Bitter kola has a wealth of wonderful medicinal benefits but does it help with diabetes? Let’s see if this native but can help.
Garcinia kola otherwise known as bitter kola originated from West and Central Africa.
Signifying the importance of this second largest continent, Bitter kola belongs to the species of a tropical flowering plant. It produces brown, nut-like seeds, similar looking to kidney beans.
Bitter kola has a wealth of health benefits including clearing the lungs to hep us breathe better and treating the symptoms of malaria.
The Kola nut has a bitter taste and has medicinal properties. In some countries, such as Brazil and West India, these nuts are chewed before meals to improve digestion.
What is diabetes?
In Sub-Saharan Africa, prevalence and burden of type 2 diabetes are rising quickly. Rapid uncontrolled urbanisation and major changes in lifestyle could be driving this epidemic.
Diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces.
The main symptoms of diabetes include increased thirst, needing to urinate more often than usual, and increased hunger.
There are three different types of diabetes called type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. Diabetes is often a silent condition and a significant number of people are unaware that they have the disease.
Diabetic patients often lack access to proper treatment and diabetic medications, especially insulin, resulting in avoidable complications.
Complications include neurological, vascular or visual disorders, heart disease, stroke, lower limb amputation, kidney failure and many other chronic conditions.
Whilst there is medication that people can take to keep their diabetes under control, we wonder if the native nut, bitter kola, could also benefit diabetes patients and have a positive impact on their overall health.
What effects does bitter kola have on diabetes?
According to legit.ng, bitter kola has a unique chemical composition which could explain its medicinal benefits:
The Kola nut includes caffeine, theophylline, theobromine, sugar, water, starch, cellulose, and phenolic compounds:
• phlobaphene;
• tannic acid;
• catechins and epicatechin.
It also increases the metabolism and extracts derived from the nut can increase the speed of metabolic processes as well as speeding up heart rate. However, this effect is achieved at low concentrations and low doses. In large doses it increases the risk of heart failure so one has to be careful with their dosage.
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The effect of bitter kola on diabetes are quite astounding. It has been proven that bitter kola can regulate blood sugar levels in blood by reducing and normalising it, with prolonged use.
Those who suffer from the negative effects of elevated blood sugar can find some relief with bitter kola. Kola nut efficiently regulates the amount of sugar in your blood, relieving you from the discomfort of diabetes.
However, it’s worth noting that in serious cases of diabetes it’s recommended to combine the use of bitter kola with the use of medicine prescribed by the doctor.
Because it’s difficult to understand dosage and effect when it comes to native medicine, make sure you consult your doctor before using natural solutions.