Bitter Kola botanically known as Garcinia kola belongs to the plant family Guttifereae. In Nigeria it's known as oje at Bokyi, edun or efiari at Efik, efrie at Ejagham-Ekin, cida goro at Hausa, efiat at Ibibio, emiale at Icheve, igoligo at Idoma, aku-ilu or ugolo at Ibo, akaan at Ijo-Izon, okain at Isekiri, and orogbo at Yoruba. Kola is usually utilized as a social snack and contributed to guests in certain cultural settings, and it's but one of these fruits which may be eaten raw and the human body will nonetheless benefit from its high nutrient content.



Kola is broadly taken raw rather than ready as food due to its medicinal properties. Owing to the medicinal properties, Bitter Kola (G. kola) seeds are traditionally used in folk medication. This seed can be proven to have no harmful or serious side effects, besides its neutralising consequences of other medicinal medications if taken collectively. It's consumed by getting rid of the outer brown coated skin, and as its name suggests, it's extremely bitter to eat.

Garcinia kola (bitter kola, a name sometimes also used for G. afzelii) is a species of flowering plant in the Clusiaceae or Guttiferaefamily. It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

The fruit, seeds, nuts and bark of the plant have been used for centuries in folk medicine to treat ailments from coughs to fever. According to a report from the Center For International Forestry Research, Garcinia kola trade is still important to the tribes and villages in Nigeria.

There are many health benefits that can be derived from eating of Bitter Kola. Below are some of the benefits;
1• Bitter kola has a significant analgesic/anti-inflammatory effects in knee osteoarthritis patients.

2• The seed and leaf of bitter kola have antibacterial activity on clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Streptococcus pyrogens.

3• Bitter kola has been proved to be a popular treatment for diarrhoea and fever.
4• The seed extract of bitter kola is antiseptic and is active mostly against gram-positive bacteria, while the leaf, is active mostly against gram-negative bacteria.

5• Bitter kola is also very efficient for hepatitis treatment.

6• In West Africa, kola is now being harnessed as a cure for the Ebola virus infections and also against the flu.

 
7• The stem, bark and seeds of  kola are used to treat acute fever, inflammation of the respiratory tract and throat infections.



Source: https://aderonkebamidele.com/benefit-bitter-kola/