When I was much younger, I used to wonder why many old people in our village were used to eating bitter kola and kolanuts even though those fruits were just bitter. I knew that kolanuts helps people to stay awake but I didn't really know what benefit those old people gained from eating bitter kola. What I did notice however among my Igbo speaking community in the village was that most of those old people were living much longer and had less body fat on them.
Compared to our society today, many Igbo people live in the city and it seems that were are gradually forgetting the traditional secrets of living longer and healthier. We no longer eat the kinds of foods our parents or grand parents used to eat as people nowadays tend to eat fast food and instant noodles. It's getting harder to even find Igbo restaurants who still cook traditional Igbo foods such as Ugba and Okporoko and so on. It seems we are gradually getting sinked into eating processed foods and fatty foods which even medical experts have proven to be unhealthy. The traditional Igbo food is normally a combination of cooked food along with fresh fruits and vegetables. Nowadays, we tend to eat more of fried and processed foods while fruits have been thrown out of the picture.
In the good old days, most Igbo people used to live to be 79, 80 and even 90 years old as far as I can remember. Nowadays, you'd be amazed at the rate at which Igbo people are dying and most of them are even dying before their aged parents at home. Why are more young Igbo people dying nowadays even at the age of 30 or 40 years when they are supposed to have started enjoying their lives? I guess one of the reasons for early deaths among Igbo people is lack of good health and the number one killer seems to be heart attack. It is an Aru(Abomination) for a person to die before his/her own parents but this is becoming common in Igbo land and can be stopped.
One of the traditional ways through which Ndigbo can live longer and healthier lives is by taking bitter Kola. In the place where I come from we call it Ugoro or Akiilu(or Akuilu) and it grows abundantly in Igbo land.
Bitter Kola is a fruit that is bitter on the tongue when eaten but really works wonders for the body. I think that everyone who eats at least one bitter Kola a day can really
Ndi guru akwukwo(Educated people) refer to beloved Ugoro as Garcinia Kola and they have done some research on it and found out it has a lot of health benefits.
Reduces blood pressure: One of the main causes of early death among Igbo people nowadays is high blood pressure. High blood pressure leads to a lot of complications such as cardiac arrest, stroke and so on. It has been reported that Bitter kola helps in thinning the blood and this way reduces blood pressure. So it can ward off early death mostly related to high blood pressure.
Improved eyesight: It helps in reducing eye pressure and hence improves eyesight as hence prevents cataracts from forming
Improved Lung function: A 2008 research claims it really helps the lungs in treating chest colds since it dilates the alveolar ducts and sacs in the lungs by strengthening the lung fibers. This helps improve respiratory function and has been used for ages traditionally as a remedy for colds and catarrh.
Anti-poisoning: It fights off other chemicals your body might have taken and this includes drugs or poison. So if you are on medication, you can suspend taken bitter kola because the latter is superior and will render the drugs ineffective.
Arthritis relief: It also helps in reducing arthritis pain since it reduces swelling, pain and improves mobility.
What more do you need to believe that this God given fruit is really beneficial?
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