Essay On Garcinia Fruit

1625 Words7 Pages

CHAPTER THREE
3.0 Social and Cultural Uses of Forest Fruits in Nigeria

3.1 Garcinia kola

Garcinia kola has a lot of social and cultural uses in Nigeria where the seeds are commonly chewed and used for social and cultural ceremonies. It is used traditionally in naming ceremony by the Yoruba people as a form of prayer that the little child will not die young. It is believed to cause long life generally. The fruit is chewed by the people because they believe it clears the throat and it also prevents mouth odour, another reason of chewing the fruit is that it helps in the treatment of bronchitis, post-partum, hemorrhage, urinary tract infections and emesis. It is highly valued for its perceived medicinal attributes, and the fact that the consumption of large quantities does not cause indigestion and this makes it a highly desired product. The fruit aids digestion when eaten raw. The fruit constitute an integral part of people living in the urban and rural area, thereby boosting their economic status. …show more content…

It`s widely distributed and consumed by the inhabitants of the Southern part of Nigeria. Dennetia tripetala is commonly known as pepper fruit by the English, “mmimi” by the Igbos, Nkaika by the Ibibio and Efik, “Imao” by the Urhobo tribe of the Niger-Delta region, and “Igberi” by the Yorubas. Dennettia tripetala red when ripe and green when unripe. The matured fruits constitute the main edible portion. The leaves, fruit, bark and root of the plants possesses strong pepperish and pungent spicy taste with a characteristics aroma and fragrance. The fruits have instinctive spicy taste (Achinewhu et al.,1995). The fruits are chewed in different forms fresh green, fresh ripened red, black dry fruit and dry seed. It flowers at the beginning of the rainy season, especially during the months of April and May (Umoh, 1998). The mature fruits constitute the major edible

Open Document