Elaeis guineensis originally grew in West Africa. The southern coast of Nigeria was originally called the Palm oil coast by the first Europeans who arrived there and traded in the commodity. This area was later renamed the Bight of Biafra. In traditional African medicine different parts of the plant are used as laxative and diuretic, as a poison antidote, as a cure for gonorrhea, menorrhagia, and bronchitis, to treat headaches and rheumatism, to promote healing of fresh wounds and treat skin infections. In Malaysia, the first plantations were mostly established and operated by British plantation owners, such as Sime Darby and Boustead,
PAM (cooking oil) PAM (cooking oil) PAM is a cooking spray currently owned and distributed by ConAgra Foods. Its main ingredient is canola oil. PAM was introduced in 1961 by Leon Rubin who, with Arthur Meyerhoff, started Gibraltar Industries to market the spray. The name PAM is an acronym for Product of Arthur Meyerhoff. In 1971, Gilbraltar Industries merged with American Home Products (now Wyeth) and became part of the Boyle-Midway portfolio. When Reckitt & Colman (now Reckitt Benckiser) acquired Boyle-Midway from American Home Products in 1990, PAM became part of the American Home Foods subsidiary. In 1996, AHF was acquired by Hicks,