EVERYTHING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BITTER KOLA
Bitter Kola is a plant found in Central and Western Africa and it is known and valued for its medical benefits and properties. Its botanical name is Garcinia Kola. It is also popularly known as kola nut, especially in Nigeria. It is known to have a very bitter taste that also has a slightly sweet taste in the chewing process and it’s typically chewed raw.
Bitter kola is beneficial medically as it has been proven to be used to treat so many sicknesses, infections, and diseases.
Bitter kola is also customarily known by so many ethnic groups in Nigeria, given to guests at funerals, weddings, and several ceremonies, and also used in medicine. Breaking the kola nut is very important in ceremonies because it makes the guest feel welcome at the event or ceremony.
Contents Of Bitter Kola
Bitter Kola contains nutrients such as crude fats, crude fiber, moisture, protein, and nitrogen-free extract (or carbohydrates). The seed is removed by peeling before chewing.
Benefits Of Bitter Kola
Bitter Kola has so many benefits and can be attributed to its several minerals especially phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, calcium, and potassium, and also has a large value of vitamin C. Below are some of its benefits.
◦Boost infertility
◦Boost immune system
◦It is used to fight infections
◦Treats malaria
◦It helps with weight loss
◦Aphrodisiac
◦It is used to fight inflammation
◦Respiratory infection
◦It balances blood sugar level
◦It relieves food poisoning
◦It helps pregnancy
◦Antidote to dangerous reptiles
◦It can also be used as a surgical eye drop for cataracts
Explanations
◦Boost infertility:
It is used by women who are finding it difficult to conceive, and women that have infertility problems, to improve infertility.
◦Boost immune system:
In order to protect one from attacks of toxins that are harmful and make the immune system have an effective response against strange particles, the immune system needs to be provided with all the support it needs to be protected and bitter kola provides that support it needs.
◦It is used to fight infections:
Bitter kola can be used to fight bacterial infections and viral infections. It has been used over the years to fight infections. When you eat bitter kola at the early age of an infection, it tends to relieve you quickly.
◦Treats malaria:
Bitter Kola contains a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals which have anti-malarial properties called Kolaviron. It is also believed to have chemical properties that allow it to be an anti-malarial catalyst.
◦Helps with weight loss:
It helps with weight loss as it reduces the intake of food and increases the intake of water needed by the body to get rid of fats. It is known as a natural hunger suppressant and a great thirst stimulant.
◦Aphrodisiac:
Bitter kola is believed to increase the libido and sexual performance in men after chewing it.
◦It is used to fight inflammation:
Africa commonly eats it to help fight arthritis which is one of the inflammatory conditions elderly people suffer from. 2008 research shows that bitter kola works effectively and reduces inflammation on the knee of patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis, even more, better than other medications or medical procedures. It contains a high level of potassium that may contribute to factors that help reduce inflammation.
◦Respiratory infections:
It is known for its effectiveness in treating cough, sneezing, asthma, and other discomforts in the chest. For example, chewing bitter kola together with mint does magic to the respiratory system.
◦It balances blood sugar levels:
Bitter kola helps stabilize the blood glucose level effectively for individuals who have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a common type of diabetes disease that occurs when your blood glucose also called blood sugar, is too high.
It has been researched and found that the bitter kola is capable of reducing elevated blood glucose which makes it ideal for both treatments of type 2 diabetes and complications that can come out from it.
◦It relieves food poisoning:
It helps to prevent any bacterial infection caused by food poisoning. It is anti-poisonous in nature and helps in detoxification of the human system especially when eating the bark and the seed together in cases of food poisoning. After eating contaminated food or suspected contaminated food, it is advisable to chew bitter kola immediately.
◦It helps pregnancy
Bitter kola is the best supplement for pregnant women because it contains nutrients and vitamins good for pregnancy.
Contrary to what they say, it has been said to be helpful and useful for pregnant women, as it has helped to make the uterus healthier, normalizes circulation of blood, supplies strength to the expectant mother, treating nausea and vomiting.
◦Antidote to dangerous reptiles:
Bitter kola is used to scare away reptiles that are dangerous, especially snakes.
◦It can also be used as a surgical eye drop for cataracts
SIDE EFFECTS
Bitter kola with all the health benefits and medical properties also has the side effects and other health disadvantages we need to have in mind. Which is as follows;
◦Bitter taste:
Not everyone finds the bitter taste funny. Not everyone can tolerate that bitter taste it leaves in the mouth after eating it. Especially eating and drinking water can make u lose your appetite immediately.
◦It causes insomnia:
It causes the inability to sleep, so if you have a sleeping problem stay away from this. It contains caffeine and makes the brain hyper-alertness which can lead to having poor sleep at night.
◦Glaucoma:
This is a condition of increased pressure within the eyeball, causing gradual loss of sight. Research has it that moderate consumption of bitter kola can actually prevent and treats Glaucoma but too much of it can surprisingly cause Glaucoma. As the saying goes “too much of everything is bad”.
◦Dehydration:
Dehydration occurs when your body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal function. You lose more fluid than you take in. So this usually happens after eating bitter kola, it has a way of drying your mouth and throat and makes you want to drink a lot of water immediately regarding how bitter it leaves your mouth.
◦Bitter kola interacts with medications:
There are concerns that taking bitter kola while on medication can reduce the effectiveness of the drugs and render it ineffective. So it is strongly advisable to avoid taking bitter kola while on medication.
Bitter kola dosage
The right bitter kola dosage is enough to replenish your energy and improve your health. It is recommended that a person takes two (2) bitter kola every day. Too much intake of this or abusing it can lead to several side effects. So if you want to maintain a healthy life naturally, try chewing two (2) bitter kola nuts a day, make it a new habit and watch your medical visitations reduce.
