It has been claimed to have potential to improve nutrition, boost food supply in the "annual hungry season",[5] foster rural development, and support sustainable land care.

Many botanical works from the late 19th and much of the 20th centuries used the name Butyrospermum parkii, which is still commonly found in the cosmetics trade.

However, Vitellaria paradoxa is the oldest name (published in 1807) and has been generally used in recent decades, as necessitated by the rules of botanical nomenclature; efforts in 1962 to make Butyrospermum the official scientific name for the genus (i.e., to "conserve" the name) were unsuccessful.

It occurs in 19 countries across the African continent, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Guinea.

[11] A testa found at the site of the medieval village of Saouga is evidence of shea butter production by the 14th century.

Throughout Africa it is used extensively for food, is a major source of dietary fat, and for medicinal purposes.

In Ghana and Nigeria, shea butter is a major ingredient for making the African black soap.

The edible protein-rich caterpillars of the moth Cirina butyrospermi which feed solely on its leaves are widely collected[13] and eaten raw, dried or fried.