Research findings have revealed that bitter kola has a lot of medicinal benefits to those who eat it
HIPPOCRATES,
the father of modern medicine once admonished: “Let food be thy
medicine and medicine be thy food.” According to him, modern medicine
tends towards disease prevention through foods but the majority of
people who wish to eat healthy food may also miss out on the fact that
cooking sometimes destroys or reduces certain elements that should
nourish the body. Nutritionists say that while some foods are better
eaten when cooked, some others such as fruits and certain vegetables
are better eaten raw in order to get the most of each nutrient.
Bitter kola is one of such fruits which
can be eaten raw and still benefit from its high nutritional content.
Eating a piece of bitter kola daily can help in the treatment for low
libido, low sperm count, erectile dysfunction, arthritis, reduction of
eye pressure, treating hangover, improving lung function and knee
osteoarthritis among others. Medical experts at Obafemi Awolowo
University Teaching Hospital, OAUTH, in a study published in the Journal
of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, said that bitter kola has a
significant analgesic/anti-inflammatory effects in knee osteoarthritis
patients.
Bitter kola is a potential
osteoarthritis disease activity modifier with good mid-term outcome.
Another study on bitter kola published recently in Science Journal of
Microbiology showed that seed and leaf of bitter kola have antibacterial
activity on clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia
coli, Salmonella typhi and Streptococcus pyogenes. Bitter kola has been
shown to be a popular treatment for diarrhea and fever. The seed extract
is antiseptic and is active mostly against gram-positive bacteria,
while the leaf, is active mostly against gram-negative bacteria. It is
also very efficacious for hepatitis.
In West Africa, bitter kola is now being
harnessed as a cure for the Ebola virus infections and also against
flu. The stem, bark and the seeds are used for acute fever, inflammation
of the respiratory tract and throat infections. The seeds are also
chewed to relieve hoarseness of voice, sore throat and cough. In folk
medicine, the seed is used for the treatment of liver disorder and it’s
also used in the treatment of dysentery and diarrhea. The leaves are
used for stomachache and pains and they also serve as good remedy for
typhoid fever.
Generally used as a social snack and
offered to guests in some cultural settings, bitter kola has been
indicated in the treatment of laryngitis, general inflammation,
bronchitis, viral infections and diabetes. Realnews gathered that some
Igbo medicine-men prescribe the fruit for arthritic conditions and is
eaten raw and not prepared as food because it has medicinal attributes.
It is also taken dry as a remedy for dysentery and is said to provide an
antidote against Strophanthus poisoning.
Some medical experts in Lagos have said
that regular intake of bitter kola has little or no side effect on human
health. They said that bitter kola is a potent antibiotic, which could
be effective in the treatment of many ailments and infections.
Bartholomew Brai, nutritional biochemist at the Nigerian Institute of
Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, said bitter kola is used in the
preparation of herbal drugs either as a nourishment, a supplement or a
herbal remedy.
However, Brai said: “If a patient on
medication chews bitter kola, it will make the drugs ineffective but
aside this, I do not think bitter kola has any other side effect Bitter
kola has lots of health benefits, like the treatment of cough, sneezing,
cold, diarrhoea, tuberculosis, bacterial infections and fever. It
improves lungs’ function by expanding the alveolar ducts and sac in the
lungs thereby improving and strengthening the fibres in the lung
tissue.” He said that there was no recorded side effect to the regular
intake of bitter kola, adding that it was all round medicinal.
Emeka Amaechi, a general physician, also
said that bitter kola had chemical compounds that could help the
breakdown of glycogen in the liver. “Bitter kola has antioxidant
properties used as tonic for the liver and the gall bladder, which helps
detoxifies the body system and it clears the voice by stimulating the
production of mucus along the lining of the vocal tube which softens the
dry throat and he added that bitter kola was an anti-poison. According
to him, when food is suspected to be contaminated by bacteria, chewing
of bitter kola will prevent the development of any infection or poison.
Amaechi said that biter kola helps to
reduce eye pressure and relieves arthritis by reducing swelling, pain
and increase joint movement. He also attested to the fact that the
likely side effect of eating bitter kola could be incurred by any
patient on drugs or medication. Botanically known as Garcinia kola,
bitter kola belongs to the plant family Guttifereae. In Nigeria it is
called oje in Bokyi, edun or efiari in Efik, efrie in Ejagham-Ekin, cida
goro in Hausa, efiat in Ibibio, emiale in Icheve, igoligo in Idoma,
aku-ilu or ugolo in Ibo, akaan in Ijo-Izon, okain in Isekiri, and orogbo
in Yoruba. to oder for bitterkola contact us bitterkola70@gmail.com
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