The Historical Significance and Role of the Kola Nut among the Igbo of Southeastern Nigeria

There are many customs and traditions that have effectively given the Igbo of Southeastern Nigeria group identity and social cohesion. And the kola nut is one of those realities. However, it is not only the Igbo that cherish and reverence the kola nut. In fact, kola nut is a highly prized fruit among the people of West Africa where its importance is seen in the social and religious customs of the people. But the Igbo lay special claim to kola nut and view it as the king of all fruits on earth because of the roles it play; hence, the kola is seen among the Igbo as a symbol of acceptance, cooperation and solidarity. Thus, the objective of this study is to examine the historical origin of the kola nut based on the Igbo ancestral myths and the symbolic interpretations of the different lobes of the Cola acuminata. The study will also investigate the significance and functions of the kola nut and how the influence of modernization is eroding its traditional values. The study is basically qualitative. It utilized existing literature on kola nut with oral sources in order to enhance our knowledge on kola nut. The study’s findings reveal that kola nut consumption and functions are part of Africa’s indigenous traditions that survived colonial intrusion, although the influence of modernization is greatly threatening the ritual functions and the traditional values. The study, thus, concludes by recommending that the Igbo should restore the significance and values of the kola nut by planting more kola nut trees in order to increase its availability and affordability as a source of hospitality and acceptance. Again, the Igbo communities and leaders should create a platform where the origin, significance and values of the kola nut must be taught and passed from generation to generation.

Germination responses of Cola acuminata (Pal. De Beauv.) seeds to different substrates, photoperiods and dehydration

Cola acuminata (Pal. De Beauv.), one of the many forest tree species which are of socio-economic importance in Western and Central Africa, is still exploited in the wild by subsistence farmers because it has not been domesticated yet. As a contribution to its domestication, the present study aimed at determining germination requirements and desiccation tolerance of seeds. Three substrates (forest topsoil, river sand and mixture of forest top soil and river sand), two photoperiods (12 hours/day and continuous darkness) and dehydration were investigated for their effects on seeds germination percentage. To evaluate the seeds’ tolerance to desiccation, fresh seeds were dried at laboratory temperature for 16 days during which seeds moisture content, seeds germination percentage and electrical conductivity of seeds leachate were monitored at two-day intervals. Results showed that the mean germination percentage recorded on the mixture of forest top soil and river sand (97.2 ± 1.0%) was significantly higher than that recorded on forest topsoil (85.5 ± 4.0%), which was in turn higher than that obtained on river sand (70 ± 1.5%). The effect of photoperiod on germination percentage was not significant (p = 0.112). As response to seeds drying, the mean germination percentage slightly decreased as moisture got lost, then drastically dropped when moisture content was below 45.95 ± 4.2%. Seeds failed to germinate when their moisture content fell below 27.1 ± 2.1%. Electrical conductivity of seed leachate exhibited a highly significant negative correlation with both germination percentage (p ˂ 0.01, r = -0.926) and moisture content (p ˂ 0.01, r = -0.931). It is concluded that the best substrate for C. acuminata seeds’ germination is the mixture of forest top soil and river sand in a 1/1 (v/v) ratio. Cola acuminata seeds are desiccation-sensitive and their storage behavior is recalcitrant. This is a significant constraint for conservation that should be addressed in further researches.Keywords: Cola acuminate, seed germination, photoperiod, desiccation tolerance, moisture content, storage behavior.

Cola Acuminata Nut Show Indication of Arrhythmia Management: Laboratory Examination of Extracts of Raw Versus Heat Processed Nuts

Chewing of nuts of Cola acuminata is a cultural practice in any African countries especially Ghana and Nigeria. The current study investigated antibacterial activity and phytochemical composition of methanol and ethanol Soxhlet extracts of raw, steamed and roasted cola nut on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus using the agar well diffusion method. Amoxillin and distilled water were used as controls. The ranges of mean zones of inhibition of the methanol and ethanol extracts of raw cola nut at 200mg/ml tested against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were 10.00±0.00 to 15.00±0.00 and 10.50±1.50 to 12.00±0.00 respectively. The ranges of the mean zones of inhibition of the methanol and ethanol extracts of steamed cola nut at 200mg/ml tested against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were 8.00±0.00 to 7.00±0.00 and 7.50±0.50 to 8.50±0.50 respectively. Those of the methanol and ethanol extracts against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus were 6.00±0.00 to 7.00±0.00 and 5.00±0.00 to 6.00±1.00 respectively. Raw cola nut was found to be most effective against the two microbes. However, Amoxicillin at concentration 200mg/ml presented the highest mean zones of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus (36.00±0.00) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (29.00±0.00), while distilled water had no inhibitory on the two microbes. Extract concentrations from 120–30 mg/ml had similar trends of inhibition with the 200mg/ml concentration. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of saponins, terpenoids, alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids and phenols in both methanol and ethanol extracts of the raw, steamed and roasted cola nut.

Kolanut consumption, its benefits and side effects

This article assessed kolanut consumption, its benefits and side effects. Kolanut is the fruit of the kola tree, which is indigenous to West Africa. The two main varieties are Cola acuminata and Cola nitida. It is the most common masticatory in Nigeria, and is quite bitter but gives a sweet taste after chewing. A desk research was done using various published literatures on kolanut. It was unveiled that the consumption of kolanut has many benefits as well as side effects. The side effects are dependent on the quantity intake of caffeine, a significant substance present in kolanut. Caffeine is a stimulant like theobromine and kolanin, which are also present in coffee, tea and chocolate. Kolanuts are chewed fresh and are also in the form of extracts, which is common food flavouring found in energy drinks. Right amount of kolanut depends on factors such as age, physiology and health status, and as such, more effort should be channeled into the area of investigating more appropriate quantity of kolanut that should be consumed in relation to people’s status.

Isolation of endophytics fungi from Cola acuminata Schott & Endl, and antifungal activity against Candida Sp

The discovery of novel antifungal agents with low toxicity and high therapeutic efficacy is needed to overcome the limitation of the actually existing antifungal therapies. Endophytic fungi acknowledge for their outstanding ability to produce bioactive metabolites can be exploited for this purpose. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the antifungal potential of endophytic fungi leaving in tissues of Cola acuminata. Endophytic fungi associated with Cola acuminata were isolated from healthy and matured plant tissues and characterized based on their morphological and microscopic characters. Each isolated fungus was cultured on potato dextrose broth for ten days and crude extract prepared from the resulting medium after filtration. The resulting extracts were tested for their antifungal potential using broth microdilution method. One hundred and six fungal isolates were obtained from leaves, fruit, stem, stem bark, root, and root bark of C. acuminate. They belong to six genera including Aspergillus, Alternaria, Curvularia, Cunnighamella, Fusarium, Trichoderma. Non-sporulating isolates were designated as Mycelia. Out of the 106 extracts screened for their antifungal activities, 21, 13 and 43 showed antifungal activities against C.albicans NR-29450, C.parapsilosis ATCC 22019 and C.krusei ATCC 6258 respectively. Five of these isolates including Cal14, Casb122, Cab259, Cab31 and Cab244 were the most potent, inhibiting the growth of the three tested Candida species more than 85% against. Isolate Casb122 appears to be one of the most potent antifungal against Candida species (MIC 500-1000µg/mL). The results suggest that endophytic fungi from C. acuminata can produce metabolites with antifungal activity

Effects of Crude Aqueous Extract of Cola Acuminata Pods on the Reproductive System of Male Albino Rats

Background and Aims: Cola acuminata pod extract (CAPE) is used in Nigerian traditional medicine to treat low sperm count in males. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the effects of CAPE on the reproductive system of male albino rats. Materials and Methods: Preliminary acute toxicity testing, phytochemical screening, proximate analysis, and determination of vitamin E concentration were performed on the extract. Three groups (I, II, and III) of 12 rats were used in the study. Each group comprised three batches (A, B, and C) of 4 rats each for different periods (4, 6, and 8 weeks, respectively). Results: Acute toxicity testing showed that CAPE had an oral lethal dose of 50% (LD50) of >5 g/kg body weight (b.wt) in rats. Vitamin E concentration was 0.511 mg/l. The caudal epididymal sperm count increased marginally from 4 to 6 weeks for rats treated with 800 mg/kg b.wt., but reduced significantly at 8 weeks for both CAPE treatment groups (II and III) (p<0.05) compared with the control group (I). Significant reduction (p<0.05) of sperm motility and serum testosterone levels at 8 weeks were observed. The histology of the reproductive organs revealed evident histo-architectural changes. Conclusions: These results suggest that the aqueous pod extract of Cola acuminata causes marked alterations in reproductive organs and shows antispermatogenic and antiandrogenic effects when administered orally over 8 weeks in mature male rats leading to contradicting its use as a traditional remedy for low sperm count in males.

Residual Content of Persistent Insecticides in the Fresh Nuts of Cola Acuminata Cohac from Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State and Implication for Public Health

The pesticide residues in kola nut, Cola acuminata obtained from Mariri Market, Kumbotso Local Government Area, Kano state of Nigeria was investigated. The study consisted of a survey and laboratory analysis of kola nut samples. One hundred structured questionnaires were administered through an open market format in the major kola nut market in the state. In addition, 1kg sample of kola nut was collected randomly from ten major kola nut sellers in the market for analysis. A 100g sample of the kola nut was pounded into paste in a blender of which 50g was soaked in 150mL acetone for 24h. The extracted sample was filtered through anhydrous sodium sulfate while the extract was evaporated to near dryness using a rotary evaporator at 28oC in the Laboratory. Residue was redissolved in 2 mL acetone and kept in the refrigerator for GCMS Analysis. Ten pesticidal compounds were detected from a comparison of data with reference to mass spectrometry data (NIST05.LIB) and significant occurrence in kola nut sample which had a corresponding molecules affiliated to some pesticides standards were detected in the sample