Many residents of Jos say they prefer chewing bitter kola to taking kola nuts because of the numerous health benefits of the crop.
A cross section of the residents who spoke with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos on Thursday, described bitter kola as wonder plant because of its huge medicinal values.
Mr Mohammed Ghandi a kola nut grower, says he still prefers bitter cola because of its medicinal effects.
So also, Mr Abdullahi Isiaka, a commercial driver, who said he used bitter kola to treat nausea and stomach upset and that the product had “cured” the ailments.
Mr Yellow Gombe , another driver, said that bitter kola could be used to threat a poisoned person and also used as a snake repellent around the house.
“The benefits of bitter kola cannot be over emphasised as it is called nature’s wonder in some places; it can be used to repel snakes by burning or simply peeling off the first layers of the crop and throwing them at different corners of the house,” Gombe said.
Malam Isiyaku Ilu, a cobbler, said he used to chew kolanut, but that he abandoned the habit when he discovered bitter kola.
“I now chew bitter kola, instead of ordinary kola nut because I find some medicinal values in bitter kola that are not found in kolanut.
“Such medicinal effects include treatment of pile, low libido and headache,” Ilu said.
On his part, Mr Sansoh Gomma, also said bitter kola could be used to boost male libido “without any side effects’, while Malam Abdu Ahmad, said people chewed bitter kola with tom tom to relieve cough, catarrh and cold.
Mrs Hanatu Binchi, a bitter kola vendor, said the commodity sold better than kolanut and even cheaper and affordable.
“Many travelers buy bitter kola from me before setting out, while pregnant women take a lot of it to control nausea,” Binchi said.
However, a medical doctor, Dr Martin Adejor, warned that bitter kola had its own side effects as it affected the cardiac system and some other vital organs of the body which could lead to complications.(NAN)