Health tips: Health Benefits of Kola Nuts (Caffeine Nut)

Consumption increases circulation of oxygen

Kola Nuts increases the circulation of oxygen due to its stimulating effect. This also helps regulate the heart rate. For the same reason, it finds use in many medicines and is used as a cognitive booster, energizing the brain and increasing the concentration. Oxygen is circulated to all body parts, including the brain which helps it to focus better. The increased blood flow also helps injuries to heal faster. Plus, you feel delighted – the caffeine effect.

Digestive benefits of kola nut

In Africa, kola nuts are often chewed after eating food and when suffering from digestive issues. Kola nuts help gastrointestinal system by breaking down the food in such a way that it takes energy and prevents pathogenic microorganism in the stomach. If you have constant constipation, kola nuts can help you get relief.

Just chew on a few kola nuts after having food, and watch gastro problems like bloating, cramping, constipation etc. go away.

Boosting the immune system due to anti-bacterial properties

You may have come across kola nut extracts in many pharmaceutical stores. The reason is that the kola nuts are believed to contain compounds that can fight many bacterial infections. Kola nuts are also antioxidative in nature and hence gets your body rid of free radicals. Your resistance to bacterial and respiratory issues increases and you fall sick less often. When consumed on a regular basis, kola nuts can strengthen your immune system and make you less susceptible to infections and diseases.

Aids in losing weight

Kola nut is a blessing for people who want to lose weight but have a slow metabolism. The caffeine content of kola nuts can increase the body’s metabolic in the body up to 118%. Moreover, it makes you excrete more and store less inside the body, making you lose weight quickly. Kola nuts also curb your hunger and so you end up eating less. Additionally, they intensify the need to drink more water, which is another factor that helps you lose weight.

Helps to treat respiratory disorders

Caffeine is considered a warm beverage, and can thus effectively treat respiratory diseases such as asthma, coughs, influenza, and bronchitis. Have some kola nuts to help dissolve the mucus and once it is out of the body, you will feel relieved. The idea is to loosen up the mucus from the lungs by thinning it so that you can breathe without any discomfort.

Recommended for pain in the knees

Kola nuts, when taken in prescribed dosage, can help boost overall bone health, and specifically beneficial to ease knees pain. Kola nuts contain compounds that can improve the bone density and also reduce stiffness and pain in the joints. They also help in reducing the swelling in the joints making it easier to move about.

Regular and appropriate consumption of kola nuts can cut down the risk of Osteoarthritis diseases for your lifespan.

Helps in prostate cancer

Since kola nuts exhibit antioxidant property, it has been recently discovered that they can be helpful to treat prostate cancers, while the research is going on to study their effect on other cancers. Science has it that phytoestrogens and phytoandrogens found in kola nuts can help in stimulating the death of cancerous cells in the prostate glands in men.

Natural therapy for cold and related infections

Caffeine has similar properties as the drug Theophylline and exhibits the same effect on a person with cold and chest infections. Limited and calculated doses of kola nuts can help open airways in the lungs. Kola nuts can also enlarge the alveolar sac and duct, providing relief from symptoms of a cold. However, excess caffeine in the body may cause sickness, so do take your doctor’s advice.

Kola nut for migraine

Kola nuts contain caffeine and when chewed during migraines, they can help reduce inflammation in the head causing the pain and also boost the effect of common pain relievers such as aspirin.

Natural diuretic

Caffeine is also a natural diuretic, so consumption of kola nuts can help you expel excess water from the body. Kola nuts work as a natural remedy to treat conditions of cirrhosis, hypertension, kidney disease. In a study it was found that methanolic extract of kola nut showed diuretic properties.

Also Read: Boost your Immune System with this essentials

SIDE EFFECTS

Kola nuts come packed with high amounts of caffeine, and unlike the beverages, where the amount of caffeine or largely regulated, the same cannot be said about kola nuts. However, it cannot cause nut allergy since it is basically a seed of a fruit. But owing to the caffeine in kola nuts, it is not suited for people who-

Suffer from hypertension – people who have hypertension and related issues should inhibit the consumption of caffeine since it increases the heart rate and causes a steep rise in the blood pressure.

Struggle with sleep issues – If you suffer from insomnia or frequently face trouble sleeping, it is best to avoid kola nuts as they can aggravate the problem.

Have a weak immune system – Caffeine can cause diarrhea and nausea in people who have a weak immune system.

Have a sensitivity to caffeine – You may experience involuntary shaking of hands and bouts of anxiety if you are sensitive to caffeine and related products. Maintain distance from kola nuts.

Nausea – Due to its over consumption one could have stomach upset. Due to the increased production of acids in the stomach, one could experience pain in the stomach too