Let me tell you where bitter kola is found in details to include country and the state where it’s grown.
Bitter kola is a plant mainly found in Central and Western Africa. It is also known as Garcinia Kola.
This plant has been famous for its therapeutic virtues for a long time.
Although all parts of the Bitter Kola plant are utilized in traditional African medicine, the portions of the plant that are consumed most frequently are the seeds.
Bitter kola is a flowering plant species member of the Mangosteen genus Garcinia and the Clusiaceae family (a.k.a. Guttiferae).
Benin, Cameroon, the Gambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Ivory Coast, Mali, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone are some of the countries that have been known to have bitter kola.
More About Bitter Kola
A number of the plant’s elements, including its fruit, seeds (often referred to as “bitter kola nuts”), and bark, have been utilized in the medical treatment of various conditions ranging from coughs to fevers for millennia.
Every component, including the seeds, stems, and leaves, is considered to have some therapeutic effect in traditional medicine.
The actual kola nut comes from a plant called kola acuminata, unrelated to Garcinia kola, and belongs to a subfamily of the mallow family called Malvaceae. Garcinia kola is in the family Clusiaceae.
Evergreen Garcinia kola trees may be found in their natural habitats in the more humid and damp regions of Nigeria, Ghana, and the Republic of the Congo.
It has been challenging to obtain information regarding the history of bitter kola cultivation; this may be because the seed is lesser-known plant food in western parts of Nigeria, despite having local commercial importance.
The tree is now planted on farms to serve as a shade tree in cocoa plantations; because it is thought to promote lifespan.
Bitter kola is usually used during ceremonial displays and as a gift to aristocrats. In addition, it has been utilized in the treatment of ailments.
Which Country Produces Bitter Kola
Bitter kola often referred to as Garcinia Kola, is a product in high demand on the international market. It is trendy in many Asian nations, including China, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, and several other Asian nations.
Depending on the customer’s requirements, it is shipped out of the country in various states, including powdered, dry, or wet.
Bitter kola is a tree that grows to a medium size and may be found throughout West and Central Africa. Additionally, Nigeria’s southern, eastern, and western states have significant levels of it.
What Is The Local Name For Bitter Kola
Garcinia kola, often known as bitter kola (a term that is occasionally also used for G. afzelii), is a flowering plant species that is a member of the Mangosteen genus Garcinia and the Clusiaceae family (a.k.a. Guttiferae).
All parts of the Bitter Kola plant are utilized in traditional African medicine, the portions of the plant that are consumed most frequently are the seeds.
Traditional Value Of Bitter Kola
The kola nut is harvested from the evergreen kola tree, which thrives in the tropical rain forests of Africa.
The seeds or kola nuts are housed within white shells that may be found inside the star-shaped fruits produced by a tree.
It serves as an important cultural symbol for several ethnic groups in Nigeria. It is traditionally presented to visitors at weddings, funerals, and naming ceremonies. Ceremonially breaking the kola nut is essential to making guests feel at home in a community or gathering.
It has been said that the kola nut benefits one’s health. In this article, we will discuss those advantages in addition to additional facts regarding this tropical nut.
A few quick points about the kola nut:
- The nut is vast, with approximately the same proportions as a chestnut.
- The kola nut initially has a bitter taste, but as it is chewed, it develops a sweeter flavor.
- It’s possible that eating kola nuts might help treat some health concerns.
- Kola nuts can have undesirable side effects whether they are consumed in the form of a supplement or chewed.
- It is customarily distributed to attendees at weddings, funerals, and naming rituals. Ceremonially breaking the kola nut is essential to making guests feel at home in a community or gathering.
Where Is Bitter Kola Found In Africa
Nigeria is the country that has the most extensive storage and plantation of bitter kola in the whole world.
Most of the country’s product supply comes from the southern states of Ondo, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Imo, Ogun, etc. Most of the time, it sells for N 200 per KG. Bitter kola can be traded in both big and small amounts.
But Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States, which are in the South East zone, are where most of the kola nut trade takes place.
In Nigeria, it is often said that “Yorubas grow kola in the West, Hausas drink it in the North, and Ibos worship it in the East.”
Bitter kola, or orogbo in Yoruba, aki-inu in Ukwani, and ugolu in Igbo are all names for the plant Garcinia kola (Heckel), which is in the family Guttiferae.
The Ife/Ijesha Agricultural Development Zone was chosen out of the three in the state because it is the biggest producer of bitter kola and has the most people selling it.
Can Bitter Kola Be Exported
Garcinia kola, which is known as bitter kola, is a widely sought-after supplement in many Asian nations, including China, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, and many more. Depending on the buyer’s requirements, it may be shipped in many forms, including wet, dry, or powdered.
In various regions of this nation, bitter kola exporting is one of the least researched and well-known business opportunities.
Due to its numerous applications in manufacturing pharmaceuticals and soft beverages, kola nuts are widely sought after. The cost of kola nuts varies in Nigerian marketplaces, but if you want to export it, you can be sure that the profit margin will be multiplied by many times.
Contacting the buyer via the websites of export brokerage firms is one of the most common techniques. Working with the commercial sections of embassies in the nation where you wish to export these goods is the second option.
Final Thought
Now that we know where bitter kola is found, it is expected to also consume it with care.
Bitter kola is a tree that grows to a medium size and may be found throughout West and Central Africa.
It is a beautiful agricultural product that may be used in various ways in natural and conventional therapy forms.
And it’s also used in the brewing industry, which is one of the reasons it is in such high demand on the worldwide market.
Making it a high valued product both locally and internationally.
