Bitter kola is about 3-5 cm in length. It has an ellipsoid shape. A brown to deep brown peel covers it. This peel is removed before it is eaten. It leaves a bitter taste in the mouth when it is eaten. It is this bitterness that its name is derived.
Bitter Kola (Garcinia Kola)
The scientific name for bitter kola is Garcinia kola. It is called Orogbo in Yoruba. The Hausas call it Miji-goro, while it is called Akiilu by the Igbos.
This write-up highlights 5 health values of bitter kola and why eating it should be encouraged as stated in a post by Kevin Onuma on The amazing health benefits of bitter kola (Garcinia Kola) in InformAfrica.com
1. Bitter Kola Improves Lung Functions
Bitter kola (Garcinia kola) has been used for centuries to treat chest colds in traditional medicine, but research has taken a look and found out why it is effective. A study in the 2009 issue of The Internet Journal of Pulmonary Medicine, performed on mice, reports that Garcinia kola improved respiratory function after 28 days of use of a Garcinia extract.
Written by Simon Adekunle of the Ekiti State University in Nigeria, the study shows that Garcinia kola works by dilating the alveolar ducts and sacs in the lungs by improving the strength of the fibers in the lung tissue. Bitter kola’s beneficial lung properties are attributed to its high antioxidant content.
2. Bitter Kola Health Benefit for Malaria
Considerable experimental studies found the chemical constituents in bitter kola have anti-malaria properties. That aside, traditional healers have for many years prescribed bitter kola for the treatment of malaria infections. Researchers who reported that bitter kola had anti-malaria effect in the 2010 issue of Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, from a survey of plants used by traditional healers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, attributed this to its quinones content.
Further more, kolaviron, the powerful chemical compound found in bitter kola, was reportedly tested on a malaria parasite and found to inhibit malarial activity.
3. Bitter Kola Benefit for Male Fertility (Impotence)
Garcinia kola, also called bitter kola is sometimes believed to cure impotence. Frequent taking of bitter kola boosts man performance in bed with a woman.
4. Bitter Kola Health Benefit for Glaucoma (Eye Pressure)
An increase in eye pressure can lead to glaucoma, according to a report from The New York Times Health Guide. Researchers at Lagos University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria tested the effectiveness of eye drops that contained 0.5 percent extract of Garcinia kola. The results of their study, published in the January 2010 issue of Middle East African Journal of Opthamology, showed that the opthamolic solution that contained the Garcinia significantly reduced eye pressure when used twice a day.
5. Bitter Kola Health Benefit for HIV
Bitter kola is a potent antibiotic which could be efficacious in the treatment of HIV and AIDS. A researcher with the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), Mrs. Chinyere Nwokeke told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that bitter kola could be used in treating opportunistic infections associated with HIV.“Bitter kola is highly recommended in the treatment of HIV and AIDS because of its antibacterial, detoxification, and cleansing properties”, she said.
Mrs Chinyere Nwokeke also said that the chemical saponin in bitter kola is responsible for its cleansing effect. Saponin is mainly used as tonic for the liver, it enhances the functions of the liver and gall bladder.
We should recall that Nigeria’s world renowned Professor, Maurice Iwu during the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) said bitter kola could be used to prevent EVD. The federal government of Nigeria through the ministry of health and its agencies could invest funds into scientific researches to find out more health importance of bitter kola.
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