The Kola Nut (Cola acuminata, C. nitida & Cola spp.) is an original source of flavoring and caffeine for Coca Cola.
In the 1880s, Coca-Cola was invented by a pharmacist who mixed the extract of Kola Nuts with the cocaine-containing extracts of Coca leaves and mixed it with flavoring and sugarāno wonder it was a successful product!
The Kola Nut is a rainforest tree from Africa that can grow up to about 50 feet in height and produces yellow flowers with purple markings followed by large fruiting pods that contain about a dozen seeds in a white covering.
The Kola Nuts have a sweet fragrance and are traditionally chewed in West African countries to increase vitality.
The nuts are bitter at first and get sweeter as they are chewed, with a sweetness that lingers in the mouth.
Kola Nuts have a history of use in West Africa ceremonially, spiritually, for divination, and as a form of currency.
The Kola Nut is also a symbol in Africa of hospitality, and the tree is sometimes grown as an ornamental. The Kola Nut is either chewed directly or ground into a powder and used for extracting or flavoring carbonated drinks, candies, baked goods, and ice creams.
In the US, Kola Nut oil, extract and oleoresin is considered GRAS.
The nuts come in different colorsāred, white or pinkāand the red are also used as food colorants.
The wood of the Kola Nut is also used for construction and making implements, as well as a fuel.Ā The twigs serve as traditional chewing sticks for dental hygiene.
Kola Nuts contain the xanthine alkaloids caffeine, theobromine and theophylline, as well as polyphenols.
The Kola Nuts are used in traditional medicine as antidepressants, for increasing strength and vitality, for migraines and headaches, as digestive tonics and as astringents.
Through scientific investigation, Kola Nuts have been found to exhibit a number or activities, including central nervous system stimulation, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticholinesterase, hypoglycemic, bronchodilatory, and potential anti-cancer effects.
A notable study demonstrated that aqueous extracts of Kola Nuts possess significant anticholinesterase and antioxidant activities, suggesting neuroprotective effects relevant to the management of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimerās. The extract inhibited key enzymes linked to Alzheimerās and reduced oxidative stress in laboratory models, indicating a potential mechanism for its traditional use in memory enhancement and cognitive support.
*This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician.
The Origin of Cola. š„¤ šæ
