Bitter kola and some of its health benefits
Bitter kola is a type of nut mostly found in several parts
of Nigeria and West-Central Africa as a whole and the
tree grows in the (tropical) rain forests. Its biological
name is “Garcinia kola ” and belongs to the family of
“Guittiferal”. Bitter Kola has been identified as a potent
antibiotic which could be effective in the treatment of
many diseases. The fruit, seeds, nuts and bark of the
tropical tree have been used for centuries in traditional
medicines to treat many forms of ailments.
Chewing bitter kola relieves coughs, hoarseness,
bronchial and throat troubles. Several studies discovered
bitter kola to be a remedy for dysentery, osteoarthritis,
antidote against poisoning and considered an
aphrodisiac.
I hope many Africans both at home and in diaspora will
continue to appreciate herbal medicines with little to no
side effects compared to pharmaceutical drugs with
gazillion known side effects. I have broken down the
several health benefits of Bitter Kola ( Garcinia kola ) for
the healing of many common and seasonal ailments:
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.
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.
“We extracted its chemical constituents, which is
called Kolaviron and when it was tested on malaria
parasite, we found it had significant anti-malarial
activity,” says Professor Olusegun Ademowo, a
researcher at the Institute for Advanced Medical
Research and Training, College of Medicine,
University of Ibadan, South West of Nigeria.
“What we are now trying to find out is the right
dosage of its extract that would be required in
treating malaria. Also, we are looking at what other
effects its use will have on the human cells. But at
the moment it is in the preliminary stage.”
In 1999, a group of researchers in Kinshasa, Congo,
attested to why people should consider feeding more on
bitter kola to ward off malaria. Under laboratory
conditions, they found extracts from bark, stem and
seed of bitter kola tree inhibit the growth of malaria
parasite (Plasmodium falciparum) by at least 60% at a
low concentration of 6 mg/ml.
Bitter Kola Health Benefit for Osteoarthriti
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