around the world
What the yellow family means from country to country.
The yellow disc of the Aboriginal flag is the sun, giver of life. The flag was designed by the Luritja artist Harold Thomas and first flown in Adelaide in 1971.
Sacred and holySource: Australian Aboriginal flagAt the gaye holud, held a day or two before a wedding, relatives rub turmeric paste on the bride and groom. Guests dress in yellow and orange.
Weddings and marriageFestival and celebrationJoySource: Gaye holudOn Pohela Falgun, the first day of spring, young women wear yellow and orange saris, a shade called basanti, with flowers in their hair.
Festival and celebrationNature and renewalJoySource: Pohela FalgunThe Flemish flag is a black lion on yellow, and the Walloon flag a red cockerel on yellow. The language communities are often shown by these colours.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of FlandersThe flag is yellow, the colour of the Sultan. By custom, ordinary people did not wear yellow in the ruler's presence.
Royalty and powerPrideSource: Flag of BruneiThe national football team plays in a yellow shirt with green trim, the canarinho. It was chosen in a newspaper contest after the 1950 World Cup final was lost in white.
Festival and celebrationPrideJoySource: Brazil national football teamShades and relatives of Borututu
Borututu may be confused with other yellow plant-based colourings, but it is distinct for coming specifically from the Cochlospermum angolense tree. It is also known by various local names depending on the region.
Questions people ask about Borututu
What colour is borututu?
Borututu produces a vibrant yellow colour, especially when used to colour shea butter in Ghana.
Where does the name borututu come from?
The name borututu is used in Angola, where the tree is widespread and known as mburututu in local languages.
What is borututu made from?
Borututu is made from the bark of the African tree Cochlospermum angolense.
How is borututu used?
In Ghana, borututu bark is added to shea butter for yellow colouring. It is also used in traditional medicine as tea or pills.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Borututu", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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