Bitter Kola - Health Benefits
Did you know that Coca-Cola got its name from a common African tree?
Some the first recipes for Coca-Cola were made using the extract of the bitter kola plant. Though the company hasn’t used actual kola to flavor their sodas in years, the name remains a reminder of the unusual plant that inspired the iconic drink.
Bitter kola, also known as bitter cola or Garcinia Kola, is a plant found in Central and Western Africa that has long been valued for its medicinal properties. Although traditional African medicine uses all parts of the Bitter Kola plant, the seeds are mostly commonly eaten.
Bitter kola seeds have a sharp, bitter flavor that eases into a slight sweetness as you chew, and they’re typically eaten raw.
Health Benefits
Some the first recipes for Coca-Cola were made using the extract of the bitter kola plant. Though the company hasn’t used actual kola to flavor their sodas in years, the name remains a reminder of the unusual plant that inspired the iconic drink.
Bitter kola, also known as bitter cola or Garcinia Kola, is a plant found in Central and Western Africa that has long been valued for its medicinal properties. Although traditional African medicine uses all parts of the Bitter Kola plant, the seeds are mostly commonly eaten.
Bitter kola seeds have a sharp, bitter flavor that eases into a slight sweetness as you chew, and they’re typically eaten raw.
Health Benefits
Although bitter kola has been eaten in Africa for years, scientists are just beginning to study the health benefits of this flowering plant.
According to these early studies, bitter kola may be able to help with health problems including:
Infections
Bitter kola has been used over the years to fight infections from the common cold to hepatitis. A 2018 study showed that bitter kola can help combat coughs, bacterial infections, and viral infections. Eating bitter kola when an infection starts may help fight the infection and make you feel better more quickly.
Inflammation
Bitter kola seeds have commonly been chewed on in Africa to fight against inflammatory conditions like arthritis. One 2008 study showed that patients with osteoarthritis in their knees showed significantly reduced inflammation when eating bitter kola compared to a placebo. The high levels of potassium in bitter kola may be a contributing factor in reducing inflammation.
Effects of Bitter kola on BP
Bitter Kola (Garcinia kola) is highly valued in Herbal / African folk medicine because of its varied and numerous uses which are social, economic and medicinal, thus making it an essential ingredient in African medicine. The study reviews some related literature on the action of bitter kola on blood pressure and bleeding time and as well presents a case of the effect on a volunteered subject. Bitter kola from our study has shown decrease in Systolic and Diastolic Blood pressure and pulse rate every 30 minute within 2 hours but reverses after 2 hours. Bleeding time increases every 30 minutes within 2 hours but started decreasing after 2 hours. Other studies showed that Bitter kola has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, molluscidal, anti-atherogenic, antioxidant, antidiabetic and hepatoprotective but this study adds that it is cardio-protective in hypertension and in excess blood clotting. However, Blood donors and those at the risk of accident should not take bitter kola as snacks till after the blood donation or accident free experience.
Although bitter kola has been eaten in Africa for years, scientists are just beginning to study the health benefits of this flowering plant.
According to these early studies, bitter kola may be able to help with health problems including:
Infections
Bitter kola has been used over the years to fight infections from the common cold to hepatitis. A 2018 study showed that bitter kola can help combat coughs, bacterial infections, and viral infections. Eating bitter kola when an infection starts may help fight the infection and make you feel better more quickly.
Inflammation
Bitter kola seeds have commonly been chewed on in Africa to fight against inflammatory conditions like arthritis. One 2008 study showed that patients with osteoarthritis in their knees showed significantly reduced inflammation when eating bitter kola compared to a placebo. The high levels of potassium in bitter kola may be a contributing factor in reducing inflammation.
Effects of Bitter kola on BP
Bitter Kola (Garcinia kola) is highly valued in Herbal / African folk medicine because of its varied and numerous uses which are social, economic and medicinal, thus making it an essential ingredient in African medicine. The study reviews some related literature on the action of bitter kola on blood pressure and bleeding time and as well presents a case of the effect on a volunteered subject. Bitter kola from our study has shown decrease in Systolic and Diastolic Blood pressure and pulse rate every 30 minute within 2 hours but reverses after 2 hours. Bleeding time increases every 30 minutes within 2 hours but started decreasing after 2 hours. Other studies showed that Bitter kola has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, molluscidal, anti-atherogenic, antioxidant, antidiabetic and hepatoprotective but this study adds that it is cardio-protective in hypertension and in excess blood clotting. However, Blood donors and those at the risk of accident should not take bitter kola as snacks till after the blood donation or accident free experience.
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