Plants known by Tiv names — part 5 of 10 (Ichigh ki usu to Ishase), 389 plants in all. Each entry gives the English and scientific names where they are known, a description, and what the archive records of the plant’s medicinal, food and ritual uses and how it is grown.
False daisy; White eclipta; Trailing eclipta
Eclipta alba
- Description
- A low, hairy annual herb with small white daisy-like flowers, common in damp, disturbed ground (Eclipta alba, now generally treated as Eclipta prostrata).
- Medicinal uses
- Widely used in African and Asian traditional medicine as a hair tonic and for liver ailments, wounds, and as an anti-inflammatory; the crushed plant stains black, a property used in hair and skin preparations.
- Cultivation
- A common weed of damp waste ground, rice paddies, and roadsides.
Northern raphia, Dwarf raphia palm, Ivory Coast wine palm, or simply raffia.
Raphia sudanica
- Description
- Raphia sudanica is a species of raffia palm native to the drier regions of West Africa, known for its ability to grow in savannah swamps and riverine forests.
- Medicinal uses
- Different parts of the palm are used traditionally to treat wounds, pain, fever, blood disorders, leprosy, and for reproductive health purposes.
- As food
- The palm provides palm wine, edible oily fruits and seeds, and protein-rich edible larvae harvested from dead trunks.
- Ritual uses
- It is culturally important for mask blackening, construction, weaving, tool making, and as a major source of high-quality raffia fiber.
- Cultivation
- Raphia sudanica is mainly propagated by seeds—with improved germination after pulp removal and soaking—and also by suckers in moist, sunny habitats.
Raffir palm; Sudanica plam; Raffia plam.
Raphia sudanica
- Description
- A tall raffia palm with huge feathery fronds, growing in swamps and along rivers in the savanna zone.
- As food
- The sap is tapped and fermented into palm wine, an important beverage in Nigeria and Guinea.
- Cultivation
- Grows wild in swampy ground and riverbanks; fronds and fibers are used for construction, thatching, and weaving, and the sap is tapped for wine.
Spreading hogweed; Pigweed; Red spiderling
Boerhavia diffusa
- Description
- A sprawling, low-growing perennial herb with a thick taproot and small pink flowers, common on waste ground and cultivated land.
- Medicinal uses
- The root is widely used in African and Asian traditional medicine as a diuretic and for liver, kidney, and urinary complaints.
- As food
- Young leaves are cooked and eaten as a leafy vegetable in some regions.
- Cultivation
- A common, fast-spreading weed of disturbed and cultivated ground, not deliberately cultivated.
Resurrection plant; Air plant; Life plant; Canterbury bells
Bryophyllum pinnatum
- Description
- A succulent herb whose thick, scalloped leaves sprout tiny plantlets along their edges and can grow into new plants even after being detached — hence "resurrection plant" (Bryophyllum pinnatum, now classified as Kalanchoe pinnata).
- Medicinal uses
- Leaf juice or crushed leaves are used across Africa and the tropics for wounds, coughs, earache, hypertension, and kidney stones.
- Cultivation
- Extremely easy to propagate — a single fallen leaf roots and produces new plantlets along its margins; commonly grown as an ornamental and dooryard medicinal plant.
Bambara groundnut; Jugo bean; Congo goober
Vigna subterranea (syn. Voandzeia subter ran
- Description
- A low, spreading legume that, like the groundnut, buries its developing pods underground after flowering.
- As food
- The protein-rich seeds are boiled, roasted, or ground into flour; an important traditional food-security crop across West Africa.
- Cultivation
- Grown as a drought-tolerant food crop on relatively poor soils where groundnut may fail; pods mature underground and are dug up at harvest.
Feather cockscomb; Silver cock's comb; Lagos spinach
Celosia argentea
- Description
- An erect annual herb with silvery-pink to purple flower spikes, cultivated as a leaf vegetable known as Lagos spinach or soko.
- Medicinal uses
- Seeds and leaves are used in traditional medicine for eye ailments, diarrhoea, and as an anthelmintic.
- As food
- Young leaves and shoots are a popular cooked vegetable across West Africa, especially in Nigerian cuisine.
- Cultivation
- An easily grown annual, cultivated from seed in home gardens and market farms, and also occurring as a wild weed.
Plumed cockscomb, Silver cock’s comb
Celosia argentea
- Description
- Celosia argentea is a fast-growing, annual tropical herb with erect stems and brightly colored, plume-like flower heads. It is widely cultivated as a vegetable, medicinal plant, and ornamental species, and is well adapted to warm, drought-prone environments.
- Medicinal uses
- All parts of the plant are used in traditional African and Asian medicine:
Eye Health: Used for bloodshot eyes, blurred vision, and cataracts.
Digestive Disorders: Treats diarrhea, dysentery, and intestinal worms.
Wound & Skin Care: Leaf pastes are applied to wounds, infected sores, and skin eruptions.
Other Therapeutic Uses:
Roots used for colic, gonorrhea, and eczema.
Seeds used in India for managing diabetes mellitus.
Caution: Not recommended for individuals with glaucoma due to pupil-dilating effects.
- As food
- Leaves & Stems:
Widely consumed leafy vegetable in West Africa, especially Nigeria (“Lagos spinach”).
Cooked in soups and stews such as efo riro.
Rich in protein, calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C.
Young Inflorescences: Eaten as a potherb.
Seeds: Used for extracting edible oil.
- Ritual uses
- Africa: Associated with certain occult or spiritual beliefs in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
India:
Dried flowers are used in traditional rituals and offerings (Kerala).
Flowers are included in ceremonial door decorations (toran) in the Konkan region alongside other sacred plants.
- Cultivation
- Seed Propagation:
Propagated mainly by very small black seeds (≈43,000 seeds per ounce).
Seeds are sown 1/8–1/4 inch deep in moist, well-drained soil.
Nursery & Transplanting:
Seeds may be direct-sown or raised in nurseries.
Seedlings are transplanted 5–7 days after emergence.
Vegetative Propagation:
Can also be propagated through stem cuttings.
Growing Conditions:
Thrives in full sun
Optimal temperature: 25–35°C
Moderately drought-resistant once established
Spear grass
Imperata cylindrical
- Description
- Imperata cylindrica is seen by the Tiv mainly as a stubborn grass of the land — useful for thatch and minor remedies, but largely feared by farmers because it destroys crops.
- Medicinal uses
- Roots (rhizomes) sometimes boiled and used traditionally for:
Fever
Body weakness
Urination problems
Use is limited and cautious, not a major medicinal plant in Tiv culture
- As food
- Not a common food plant among the Tiv
Occasionally, young roots may be chewed by children in the bush, but not a staple
- Ritual uses
- No strong ritual or spiritual role in Tiv tradition
Mostly viewed as a farm weed, not a sacred plant
- Cultivation
- Spreads aggressively through underground roots
Very hard to eliminate once established on Tiv farmlands
Heart-fruit, West African Rubber Tree, African Corkwood, Red Heart Fruit
Hymenocardia acida (l)
- Description
- Hymenocardia acida is a small African shrub or tree valued for its sour-tasting leaves and fruits, with extensive traditional medicinal uses including anti-sickling, gastrointestinal, and respiratory remedies.
- Medicinal uses
- Leaves and bark are used for sickle cell disease, gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory infections, headaches, rheumatism, skin diseases, fever, jaundice, hypertension, menstrual pains, and as an antidote for poisoning.
- As food
- Young fruits are eaten by children; young leaves and shoots can be used as a vegetable; foliage serves as livestock fodder and is eaten by edible caterpillars in DR Congo.
- Ritual uses
- Used in traditional medicine, magical healing, and as a hunter’s charm; considered helpful in psychosocial and convulsive disorders.
- Cultivation
- Found in savanna, shrubland, and deciduous woodlands from Senegal to Zimbabwe; fire-resistant, grows on sandy, loamy, or clay soils; propagated from seed and primarily collected from the wild; threatened by overharvesting.
West African rubber tree, African corkwood, Heart-fruit.
Hymenocardia acida
- Description
- Hymenocardia acida is a deciduous savanna shrub or small tree of tropical Africa, notable for its sour leaves and bark and its wide application in traditional medicine. The plant is a small, often crooked tree with flaking bark exposing reddish inner layers, sour-tasting leaves, small unisexual flowers, and distinctive V-shaped winged fruits.
- Medicinal uses
- The bark, roots, and leaves are extensively used to treat pain, fever, malaria, gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory infections, skin diseases, sickle cell anemia, and gynecological conditions
- As food
- Young sour leaves are eaten as vegetables or condiments, while immature fruits are occasionally consumed, mainly by children.
- Ritual uses
- The species has ritual significance for protection and hunting charms, and its bark, wood, and twigs are used for dyeing, tanning, construction, fuel, and oral hygiene.
- Cultivation
- Mostly wild-harvested, H. acida is fire-resistant and ecologically valuable for erosion control, shade provision, and pollinator support in savanna landscapes.
Bitter kola; Abata kola
Cola acuminata
- Description
- A forest tree grown for its seeds (kola nuts), known in Nigeria as abata or gbanja kola, distinct from the bitter kola tree (Garcinia kola).
- Medicinal uses
- The nut is a mild stimulant, chewed for alertness and to suppress hunger and thirst; also used traditionally for digestive complaints.
- As food
- The nut is chewed fresh and was historically a key flavoring ingredient in early cola-drink recipes for its caffeine content.
- Ritual uses
- Kola nuts hold major ceremonial importance across Nigeria, offered to guests and elders as a sign of hospitality and respect, and used in traditional marriage and title-taking rites; a Tiv-specific protocol was not independently confirmed.
- Cultivation
- A slow-growing forest tree, propagated from seed and cultivated in agroforestry systems across West Africa's forest belt.
Kersting's monotes; Savanna monotes
Monotes kerstingii
- Description
- A small savanna tree or shrub in the dipterocarp family, found across the Guinean woodland zone from Mali to northern Nigeria.
- Medicinal uses
- Bark decoction is used traditionally for dysentery.
- Cultivation
- A wild savanna tree; its close-grained wood is used mainly as firewood and for minor construction.
Hard-stemmed bridelia; Bridelia
Bridelia scleroneura
- Description
- A savanna and dry-forest tree in the same genus as the widely used medicinal Bridelia ferruginea, distributed from West Africa to East and Southern Africa.
- Cultivation
- A wild tree of savanna and dry woodland.
Ferruginous bridelia; Kirre tree
Bridelia ferruginea
- Description
- A savanna shrub or small tree known as the kirre tree, valued in West African traditional medicine.
- Medicinal uses
- Bark and leaf decoctions are widely used across Nigeria and West Africa for diabetes, arthritis, dysentery, diarrhoea, malaria, and skin infections; also used as a mouthwash and gargle.
- Cultivation
- A wild savanna shrub/small tree, common in Guinea savanna vegetation.
Maize; Corn; Indian corn
Zea mays
- Description
- A tall annual cereal grass bearing large starchy grains on cobs, one of the world's most important staple crops.
- Medicinal uses
- Corn silk is used traditionally as a diuretic and for urinary and kidney complaints.
- As food
- Grains are eaten boiled, roasted, ground into flour or meal (such as for tuwo/pap), and processed into a wide range of foods and drinks.
- Cultivation
- A widely cultivated annual crop, planted from seed and requiring a full growing season with adequate rainfall or irrigation.
Thonningia; Blood-red thonningia
Thonningia sanguinea
- Description
- A leafless parasitic herb with bright red-orange, pineapple-like flowering heads, growing directly on the roots of trees and shrubs.
- Medicinal uses
- The flowering heads and rhizome are used across West Africa to treat intestinal worms, diarrhoea, dysentery, venereal disease, sore throat, and skin infections.
- Cultivation
- An obligate root parasite of trees, unable to photosynthesize; not cultivated, found in forest and savanna wherever suitable host trees grow.
Hemp; Marijuana; Cannabis
Cannabis sativa
- Description
- An erect annual herb with palmate leaves, grown for its fiber, seed oil, and psychoactive resin.
- Medicinal uses
- Extracts are used traditionally and in modern medicine for pain, nausea, and appetite stimulation; the plant is a controlled substance in Nigeria and most countries due to its psychoactive compounds.
- As food
- Seeds are pressed for hempseed oil and eaten as a nutritious seed in some regions.
- Cultivation
- An annual crop grown from seed; cultivation is restricted or illegal in most jurisdictions because of its psychoactive content.
Goosegrass; Yard grass; Crowsfoot grass
Eleusine indica
- Description
- A low, tufted annual grass with flattened stems and finger-like seed spikes, one of the world's most common weeds of paths and cultivated ground.
- Medicinal uses
- Used in traditional medicine across Africa and Asia as a diuretic and febrifuge, and for high blood pressure and jaundice.
- As food
- Grazed as forage; the seeds are occasionally used as a famine food in parts of Africa and Asia.
- Cultivation
- A common weedy grass of compacted soils, footpaths, and cultivated land; not deliberately cultivated.
Tuberous sedge; Wild cyperus
Cyperus tuberosus
- Description
- A perennial sedge with underground tubers, similar in habit to the related tiger nut and nut grass sedges.
- Cultivation
- A wild sedge of seasonally dry tropical habitats, spreading by tubers and rhizomes; not cultivated.
Fowl-foot grass; African millet; Goose grass:
Imperata cylindrica
- Description
- A rhizomatous perennial grass with silvery, silky-plumed flower spikes, one of the world's most aggressive colonizers of disturbed and burned ground.
- Medicinal uses
- The rhizome is used across Africa and Asia as a diuretic and to treat fever, urinary complaints, and nosebleeds.
- As food
- Young shoots and the sweetish rhizome are occasionally chewed or used as a famine food; grazed as fodder when young.
- Cultivation
- Spreads aggressively by rhizome and wind-blown seed; a major farmland weed, though also cut for thatching.
African Oil Palm, Oil Palm, Guinea Oil Palm and Macaw-fat (rare, historical usage)
Elaeis guineensis
- Description
- Elaeis guineensis is a tall, perennial tropical palm native to West and Central Africa. It is the world’s most productive oil-bearing crop and the primary source of palm oil and palm kernel oil.
- Medicinal uses
- Various parts of the oil palm are used in African traditional medicine, with some uses supported by scientific studies:
Wound Healing: Leaf sap and juice from young petioles are applied to fresh wounds to promote faster healing.
Skin Diseases & Dermal Care: Palm kernel oil is used as an emollient and lotion for skin infections, swellings, and suppurations.
Pain Relief & Inflammation: Root decoctions are used for headaches; leaf extracts exhibit anti-inflammatory properties.
Poison Antidote: Palm kernel oil and fruit pulp oil are traditionally used as antidotes to certain poisons.
Internal Ailments: Leaf extracts are used for cardiovascular and kidney-related conditions; fermented palm wine is believed to support lactation.
Child Health: Palm kernel oil is sometimes applied to convulsive children to help regulate body temperature.
- As food
- Palm Oil (Mesocarp Oil): Red oil extracted from the fruit pulp, widely used for cooking, frying, and food processing (e.g., margarine, shortening).
Palm Kernel Oil: Extracted from the seed; used in cooking, confectionery, and as a butter substitute.
Palm Nut Butter: Produced by boiling and pounding palm nuts; commonly used in West African soups.
Heart of Palm: The tender apical bud is consumed as a vegetable.
Palm Wine: Fermented sap obtained from the male inflorescence or stem.
- Cultivation
- Primary Method: Seed propagation using selected or hybrid seeds.
Seed Germination: Seeds are cleaned, processed, and germinated under warm, humid conditions; germination may take several weeks to months.
Tissue Culture: Commercial plantations use clonal propagation via indirect somatic embryogenesis to produce uniform, high-yielding plants.
Nursery Stage: Seedlings are raised in nurseries for approximately 12 months before transplanting at the onset of the rainy season.
Finger root; West African uvaria
Uvaria chamae
- Description
- A scrambling shrub or liana of West African forests and thickets, bearing small yellow flowers and edible orange fruit in finger-like clusters.
- Medicinal uses
- Root bark is widely used across West Africa as an anti-inflammatory, astringent, and fever remedy, and root decoctions are used to help manage diabetes and infectious diseases in Benin.
- As food
- The ripe fruit, known as bush banana, is eaten fresh.
- Cultivation
- A wild climbing shrub of savanna and forest margins, harvested from the wild rather than cultivated.
Finger root, Bush banana
Uvaria chamae
- Description
- Uvaria chamae is a significant medicinal plant and wild fruit shrub found in West and Central Africa, known for its versatile uses in traditional African medicine, food preparation, and cultural rituals.
- Medicinal uses
- The plant is a highly valued traditional remedy—especially for women’s health—used to treat malaria, fever, wounds, digestive disorders, menstrual problems, and snakebites, with proven antimalarial and antimicrobial properties.
- As food
- Its finger-like fruits are eaten fresh for their sweet-tart pulp, while leaves, seeds, and stem ash are used locally in vegetables, soups, and as a salt substitute.
- Ritual uses
- The plant holds strong cultural significance, being used in wealth-associated medicines, herbal concoctions, infant treatments, and protective body preparations in various West African communities.
- Cultivation
- Uvaria chamae is mainly propagated by seeds and harvested from the wild, though it is increasingly recognized as an underutilized species suitable for domestication.
African yam bean; Yam bean
Sphenostylis stenocarpa
- Description
- A climbing leguminous vine grown for both its edible seeds and elongated, sweet-potato-like tubers.
- As food
- Seeds and tubers are cooked as a protein-rich food; immature pods are also eaten as a vegetable.
- Cultivation
- Grown as a minor crop, often intercropped with yam and cassava; needs a long growing season and produces long, tough seed pods.
Guinea savanna opepe; Bitter-bark tree
Lophira lanceciata
- Description
- A small to medium deciduous savanna tree with hard, dense wood and fissured bark, related to the larger rainforest ironwood.
- Medicinal uses
- Bark infusions are used as a mouthwash for toothache and to treat fever, respiratory infections, and dysentery; leaf decoctions are given for intestinal worms and general tiredness.
- As food
- An edible oil is pressed from the seeds.
- Cultivation
- A wild savanna tree of the Guinea and Sudan vegetation zones, not commonly cultivated.
African peach, Guinea peach, Pin cushion tree, Sierra Leone peach
Sarcocephalus latifolius
- Description
- Sarcocephalus latifolius is a multi-stemmed, evergreen shrub or small tree widely distributed across savanna woodlands of West, Central, and East Africa. It is hardy, adaptable, and valued for both medicinal and nutritional uses.
- Medicinal uses
- Roots, bark, and leaves are extensively used in African traditional medicine:
Malaria & Fever: Root decoctions are used as febrifuges and tonics, earning the plant the name “African quinine.”
Digestive Disorders: Used to treat diarrhea, dysentery, stomach pain, and colic.
Metabolic & Chronic Conditions: Employed in managing hypertension, diabetes, and jaundice.
Reproductive & Infectious Uses: Used for prolonged menstrual flow and venereal diseases such as gonorrhea.
Pain & Neurological Uses: Applied as an analgesic and in the treatment of epilepsy.
Wound Care: Bark and leaf preparations are used for wound healing.
Safety Note: Roots have been reported to contain tramadol-like compounds (likely absorbed from the environment); excessive dosage is discouraged.
- As food
- Fruit: Reddish-pink, globular fruits with a sweet-acidic taste; eaten fresh, especially by children.
Beverages: Fruits processed into juice or dried and powdered for drinks.
Vegetable Use: Flower heads are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.
Palm Wine Additive: Roots are sometimes added to palm wine as a bittering agent (“nche”).
- Ritual uses
- Employed in traditional protection and healing rituals in parts of Nigeria and Sudan.
- Cultivation
- Seed Propagation:
Ripe fruits are mashed in water; viable seeds sink and are collected.
Seeds are dried and sown in river sand in nursery trays.
Germination rate ≈ 80%, occurring within 14–21 days.
Vegetative Propagation:
Stem cuttings (minimum of 3 nodes) root readily in sand.
Rooting occurs within 7–14 days, especially during the rainy or summer season.
Growth Conditions:
Thrives in full sun
Prefers moist, well-drained soils
Well adapted to savanna environments
Kunth's stereospermum; Savanna stereospermum
Stereospermum kunthianum
- Description
- A deciduous savanna shrub or small tree with trumpet-shaped pink flowers, also known as pink jacaranda.
- Medicinal uses
- Stem bark decoctions are used across the Sudano-Guinea savanna for cough, rheumatism, ulcers, and respiratory infections; pods are chewed with salt for coughs.
- Cultivation
- A wild tree of open woodland, savanna, and riverbanks across the Sudano-Guinea zone.
Velvet bean, Cowitch, Cowhage, Monkey tamarind, Sea bean
Mucuna pruriens
- Description
- Mucuna pruriens is a vigorous climbing legume with trifoliate leaves, long drooping flower clusters, itchy hair-covered pods, and oblong seeds of varying colors.
- Medicinal uses
- The plant is a key Ayurvedic medicine used for Parkinson’s disease, male fertility, nervous disorders, snakebite treatment, inflammation, and antioxidant support due to its high L-DOPA content.
- As food
- After thorough detoxification, the seeds and young pods are eaten as protein-rich foods or used as a coffee substitute, though raw parts are poisonous.
- Ritual uses
- Known for its irritating pods, Mucuna pruriens is used in protective charms, ritual medicine, and traditional treatments for poisoning and neurological conditions.
- Cultivation
- It is cultivated by direct seeding in warm, moist climates, often intercropped as a climbing cover crop valued for nitrogen fixation, weed suppression, and soil improvement.
Bitter leaf (small); Wild vernonia
Vernonia ambigua
- Description
- A shrub in the same genus as the cultivated bitter leaf, found in savanna and forest across tropical Africa, and easily confused with the closely related Vernonia colorata.
- Medicinal uses
- Used in Cameroon, Nigeria, and Tanzania to treat urinary and reproductive complaints, cough, colds, and malaria; its antimalarial activity has been confirmed in laboratory studies.
- Cultivation
- A wild shrub of savanna and forest margins, not cultivated.
bitter kola
Garcinia kola
- Description
- A medium-sized evergreen forest tree bearing a bitter, astringent seed that is chewed as a stimulant across West Africa.
- Medicinal uses
- Seeds and bark are widely used for cough, hoarseness, and liver disorders, and as a general tonic; extracts are studied for antidiabetic and antimicrobial properties.
- As food
- The seed is chewed raw as a stimulant snack and used as a condiment.
- Cultivation
- A slow-growing forest tree, increasingly grown in home gardens and agroforestry systems across West and Central Africa.
Air yam; Bitter yam; Aerial yam; Potato yam
Dioscorea bulbifera
- Description
- A climbing vine producing edible bulbils (aerial tubers) along its stem instead of, or in addition to, an underground tuber.
- Medicinal uses
- Used traditionally for throat and skin conditions and inflammatory swellings; wild forms contain the toxic alkaloid dioscorine and must be thoroughly processed or cooked before eating.
- As food
- Aerial bulbils from cultivated, low-toxin forms are boiled or roasted and eaten like potatoes.
- Cultivation
- A climbing vine that produces bulbils in its leaf axils; cultivated forms are far less toxic than wild ones.
Bitter yam; Cluster yam; Trifoliate yam
Dioscorea dumetorum
- Description
- A climbing yam vine with tubers that are markedly bitter and hard when wild, requiring processing before they are safe to eat.
- Medicinal uses
- Used in West African folk medicine for diabetes, rheumatism, and stomach pain; wild tubers are toxic and have caused poisoning when undercooked.
- As food
- Tubers are eaten after detoxification, such as soaking in running water or burying in soil, though cultivated, lower-toxin forms are preferred.
- Cultivation
- A climbing vine; because it hardens quickly after harvest and can be toxic, it is grown less widely than other yam species.
White rubber vine; African rubber vine
Landolphia owanensis
- Description
- A woody forest liana with milky latex, once a major commercial source of natural rubber in West Africa.
- Medicinal uses
- Leaves and stems are used as an antimicrobial and vermifuge and to treat colic and inflammation; the latex is taken to expel intestinal worms.
- As food
- The acidic ripe fruit is eaten fresh or fermented into a beverage.
- Cultivation
- A wild forest liana, harvested from the wild for both fruit and latex rather than cultivated.
Saba comorensis
- Description
- Scientific Name: Saba comorensis (synonym: Landolphia comorensis) Among the Tiv people, it is recognized as Ipungwa or Apungwa, a climbing shrub valued for its edible fruit and medicinal uses. In English, it is also known as Rubber Vine or White Rubber Vine.
- Medicinal uses
- In Tiv medicine, Saba comorensis is used for multiple ailments:
Pain and inflammation: Decoctions from the root and bark are used for rheumatism, body aches, and general pain.
Digestive issues: The fruit and root are used for diarrhea, nausea, and stomach discomfort.
Wound healing: Crushed fruit is applied to cuts and wounds to aid healing.
Other uses: Traditionally used as an antidote for food poisoning, and for jaundice, oral thrush, infertility, and venereal diseases.
Scientific studies support its strong antioxidant and antifungal activities, aligning with its traditional medicinal uses.
- As food
- Among the Tiv, the fruit of Saba comorensis is an important edible and nutritious food source. The fruit is large, round, and yellow-orange when ripe, with aromatic pulp that is sweet-sour. The pulp is eaten raw as a snack or processed into juice, jams, marmalades, and sauces. It can also be used in cooking as a tamarind or lemon substitute. The fruit is nutrient-rich, providing vitamin C, dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and beta-carotene, making it a valuable seasonal food.
- Cultivation
- Grown from seeds or cuttings; seeds require de-pulping and cleaning, and seedlings grow well in a topsoil–sawdust mix (1:3).
African bark, Ordeal tree, Fever-reducing Crossopteryx, Crystal bark
Crossopteryx Februfuga
- Description
- Crossopteryx febrifuga is a savanna shrub or small tree widely valued in African traditional medicine for its strong fever-reducing and infection-fighting properties.
- Medicinal uses
- The bark and leaves are extensively used to treat malaria, fevers, pain, digestive disorders, infections, convulsions, and inflammatory conditions.
- As food
- The fruit pulp is sometimes prepared as an astringent drink, while the leaves provide nutritional minerals in traditional diets.
- Ritual uses
- The bark has been historically used in ritual ordeals and spiritual cleansing practices in parts of Africa.
- Cultivation
- The species grows well in savanna woodlands, improves soil quality, attracts pollinators, and provides durable wood for fuel and tools
Opepe; Crossopteryx; Fever bark tree
Crossopteryx febrifuga
- Description
- A small to medium savanna tree with fragrant flower clusters, named for its long traditional use against fever.
- Medicinal uses
- Bark decoctions are widely used in African traditional medicine for fever, malaria, dysentery, diarrhoea, cough, and wound infections.
- Cultivation
- A wild tree of savanna woodland, not commonly cultivated.
Heart fruit; Hymenocardia
Hymenocardia acida
- Description
- A savanna shrub or small tree named for its distinctive heart-shaped, papery-winged fruit.
- Medicinal uses
- Bark and leaves are used across Africa for haemorrhoids, chest pain, skin diseases, and diarrhoea; bark tannins treat dysentery, and the ripe fruit is used in Zambia for deafness.
- Cultivation
- A wild shrub of savanna woodland, not cultivated.
Cashew, Cashew nut
Anacardium occidentalis
- Description
- Anacardium occidentale, commonly known as the cashew tree, is a tropical evergreen species widely cultivated for its nutritious nuts, fleshy cashew apples, and important medicinal and industrial uses.
- Medicinal uses
- Different parts of the cashew tree are traditionally used to treat digestive disorders, inflammation, skin infections, sore throat, and oral health problems.
- As food
- The roasted cashew nut is widely consumed, while the cashew apple is eaten fresh or processed into juices, preserves, alcoholic drinks, and other food products.
- Ritual uses
- The cashew tree holds cultural significance in several regions, particularly in traditional medicine and in the production of ceremonial or culturally important beverages.
- Cultivation
- Cashew thrives in tropical climates with a dry season, grows well in well-drained soils, and is propagated mainly by seed or grafting for commercial production.
