Bittersweet kola

t tastes bitter and unpleasant to the tongue. However, it comes loaded with a lot of properties that are beneficial to human health. For instance, recent researches have shown that bitter kola contains certain beneficial compounds that assist in glycogen breakdown in the liver, thereby promoting longevity.

This, perhaps, explains why it has been referred to as a wonder plant because almost every part of it has been found to be of medicinal importance. Researchers believe that bitter kola could also be used in treating opportunistic infections associated with HIV. According to them, bitter kola is highly recommended in the treatment of HIV and AIDS because of its anti-bacterial, detoxification and cleansing properties.

Chinyere Nwokeke, a researcher with the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency, NNMDA, observed that “Another significant bitter kola advantage is that it is quite effective in treating diarrhoea, cough and tuberculosis among other ailments caused by bacteria. In fact, when food substances are suspected to be tainted by bacteria, chewing bitter kola immediately after eating them will prevent poisoning or formation of any bacterial infection. For children, bitter kola is used for treating mumps and measles.”

Nwokeke added that bitter kola can also be used in the treatment of breast cancer as it has anti-cancerous effect. “Actually, researches in modern science have revealed that bitter kola contains chemical compounds that will help the breakdown of glycogen in the liver and has other medicinal uses which account for its longevity effect in man. Bitter kola is anti-poison too and has the ability to repel evil men and spirits. It could sound superstitious but it works,” she said.

Scientists have also found that ethanol extracts from bitter kola and the skin have the ability to control vomiting and nausea, thus providing for the first time the rationale for its use in the management of nausea and vomiting. Some other experts have pointed out that most benefits of garcinia kola are derived from its high concentration of hydroxycitric acid, HCA, which is chemically related to the citric acid often found in lemons or grapefruit.  Also, a growing body of research shows the effectiveness of the nut and HCA as a dietary supplement, which they define as a diet pill that works. It is an invaluable tool for dieters working to suppress carbohydrate cravings and inhibit the storage of fat, while giving them more energy and enhancing their immune system.