A lot of people don’t actually know
that Coca-Cola got its name from a common African tree.
Without been told some of the first
recipes for Coca-Cola were made using the extract of the bitter kola plant. However
the company has not actually used kola to flavor their sodas in years, but the
name remains a reminder of this unusual plant tree that inspired the iconic
drink.
Furthermore, Bitter kola which is also
known as bitter cola or Garcinia Kola, is a plant that was found in Central and
Western Africa that has long been valued for its medicinal properties. All
parts of bitter kola plants are used by African traditional doctors, the bitter
kola seeds are mostly eaten.
The bitter kola seeds itself have a
sharp, bitter flavor that eases into a slight sweetness when chewing it, bitter
kola seeds are typically eaten raw.
Some of the health benefits
In Africa, bitter kola has been eaten
for years. Some scientists are just beginning to study the health benefits of bitter
kola.
According to some of these scientists,
bitter kola can help with these following health problems:
1.
Treatment of Infections: This
wonderful African plant has been used over the years to fight infections from
common cold to hepatitis. A research in 2018 has shown that bitter kola can
help combat coughs, bacterial infections, and also viral infections. A study
has shown that eating bitter kola when an infection starts can help to fight
the infection and make you feel better more quickly.
2.
Fight against inflammation: In Africa
bitter kola are commonly chewed to fight against inflammatory conditions like
arthritis. A study in 2008 showed that some patients with osteoarthritis in
their knees showed significantly reduced inflammation when eating bitter kola
compared to a placebo. Bitter kola has high levels of potassium which is the contributing
factor in reducing inflammation.
3.
Treatment for diabetes: According to research a chemical called kolaviron which is
found in bitter kola can help to protect against hypoglycemia in people with
type 2 diabetes. This research was done on rats and has not yet been reproduced
on humans, but the early findings are promising.
4.
Bitter kola contains some essential
nutrients: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers bitter kola
generally safe to eat, although they classifies it similarly to essential oils.
Which means that there is not much information available about serving sizes or
nutritional data? On the other hand, a research carryout in 2013 found that
bitter kola is high in the following nutrients: Carbohydrates, Fat, protein. The
same research also found out that bitter kola has high levels of; Calcium, Vitamin
C, Iron, Potassium, and Caffeine.
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