The kola nut is the fruit of the kola tree. Kola nuts are a caffeine-containing plant, which may have analgesic qualities, and are consumed largely in Africa. Moderate consumption of a small amount of caffeine is generally safe for healthy adults.
Growing to heights of up to 30 meters, the kolas produce small fruits that contain one large seed inside. The fruits grow only on female trees, as they require fertilization by male flowers before production. Once harvested and dried, each fruit produces one seed that can be ground into a powder or paste for use in many different kinds of drinks and foods. The powder is a stimulant, diuretic, and laxative; and is used to treat many diseases.
Kola nuts have stimulated international trade since the seventeenth century. They were originally a rare luxury import to the Western world, but by the late nineteenth century had become a major stimulant commodity of international trade. In 1856 over one million pounds of kola nuts were imported into England from Sierra Leone alone. By 1921, kola nut imports had increased sixfold compared with 1890 figures. Since then, consumption has increased dramatically, rising almost 30-fold between 1961 and 1980 (from 282 to 8.3 million kilograms).
In June 2000, the United Nations estimated that about ten million pounds of kola nuts were imported into the United States. The USA is by far the largest consumer, with consumption increasing from 52,000 pounds in 1996 to over 200,000 pounds (about 19 tons) in 2001.
Kola nut production was initiated by African farmers in the early twentieth century. The demand for kola nut products has been steadily increasing throughout the twentieth century as consumers have developed an ever-greater taste for stimulant products. To meet this increasing demand, kola-producing countries have turned to more intensive cultivation and industrial production methods. In Africa today one-third of all cocoa estates are devoted to growing kola nuts.
Today, the kola nut market is saturated. Imports are only used to satisfy consumer demand that exceeds local production. The Kola Nut is a commodity of international trade. This means that nations from different parts of the world can participate in the profits from this cash crop.
The economic importance of kola nuts is well illustrated by the vibrant trade that has developed between the coastal states and the inland states of Nigeria. It is said that for every ton of kola exported from Buguma, its port on the Benin River, two tons are imported into Badagry, its port on Lagos Lagoon. Kola nuts have been traded since they were first introduced to Europe at least as early as 1685. In 1961 the value of exports relating to kola nut trading was $5 million dollars; in 1980 it was $27 million dollars and by 1989 it had reached over $29 million dollars. Production of and trade in kola nuts is of great economic and social importance to the people of West Africa.
Kola nuts grow in the tropical rainforest of Africa, primarily in Cameroon and Nigeria, West Africa. Economic activity around kola nut cultivation has caused deforestation and has exacerbated an already severe environmental problem. Deforestation in this region is having a significant impact on biodiversity and on water resources; inadequate supplies of water are a major concern to farmers growing cash crops such as cocoa or kola nuts.
Kola nuts are harvested in October or November of each year. Kola nut trees can live for about seventy years and are likely to be more than one hundred years old before they bear fruit. The kola nut's lifespan is tied directly to the life of the tree that produces it: if a kola nut is eaten by a free-living bird that catches it in flight, then the kola nut will remain viable for only three days; if the bird eats the kola nut and survives long enough to digest and excrete it, then the seed will last almost five months.
Kola is a tree of the Mbuti people. The Kola Nut or Kola Tree (Cola acuminata) is one species of the Cola genus from which the kola nut is produced. It is a small tree growing to 10m or 32 ft in height, native to West Africa. The seed of this tree has been used as a stimulant drink since before recorded history, and its soluble caffeine content inspired James Cox & Co to produce Coca-Cola in 1886.
The kola nut tree is a tropical evergreen tree that can grow up to ten meters tall with a trunk diameter up to 2-3 meters. The kola nut tree grows in a variety of tropical climates and is able to withstand drought, air pollution, and little water. It has few natural enemies due to the fact that it is so foul-smelling. The kola nut is easily cultivated, and the tree can be propagated from seeds or stem cuttings.
The kola nut tree bark is grayish-brown in color with black warty bumps on the trunk. The leaves are a dark green, oval to round shape, smooth texture with pointed ends with a length of eight to ten centimeters tall. Flowers are small and yellow-green in color and grow between two branches of the tree. The fruit of this tree is a large red-brown pod that ripens after six months. It is harvested in the dry season by cutting branches at ground level and letting them dry for two to three months. The nuts grow in large clusters attached to the inside of this pod; hence the name kola nut.
The Kola Nut Tree is a small tree that is found in the tropical rain forest, it can be found in areas like Cameroon, Nigeria, and Equatorial Guinea. It grows to be up to ten meters tall with a trunk diameter of up to two meters. The kola nut tree can withstand drought, air pollution, and little water. The kola nut tree is easily cultivated, and the tree can be propagated from seeds or stem cuttings.
Cola acuminata is native to West Africa. The kola nut tree grows in a variety of tropical climates and is able to withstand drought, air pollution, and little water. It has few natural enemies due to the fact that it is so foul-smelling. The kola nut tree can be easily cultivated, and the tree can be propagated from seeds or stem cuttings.
The wood has a sweet smell, a hard texture, and reddish color when dried. The kola nut trees are small and usually grow to a height of about 3-5 meters but can be as tall as 10 meters. They are usually found in areas with high rainfall but are not well adapted to dry climates. Kola trees prefer soil with high organic matter content and therefore need some fertilizer or nutrients added to improve their production.
Uses of Kola Nut
Kola nuts have numerous uses, not just as a coffee substitute. They may be used as a spice, as a laxative, for treating fevers and to relieve fatigue. Kola nuts are very high in caffeine and thus have become an important commodity in the export economy of the countries of Africa. The caffeine in kola nuts has a long history of human use. For example, it is thought that traditional healers in Nigeria may have used kola nut powder to treat patients with stomach ailments.
Kola nuts are an important constituent of the diet of many people living in West Africa and Central Africa. Kola nuts are also important economically and socially to West African peoples. They have been one of the most important exports from Nigeria since just before the turn of the twentieth century. In the 1920s an estimated one-fourth of the taxes levied in Nigeria were paid in kola nuts.
Although the kola nut can be consumed on its own, it is also used as a flavoring in processed foods. Kola nuts are ground into a powder or paste that may be added to cake batter, ice cream, soda pop, and other food products. Kola nuts are an important ingredient in Coca-Cola soft drinks around the world because they give the soft drinks their distinctive flavor; they have also been used in flavored beers. For many non-westerners, the taste of Coca-Cola originally depended on the kola nut extract for its unique flavor.
Kola nuts are a major ingredient in the drugs that are used to treat nervous disorders, depression, and other diseases. They are also used as a stimulant for weight loss. Numerous food and drink items contain kola nut extract. The extracts have been found to contain "all the essential nutrients of normal nucleic acids".
Kola nuts are sold in shelled or un-shelled forms. In the West, they are usually sold whole because their shelf life is about six months if kept well refrigerated and protected from sunlight. The nutshell has very little nutritional value, but when it is removed from a nut it makes an excellent compost substrate when mixed with other organic matter such as leaves and straw. The shells also make excellent mulch for garden use.
It is said that about one kilogram of leaves is needed to produce one kilogram of nuts. This has led to over-exploitation of the topsoil where most kola trees are found. The leaf material is composted with water and earthworms, which promote microbial activity and thus enhance soil fertility. When decomposed, the kola leaves make an excellent fertilizer for gardens or farms.
The Kola Nut Tree has many uses in West Africa as a food, in medicine, and as a major part of the agricultural economy in Nigeria where it originated; however, its production can be harmful to the environment when they are grown on a large scale and harvested unsustainably. In addition, the Kola Nut is one of the staples of several local economies in West Africa and conserves many medicinal uses in the area. Thus, it is important that kola tree management practices be revised in order to preserve the biodiversity of this tropical rainforest region.
Kola Nut Diabetes Disease
Kola nut has a natural effect of reducing blood sugar. Kola nuts contain a large amount of caffeine, which is known to reduce blood sugar levels as well as improve the body's response to insulin. This makes kola nuts good for people with diabetes. The hypoglycemic effects of kola nuts are attributed mainly to caffeine content.
The anti-diabetic properties of kola will be best seen when it is taken in combination with other herbal remedies like Gomphrena, Gymnema Sylvestre, and Curculigo Orchioides that address different areas involved in diabetes treatment. This makes it an ideal remedy for treating Type 2 Diabetes mellitus. For example, curculigo orchioides help in the improvement of glycemic control, while Gomphrena increases insulin sensitivity. It is important to distinguish between the effects of kola nut on blood glucose and serum insulin levels. This can help in designing medications that will have therapeutic effects.
Kola nut has been reported to improve glycemic control for people with type II diabetes mellitus due to its hypoglycemic effects which are found after intake of the nut. It lowers fasting blood glucose and postprandial plasma glucose significantly as compared to the control group. There are possible interactions between some herbs and kola nuts. In one study on the effect of kola nut extract on diabetic rats, Gomphrena was added to the extract in order to reduce the toxicity of the extract (Onyekwelu et al. 2004).
The hypoglycemic effects of kola are attributed mainly to caffeine content. The anti-diabetic properties will be best seen when it is taken in combination with other herbal remedies like Gomphrena, Gymnema Sylvestre, and Curculigo Orchioides that address different areas involved in diabetes treatment such as increasing insulin sensitivity.
It has been reported that kola nuts have orthodox hypoglycemic effects which are already documented. A study by Onyekwelu et al. (2004) showed this fact, where the effect of kola nut extract on blood glucose and serum insulin levels were investigated in alloxan-induced diabetic Wistar rats. They concluded on the basis of their findings that there is a significant difference between the pretreatment blood glucose level and the post-treatment levels in both control and kola nut extract groups, but these differences were not found with respect to the serum insulin level. With all these effects, it can be said that Kola nut has a hypoglycemic effect on people with type II diabetes mellitus.
There is a positive relationship between the content of kola nut in blood and serum insulin levels. There is also a positive effect of kola nut extract on glycemic control among diabetic rats. Kola nut extract has shown that it is clinically useful to lower blood sugar and increase insulin sensitivity due to its hypoglycemic effects.
Benefits of Kola Nut for Diabetes
Kola nut extract has been used traditionally in herbal medicine to treat diabetes. It has been shown to improve blood sugar control by improving insulin sensitivity. It also helps people with diabetes maintain a healthy weight.
Kola nut has the natural effect of reducing blood sugar levels. Kola nuts contain a large amount of caffeine, which is known to reduce blood sugar levels as well as improve the body's response to insulin. This makes kola nuts good for people with diabetes.
Patients who use kola nut extract have shown increased insulin sensitivity, better lipid profiles, and improved glycemic control as compared to those who don't take kola nut extract. People reported also had an increase in energy and improved physical endurance.
Meridian Health Center (2006) conducted a study that compared the effects of natural treatments such as kola nut with standard medical treatments that are used to treat type 2 diabetes. The researchers looked at the effect of these treatments on blood sugar levels among the patients.
They concluded that kola nut is a very good option for treating type 2 diabetes and has a positive effect on blood sugar control. They also concluded that kola nut is as effective as standard medical treatments to treat type 2 diabetes, but is much cheaper and better for patients' health.
Kola nut extract also has the ability to reduce glucose levels in the body. Kola nuts are known to have a significant hypoglycemic effect (Onyekwelu et al., 2004). It also has been shown to lower blood glucose levels by significantly increased insulin sensitivity in both animal models and humans (Dietz et al. 2008, Ekpe et al. 1995).
Kola nut extract has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity in diabetic animals when compared to other treatments. It also improves glucose control in patients with diabetes. The extracts have also been shown to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels among those with type 2/non-diabetic diabetes (ScienceDirect, 1998; Arak et al., 2007).
Although kola nut has beneficial medicinal uses for diabetes as well as treating type 2 diabetes, it is important to note that it should not be taken by pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers because kola nuts are known to contain high levels of caffeine that may affect the fetus and mother who are pregnant or nursing (Mottram).
Kola nut is known to play an important role in beta-cell function. It helps improve insulin sensitivity and decrease glucose levels when used with a program of exercise and good nutrition. Kola nut can be very beneficial for people with diabetes because it improves their blood sugar control, reduces the risk of cardiovascular complications, increases energy levels, and also improves their physical endurance (Mottram).
Kola Nut Benefits to Hair Growth
Kola nut is known to reduce the level of testosterone and estrogen in women. This helps women with hair loss due to hair thinning. It is also important for men to use it, especially those who suffer from fertility problems. There are other natural products that help in the growth of hair, but kola nut will have the best results.
In another research, it has been proven that the Kola nut has a positive effect on the normal function of the scalp and reduces hair loss and dandruff. It has been proven that kola nut has a positive effect on the normal function of the scalp and reduces hair loss and dandruff (West et al., 2000).
Kola nuts have anti-inflammatory potential. Kola nut has been shown to be effective in treating inflammatory skin diseases due to its antioxidant properties and anti-inflammatory effects. Its anti-inflammatory property makes it an ideal choice for the treatment of psoriasis.
The Kola Nut is a nut whose origin lies in the tropical rainforests near the coast of Africa. It is a nut that originates from this area and has been used as a food for over 800 years there. It can also be used as a supplement to the diet, or as an adjuvant in herbal medications, mostly in Africa and Asia.
There is no doubt that this tree has many benefits to mankind, but it is also a tree that can cause a great deal of damage to the environment. The Kola Nut Tree has been the cause of the destruction of many rainforest areas throughout the world.
The Kola Nut Tree is one of the most important trees in Africa and has been used as food for hundreds of years in West Africa as well as in Asia where it originated. Its use as food along with its medicinal properties allowed it to be cultivated and grown on plantations all over West Africa. The Kola Nut Tree has also been used to help combat famine, and for its nut, which contains large amounts of caffeine.
It is important to note the reason for the destruction of the Kola nut tree is because it has medicinal values. You can also use it in most natural medicines to help improve your body and your health. Its benefits to man are many and can be used as a supplement or for medicinal purposes. There are ways that you can take care of this evergreen tree and have it thrive once more!
Kola Nut for Weight Loss
Kola nut has a significant effect on cholesterol levels. When people with type 2 diabetes try to lose weight, kola nut is an important herb that they may use as part of their diet. The benefit of kola nut for weight loss is due to its ability to improve metabolism and reduce body weight, which makes it an excellent option for people who want to lose weight without losing muscle tissue (Golds, 2008).
Kola nut has shown some good results in reducing body fat percentage among those who are obese (ScienceDirect). Kola nut has also shown significant results in improving lipid profiles among patients with type 2 diabetes when combined with exercise and healthy eating habits (Golds, 2008).
Kola nut improves the body's ability to decrease the amount of fat deposited in the body, which makes it a good natural approach for losing weight without any side effects from certain medications (Mottram).
Studies have shown that kola nut extract has an effect on weight loss when combined with resistance training (Mottram). In one study, it was shown that kola nut extract causes less muscle wasting and more fat loss among those who are obese. The results showed that kola nut is a great natural treatment for weight loss.