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Research | Plants: Bissy (Kola Nut)


Bissy, also known as Kola nut, is a caffeinated nut from the Cola tree native to the tropical rainforest of Africa. This tree grows up to 60 ft. in height and bears the star-shaped fruit that contains the Kola nut. This tree is best grown in a hot humid climate but can withstand dry season on sites with a high ground water level. This plant's cultivation pattern is the same as Moringa and Aloe Vera in that,
Some irrigation can be provided to the plants, but it is important to remove the water through an effective drainage system, as excess water may prove to be detrimental for the growth of the plant.

Kola Nuts
This plant is believed to have made it's way into Jamaica from Guinea Coast and was cultivated nearby the village of Guanaboa Vale by a man named Mr. Goffe.

Although, some information is known about the plant and the regions in which it thrives, little is known about the length of time it takes to mature. (This information would have to be acquired by an expert on growing it; I suspect that this plant takes a while to grow.)

Interestingly, this plant was used to provide one of the main ingredients for a popular drink: Coca-Cola. According to Wikipedia,
In the 1800s, a pharmacist in Georgia, John Pemberton, took extracts of kola and coca and mixed them with sugar, other ingredients, and carbonated water to invent the first cola soft drink. His accountant tasted it and called it "Coca-Cola". Cocaine (not the other extracts from the Peruvian coca leaf) was prohibited from soft drinks in the U.S. after 1904, and Coca-Cola no longer uses either kola or coca in its original recipe
John Pemberton, seemed to have been quite a character. Part of his history reveals,
In April 1865, Pemberton sustained a saber wound to the chest during the Battle of Columbus. He soon became addicted to the morphine used to ease his pain.
In 1866, seeking a cure for his addiction, he began to experiment with painkillers that would serve as opium-free alternatives to morphine. His first recipe was "Dr. Tuggle's Compound Syrup of Globe Flower", in which the active ingredient was derived from the buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)", a toxic plant which is common in Georgia. He next began experimenting with coca and coca wines, eventually creating a recipe which contained extracts of kola nut and damiana, which he called Pemberton's French Wine Coca.
According to Coca-Cola historian, Phil Mooney, Pemberton's world-famous soda was "created in Columbus, Georgia and carried to Atlanta". With public concern about the drug addiction, depression, and alcoholism among war veterans, and "neurasthenia", as well as among "highly-strung" Southern women, Pemberton's medicine was advertised as particularly beneficial for "ladies, and all those whose sedentary employment causes nervous prostration".
The kola nut is said to be a good herbal remedy for 'menstrual cramps, headache, gout, rheumatism, jaundice, nausea, vomiting, nerve problems and indigestion.' It also,

  • Purifies the blood
  • Treat eye inflammation (when leaves are soaked in water for hours it can be used as eye drops)
  • Ease headaches
  • Fights fatigue
Dr. Henry Lowe has reason to believe that the kola nut is an anti-cancer agent.

As with other medicinal herbs, this herb must be taken in the proper dosage. The recommended dosage is one teaspoonful of powdered bissy (kola nut) to a cup of water.


Reference

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