Editing Kola nut

{{Short description|Fruit of the kola tree}}
[[File:kolanut.jpg|thumb|Kola nut – pod with half shell removed to reveal prismatic seeds inside their white testa, and fresh seeds (whole without testa on the left and, on the right, split into cotyledons)]]

The '''kola nut''' ([[Yoruba language|Yoruba]]: ''obi'', [[Dagbani language|Dagbani]]: ''guli'', [[Hausa language|Hausa]]: goro, [[Igbo language|Igbo]]: ''ọjị'', [[Sango language|Sängö]]: ''gôro,'' [[Swahili language|Swahili]]: ''mukezu'') is the seed of certain species of plant of the genus [[Cola (plant)|''Cola'']], placed formerly in the [[Theobroma cacao|cocoa]] family [[Sterculiaceae]] and now usually subsumed in the mallow family [[Malvaceae]] (as subfamily [[Sterculioideae]]). These [[Cola (plant)|cola]] species are [[tree]]s native to the tropical [[rainforest]]s of [[Africa]]. Their [[caffeine]]-containing seeds are used as flavoring ingredients in various [[soft drink|carbonated soft drinks]], from which the name ''cola'' originates.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news |author1=Veronique Greenwood |title=The little-known nut that gave Coca-Cola its name |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160922-the-nut-that-helped-to-build-a-global-empire |access-date=23 December 2019 |work=BBC News - Future |date=23 September 2016 |quote=These days, the Coca-Cola recipe is a closely guarded secret. But it's said to no longer contain kola nut extract, relying instead on artificial imitations to achieve the flavour}}</ref>

==Description==
[[File:Cola acuminata - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-183.jpg|thumb|''[[Cola acuminata]]'' in flower: colored plate from ''[[Köhler's Medicinal Plants|Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen]]'' ]]
[[Image:Koeh-190.jpg|thumb|''Cola acuminata'' in fruit, also from ''Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen'']]
[[File:Cola MS 6687.JPG|thumb|Kola nuts spread out for sale in the central market in [[Ouagadougou]], Burkina Faso]]
About {{Convert|5|cm|frac=4}} across, the kola nut is a nut of evergreen trees of the genus ''[[Cola (plant)|Cola]]'', primarily of the species ''[[Cola acuminata]]'' and ''[[Cola nitida]]''.<ref name=Burdock>{{cite journal |last1= Burdock |first1=G. A. |last2=Carabin |first2=I. G. |last3=Crincoli |first3=C. M. |title= Safety Assessment of Kola Nut Extract as a Food Ingredient |journal= [[Food and Chemical Toxicology]] |year=2009 |volume= 47 |issue=8 |pages=1725–32 |doi= 10.1016/j.fct.2009.04.019 |pmid= 19394393}}</ref> ''Cola acuminata'', an evergreen tree about 20 meters in height, has long, ovoid leaves pointed at both the ends with a leathery texture. The trees have cream-white flowers with purplish-brown striations, and star-shaped fruit consisting of usually 5 [[follicle (fruit)|follicles]]. Inside each follicle, about a dozen prismatic seeds develop in a white seed-shell. The nut has a reddish or white color flesh on the inside, and has a sweet and rose-like aroma.<ref name="bbc" /> 

Kola nuts contain about 2–4% [[caffeine]] and [[theobromine]],<ref name=Burdock/> as well as [[tannin]]s, [[alkaloid]]s, [[saponin]]s, and [[flavonoid]]s.<ref>E. I. Adeyeye & O. O. Ayejuyo, Chemical composition of Cola acuminata and Garcinia kola seeds grown in Nigeria, ''International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition'',
Volume 45, 1994 - Issue 4.</ref>

=== Chemistry ===
Preliminary studies of [[phytochemical]]s in kola nut indicate the presence of various constituents: [[caffeine]] (2–3.5%), [[theobromine]] (1.0–2.5%), [[theophylline]], [[methylliberine]], [[polyphenol]]s, [[catechin]]s, and [[phlobaphen]]s (''kola red''), among others.<ref name="Burdock" />

== Cultivation ==
Originally a tree of the [[tropical rainforest]], it needs a hot humid climate, but can withstand a dry season on sites with a high ground water level. It may be cultivated in drier areas where groundwater is available. ''C. nitida'' is a shade bearer, but develops a better spreading crown which yields more fruits in open places. Though it is a lowland forest tree, it has been found at altitudes over 300 m on deep, rich soils under heavy and evenly distributed rainfall.

Regular weeding is necessary, which can be performed manually or through the use of [[herbicide]]s. 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. When not grown in adequate shade, the kola nut plant responds well to fertilizers. Usually, the plants need to be provided with windbreaks to protect them from strong gales.

Kola nuts can be harvested mechanically or by hand, by plucking them at the tree branch. Nigeria produces 52.4% of worldwide production followed by the Ivory Coast and Cameroon.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top Producing Countries of Kola Nut |url=https://www.tridge.com/intelligences/kola-nut/production |access-date=2019-12-29 |website=Tridge}}</ref> When kept in a cool, dry place, kola nuts can be stored for a long time.<ref>{{Cite news |title=From Nigeria, the Kola nuts are here |url=http://www.nation.co.ke/business/seedsofgold/From-Nigeria-the-Kola-nuts-are-IN-KENYA/2301238-2957394-dpbbej/index.html |access-date=2017-12-28 |work=Daily Nation |language=en-UK}}</ref>

The crop's value makes it one of the most important indigenous cash crops in West Africa and is used as a means of social mobility.<ref name="bbc" />

===Pests and diseases===
The nuts are subject to attack by the kola weevil ''[[Balanogastris kolae]]''. The larvae of the moth ''[[Characoma strictigrapta]]'' that also attacks cacao bore into the nuts. Traders sometimes apply an extract of the bark of ''[[Rauvolfia vomitoria]]'' or the pulverised fruits of ''[[Xylopia]]'' and ''[[Capsicum]]'' to counteract the attack on nursery plants. The cacao pests ''[[Sahlbergella]]'' spp. have been found also on ''C. nitida'' as an alternative host plant. While seeds are liable to worm attack, the wood is subject to borer attack.

{| class="wikitable floatright" style="text-align:center; "
|+ Kola nut production, 2022
|-
! scope="col" | Country
! scope="col" | [[tonne]]s
|-
|{{NGA}} || 174,108
|-
|{{CIV}} || 58,641
|-
|{{CMR}} || 48,571
|-
|{{GHA}} || 24,644
|-
|{{SLE}} || 8,450
|-
|'''World''' || '''315,024'''<ref name="fao">{{cite web |date=2024 |title=Kola nut production in 2022, Crops/Regions/World list/Production Quantity/Year (pick lists) |url=https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL |access-date=10 June 2024 |publisher=UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT)}}</ref>
|}

=== Production ===
In 2022, world production of kola nuts was {{Convert|315024|t|lbs}}, led by Nigeria with 55% of the total (table).

==Uses==
The kola nut has a bitter flavor and contains caffeine. The nut is a nervous system stimulant and is chewed in many [[West African]] countries, in both private and social settings.<ref name="bbc" /><ref>Lovejoy, Paul E. “Kola in the History of West Africa (La Kola Dans L'histoire De L'Afrique Occidentale).” ''Cahiers D'Études Africaines'', vol. 20, no. 77/78, 1980, pp. 97–134. {{JSTOR|4391682}}. Accessed 15 Mar. 2021.</ref>  It is often used ceremonially, presented to chiefs or guests.<ref name="igbo">{{cite web |work=Igbo insight guide to Enugu and Igboland's Culture and Language |publisher=igboguide.org |url=http://www.igboguide.org/HT-chapter8.htm |title=Kola Nut}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Starin |first=Dawn |date=2013 |title=Kola nut: so much more than just a nut |pmc=3842857 |journal= Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine|volume=106 |issue=12 |pages=510–512|doi=10.1177/0141076813507708 |pmid=24158941 }}</ref> Throughout history, kola nuts have been planted on graves as part of various rituals.<ref name="bbc" /> Laborers in many countries also grow kola nuts in efforts to fight fatigue and hunger, while Brazilians and people of the West Indies use the nut as a remedy for hangovers, intoxication, and diarrhea.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kola nut {{!}} plant {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/kola-nut |access-date=2023-04-16 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> 

In [[Traditional medicine|folk medicine]], kola nuts are considered useful for aiding [[Human digestive system|digestion]] when ground and mixed with honey, and are used as a remedy for [[cough]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Odebunmi|first1=E. O.|last2=Oluwaniyi|first2=O. O.|last3=Awolola|first3=G. V.|last4=Adediji|first4=O. D.|date=2009-01-01|title=Proximate and nutritional composition of kola nut (Cola nitida), bitter cola (Garcinia cola) and alligator pepper (Afromomum melegueta)|url=https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajb/article/view/59797|journal=African Journal of Biotechnology|language=en|volume=8|issue=2|issn=1684-5315}}</ref> 

Kola nuts are perhaps best known to [[Western culture]] as a flavoring ingredient and one of the sources of caffeine in [[cola]] and other similarly flavored beverages, although kola nut extract is no longer claimed on the labels of major commercial cola drinks such as [[Coca-Cola]].<ref name="bbc" /><ref name="popular cola recipie">{{cite web |title=Cola recipe|publisher=This American Life |url=http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/427/original-recipe/recipe|date=1992}}</ref>

==History==
Human use of the kola nut, like the [[Coffea|coffee berry]] and [[Camellia sinensis|tea leaf]], appears to have ancient origins.<ref name=bbc/> The spread of the kola nut across North Africa seems to be connected to the spread of Islam across West Africa during the 17th century, as trading across the Mediterranean became established. The kola nut was particularly useful on slave ships to improve the taste of water, as enslaved Africans were often given poor quality water to drink.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Carney|first=Judith Ann|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/759158601|title=In the shadow of slavery : Africa's botanical legacy in the Atlantic world|date=2011|publisher=University of California Press|others=Richard Nicholas Rosomoff|isbn=978-0-520-94953-9|location=Berkeley [Calif.]|oclc=759158601}}</ref> A French voyager named Chevalier Des Marchais, who traveled to West Africa in the late 1720s, noted that the nut made the, "bitterest, our sourest Things taste Sweet after it."<ref name=":0" /> These sweet alterations are attributed to the chemical substances that the nut adds to one's palate or the sheer amount of caffeine.<ref name=":0" />

Kola nuts were used as an ingredient within Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola in 1886 and 1888 respectively.<ref name=":3" /> Kola nuts are an important part of the traditional spiritual practice, culture, and religion in West Africa, particularly [[Ghana]], [[Niger]], [[Nigeria]], [[Sierra Leone]], [[Democratic Republic of Congo]] and [[Liberia]].<ref name="bbc" /><ref>{{cite book |author=Aina Adewale-Somadhi |year=2004 |title=Practitioner's Handbook for the IFA Professional |publisher=Ile Orunmila Communications |page=1 |isbn=978-0-9714949-3-0}}</ref>

===Cola recipe===
{{main|Coca-Cola formula}}
[[File:Coca-Cola Advertisement.jpg|thumb|Coca-Cola Advertisement, 1886]]
In the 1880s, a pharmacist in Georgia, [[John Pemberton]], took caffeine extracted from kola nuts and [[cocaine]]-containing extracts from [[coca]] leaves and mixed them with sugar, other flavorings, and [[carbonated water]] to invent [[Coca-Cola]], the first widely popular [[cola]] soft drink.<ref name=bbc/> Although the exact details of its cola recipe remain confidential, as of 2016, the [[Coca-Cola formula]] no longer contained actual kola nut extract,<ref name=bbc/> and an independent test conducted to identify it failed to detect its signature proteins.<ref name="Meyers" >{{cite news |author=Meyers, C. |title=How Natural Is Your Cola? |newspaper=Science NOW |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/scienceshot-how-natural-your-cola |date=6 May 2011}}</ref>

==In culture==
{{refimprove|section|date=May 2019}}
Used in cultural traditions of the [[Igbo people]], the presentation of kola nuts to guests or in a traditional gathering shows good will.<ref name="igbos">{{cite book |last1=Osuagwu |first1=Bertram I. N. |last2=Pritchett |first2=W |title=The Igbos and Their Traditions |date=March 28, 2003 |pages=1 |url=http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00fwp/igbo/secondary/txt_traditions_0105.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00fwp/igbo/secondary/txt_traditions_0105.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |access-date=July 30, 2018}}</ref> It is implemented in [[Yoruba religion]] both as an offering to [[orisha]]s and as an instrument of [[ifá|divination]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Barber |first1=Karin |title=How man makes God in West Africa: Yoruba attitudes towards the Orisa |journal=Africa |date=July 1981 |volume=51 |issue=3 |pages=724–745 |doi=10.2307/1159606|jstor=1159606 }}</ref>

A kola nut ceremony is briefly described in [[Chinua Achebe]]'s 1958 novel ''[[Things Fall Apart]]''. The eating of kola nuts is referred to at least ten times in the novel, showing the kola nut's significance in pre-colonial 1890s Igbo culture in Nigeria. One of these sayings on kola nut in ''Things Fall Apart'' is "He who brings kola brings life."<ref>Achebe, Chinua (1958). Things Fall Apart. Johannesburg, South Africa: Heinemann. p. 6. {{ISBN|978-0-435-90525-5}}.</ref> It is also featured prominently in [[Chris Abani]]'s 2004 novel ''[[GraceLand]]''.<ref>Abani, Chris (2005). ''GraceLand: A Novel''. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. {{ISBN|978-1-4299-2982-0}}.</ref> The kola nut is also mentioned in ''[[The Color Purple]]'' by [[Alice Walker]], although it is spelled "cola".<ref>Walker, Alice (1992). ''The Color Purple''. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 160. {{ISBN|978-0-15-119154-3}}.</ref>

The kola nut is mentioned in [[Bloc Party]]'s song "Where is Home?" on the album ''[[A Weekend in the City]]''. The lyric, setting a post-funeral scene for the murder of a black boy in London, reads, "After the funeral, breaking kola nuts, we sit and reminisce about the past." The kola nut is mentioned in the [[At the Drive-In]] song "Enfilade" on the album ''[[Relationship of Command]]''. The kola nut is repeatedly mentioned in [[Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie]]'s novel ''[[Half of a Yellow Sun]]'', which also features the phrase: "He who brings the Kola nut brings life."

==Gallery==
<gallery>File:Cola-Acuminata-Heckel.jpg|Seeds of true / "female" kola (= ''[[Cola acuminata]]'') compared and contrasted with those of bitter / "male"  kola (= ''[[Garcinia kola]]'')
File:Theobroma cacao - fruit, from inside, beans.jpg|Cocoa pod: fruit of (true) kola relative ''[[Theobroma cacao]]'' bisected to show similarity of structure to that of fruit of ''Cola acuminata''</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Cola+acuminata ''Cola acuminata'' - (P.Beauv.) Schott & Endl., Plants For A Future, 2012]
* [http://www.lewrockwell.com/2002/05/gail-jarvis/the-rise-and-fall-of-cocaine-cola/ The Rise and Fall of Cocaine Cola]

{{WestAfricanPlants|Cola}}

{{Nuts}}

[[Category:Cola (plant)]]
[[Category:Caffeine]]
[[Category:Herbal and fungal stimulants]]
[[Category:Edible nuts and seeds]]
[[Category:Crops originating from Africa]]
[[Category:Plants used in traditional African medicine]]