Cola Nut

Cola nuts come from tall evergreen trees of West African rainforest, chiefly Cola acuminata and Cola nitida. The tree bears star-shaped clusters of woody pods, each holding several large seeds about the size of a chestnut, packed in a white or pink seed coat. The seed is split into two to five lobes and is the part chewed.

Fresh nuts are red, pink or white, and bitter, astringent and slightly sweet when chewed, followed by a lasting stimulating effect. Dried nuts turn brown and hard and are ground or sold in pieces. They are kept moist with leaves during trade to keep them fresh. Powders and extracts are also sold.

The two main species are native to the tropical forests of West Africa, from Sierra Leone through Ghana and Nigeria to Cameroon, where they grow wild and are cultivated in forest gardens. Cola nitida is concentrated in the western part of the range and Cola acuminata in the eastern part.

The English word kola or cola is borrowed from West African languages, probably from Temne or Mandinka forms of the name. The Hausa name goro, Yoruba obi and Igbo oji are widely used in Nigeria. The caffeine and theobromine in the seeds are the basis of the stimulating effect.

Cola nuts have been a traded commodity in West Africa for many centuries, carried from the forest zone to the savanna and across the Sahara by caravan, and they were among the main trade goods linking forest and Sahel societies. In Muslim areas where alcohol was discouraged, cola nuts were a permitted stimulant. They also had a prominent role in social customs.

In Igbo culture, the presentation and sharing of the oji nut is a central ritual of hospitality and prayer at gatherings, and similar customs exist among Yoruba, Hausa and other peoples. Cola nuts feature in marriages, naming ceremonies and diplomacy.

In 1886 the American pharmacist John Pemberton launched Coca-Cola, whose name and flavour initially drew on coca leaf and kola nut extracts, though modern cola drinks mostly use caffeine from other sources and artificial flavours. Today Nigeria is the largest producer, with exports to neighbouring countries and the diaspora. Chewing remains a daily habit for many, while cola extracts are used in some energy drinks and supplements.

The main use is chewing the nut fresh for its stimulating effect and as a social offering; it is usually broken apart and shared. Kola extract has been used to flavour beverages and as an ingredient in tonics, energy supplements and some herbal products. Ground nuts are sometimes used in cooking and as a dye.

In traditional medicine, cola has been used for fatigue, hunger and digestive complaints, and cola nuts are used in West African rites. Cola trees are grown in mixed forest gardens and sometimes shade cocoa. Nuts are kept fresh wrapped in leaves during transport.

Cola nuts contain caffeine, around two percent by weight in many samples, along with theobromine and tannins, and the effects resemble those of other caffeinated products: increased alertness, reduced fatigue and appetite suppression.

Studies on regular chewing in West Africa are limited, and some associate heavy habitual use with oral or digestive problems, though evidence is inconsistent. Reputed benefits are mostly traditional. Treat cola nut as a stimulant to be used moderately rather than a health supplement.