“Drink the Coca Cola which is good for you… drink which makes you digest… it makes me die… It drives me crazy ”is how Blasco, in his album Bollicine, praises the well-known sparkling drink. Cola, as an ingredient, comes in many formulations. It is, in fact, a very effective natural stimulant to counteract physical and mental fatigue, the kola nut is in fact rich in caffeine and is also a natural tonic, draining and diuretic. The plant itself was believed to be a powerful aphrodisiac. The natives usually chew the seeds even in a fresh state with the aim of relieving fatigue, hunger and thirst. Estimated to the point of being traded for gold dust. It was Ambroise de Beauvois, French botanist and naturalist, the first to describe and classify cola.
Since then, the kola nut has become the ingredient of many drugs. Some are formulated for the treatment of asthma or other chronic respiratory diseases. Walnut extracts are also present in various food supplements, especially indicated for improving the performance of athletes. Cola (or Kola) is an evergreen tree native to West Africa, belonging to the family of Sterculiacee, famous for the amount of caffeine contained in its seeds. There are about 125 species and subspecies, including cola vera, verticillata, sharp and sharp. The tree is on average 5-7 meters high and can reach up to 20. The fruits are pods containing 4-5 or more green seeds, but yellow when ripe. It is used in the treatment of many lung diseases due to its bronchodilator effect. Being rich in caffeine, it is used to improve sports performance, learning and concentration skills. It has an invigorating and neuromuscular activator action, improves blood circulation. Present in many herbal preparations to eliminate excess fluids. The kola nut is able to aid digestion and stimulates the stomach to produce gastric juices. Again thanks to caffeine and theobromine migraines and headaches can also be relieved as the blood flow to the head increases.
Of the kola nut, the seed without its outer shell is used which is dried and then reduced to powder by grinding. Powder and extracts are easily found in herbal medicine, homeopathic pharmacies and health food stores. It is usually bought in the form of mother tincture, powder or capsule. The powder, in particular, lends itself to long-term use since the active ingredients attached to the flavonoids they are released slowly in the intestine. This allows you to avoid the classic undesirable effects of caffeine. You can also take cola as an herbal tea. As it is easy to guess, the high caffeine content of cola is not a friend of sleep and good rest. That is why it is not recommended to take it before going to bed. Pregnant or breastfeeding women should also avoid consuming cola, as well as children. Also beware of those suffering from hypertension and heart problems. These subjects, in fact, must avoid consuming plant derivatives in order not to amplify the risk of arrhythmia, ulcers and other imbalances.