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Liberia: Grebo People and Kola Nut Ritual

Liberia: Grebo people and kola nut

Any one who enters the village of the Grebo tribe must be offered the bitter nut as indication of welcome. The golf-ball sized nut is split into many thin wedges and the stranger dips the nut in pepper dust and bites down, followed by a sip of Cane Juice.  

11 Health Benefits of Kola Nut

1. Boost Energy

It works as a stimulating agent and regulates heart rate by increasing the circulation. Its circulating nature provides proper oxygen to all parts of the body including the brain.  That’s the reason it has a wide spectrum of pharmaceutical industries. It is often used as a cognitive booster as it raises the level of oxygen in the brain and helps you to focus on the task by increasing concentration level. Being rich in glucose and starch it generates a lot of energy and gives you delighted effect. These nuts also heal your injured area readily because of increased blood flow rate.

2. Promotes Weight Loss

If you want to get rid of extra fat and desire to be fit & healthy, then nothing give you satisfactory results than kola nuts. The fruit increases the rate of metabolism and helps your body to excrete more and store less without inducing adverse effects on your digestive system. It restrains your appetite and simultaneously providing essential nutrient to your body and never left you scarce. Its mode of action is to intensify the need for water.

3. Boost Immunity

It provides you stronger resistance by keeping you away from harmful toxins. Its anti-oxidant property wipes out free-radicals from the body and producing an effective immune response against foreign particles. If you are the person that is occasionally or regularly facing the trouble of ill-health, then kola nut reduce your susceptibility and provides you potent immune response when you consume it on a regular basis.

4. Aid Prostate Cancer

The documented reports have shown that kola nut has aiding compounds to treat prostate cancer such as phytoandrogens and phytoestrogens. These compounds are considered as an anti-inflammatory drug which often produces a continuous reaction that can retard the development of the prostate cell.

5. Boost Metabolism

Its beneficial quality is highly associated with the amount of caffeine it contains. Kola nut produces maximum metabolic rate in the body up to 118%. It can also aid the people with slow metabolic function, but in some cases, it exerts a negative effect on people who suffer from a critical heart condition. Moreover, it acts as a stimulant and provides you better heart health with prescribed dose.

6. Alleviate Gastric Troubles

Its mode of action is also spread through the gastrointestinal system. It helps in the breakdown of food by facilitating the production of gastric acids in your parietal cells. It stimulates energetically expensive process and prevents your stomach from a pathogenic microorganism. Regular consumption of kola nut alleviates huge digestive issues and keeps you away from constant constipation as well.

7. Cures Bones illness

Kola cut contains the essential component that especially eases knees pain. Appropriate intake of kola nut fruit can help you to deal with Osteoarthritis disease. It provides optimum bones density and cut down the risk of Osteoarthritis in further lifespan. These mini nuts relieve stiffness and swelling in cartilage & joints. Thus it improves your overall bone health.

8. Treat Respiratory Disease

Caffeine is quite warm that’s why it effectively cures respiratory illness. It acts as a bronchodilator and dilates bronchioles and bronchi which in turn reduce the occurrences of influenza, pneumonia, and asthma. Caffeine can provide you relive from the contracted bronchia.

9. Natural Cold Therapy

The medicinal property of kola nut is also common in early years. Ancient people were also aware of the beneficial impact of caffeine concerning chest therapy. It has widely been used as a home remedy to treat chest colds as it moderately enlarges the alveolar sac and duct. It also strengthens the fibers of the lung tissues.

10. Relieves Migraine

It provides you ease from severe migraines due to the rich content of theobromine and caffeine. These compounds improve the blood flow rate throughout your head as it is work as a cerebral vasodilator.  If you are suffering from this painful condition, you have to get rid of this as it can also initiate other health issues.

11. Non-Floral Killer and Natural Diuretic

Kola nut small beans contain xanthoeose which can treat some infectious conditions. It effectively reduces the development of Actinobacteria and keeps you prevented from varies disease such as meningitis and tuberculosis. It also works as a natural supplement to treat several diseases including cirrhosis, hypertension, kidney disease and heart failure.

Side Effects

The side effects of kola are linked to the amount of nuts intake in particular period.

Cause increased Blood Pressure

If you are suffering from hypertension, then stay form these nuts as it stimulant property increase your blood pressure. People with normal heart function can enjoy these kola nuts, but old-age people should consult a doctor before consumption as they are more vulnerable towards medical complication.

Cause Sleeping Disorder

Kola nut containing products also exert similar impact as kola raw nut does. Intake on a regular basis can lead to sleeplessness and stressful insomnia. Those who frequently face trouble in falling asleep should maintain some distance with these products.

Cause Shakiness

As it is an active stimulant, it can put a negative impact on your CNS and PNS. Its powerful effect can lead to shakiness, anxiousness, and tremors.

Cause Nausea

People with the weak immune response can get a harmful effect from kola nut and can lead to diarrhea and dysentery as it speeds up the process of metabolism.

Bottom line

We all are aware that xenobiotic products can exert an adverse effect regarding health factor, but we forget to consider adverse effects of natural remedy with positive aspects.  Kola nut can benefit you in a lot of health conditions but can be hazardous, if you failed to consider the dose of nuts before consumption.


Source: Natural Food Series 



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