Bitter kola: Treatment for mild erectile dysfunction

 

 

 

 

Erectile dysfunction is a significant health issue affecting millions of men worldwide, including those in Nigeria. While modern pharmacological treatments are available, many individuals in Nigeria rely on traditional remedies due to cultural beliefs, accessibility and perceived efficacy.

Now, in a new study, researchers suggested that bitter kola nuts may represent a more accessible, less expensive treatment option with few or no side effects for men suffering from mild erectile dysfunction.

Erectile dysfunction, sometimes replaced with impotence, represents the inability to attain and/or maintain a penile erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance.

Over the years, the number of people suffering from erectile dysfunction has grown steadily, leading some experts to project the prevalence of erectile dysfunction to reach 322 million men by 2025, particularly in Africa, Asia, and South America.

The phase II single-blind clinical trial reported an increase in erectile function scores in men who participated in the study, indicating the potential benefits of bitter kola in managing erectile dysfunction.

The study, published in the journal African Urology, utilised a phase II single-blind clinical trial format, which included 40 men diagnosed with erectile dysfunction, ensuring a controlled environment for assessing the efficacy of bitter kola nuts.  

They were over 25 years of age, experiencing erectile dysfunction for at least three months and enrolled in the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry.

Participants completed the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-15) questionnaires, which provided a standardised measure for evaluating erectile function and related sexual health outcomes. Also, their erectile dysfunction was diagnosed by a urologist.

The trial, conducted from February to April 2023 at the Urology Department of the Yaoundé Central Hospital, Cameroon, involved two groups receiving different dosages of bitter kola (10g and 20g daily), allowing for a comparative analysis of the effects based on dosage.

The primary outcome of the trial was an improvement in erectile function. Secondary outcomes included satisfaction with sexual intercourse, orgasm, sexual desire, overall satisfaction, and overall IIEF-15 score.

Participants were required to be free from certain health conditions like hypogonadism and prostate cancer, and those who had consumed bitter kola or other treatments recently were excluded.

In the trial, satisfaction with sexual intercourse was moderate in both groups. Orgasm was frequent in group A and infrequent in group B. Sexual desire was moderate in both groups. Overall satisfaction with their sexual life was moderate in both groups.

However, the researchers said long-term studies with a large cohort and optimal dosage are needed to confirm this trend.

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Traditionally, bitter kola is used in treating liver diseases, arthritic conditions, sore throats, coughs, bacterial infections that cause dysentery and diarrhoea, and as a known aphrodisiac. The seeds are also chewed to relieve hoarseness of voice, sore throat and cough.

In a previous study, researchers in South Africa in the African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology demonstrated that bitter kola nuts had potent aphrodisiac activity in male albino rats. It effectively enhances sexual arousal and performance in normal rats.

Both doses (200 and 400 mg/kg) of bitter kola treatment led to an increase in testosterone levels, which are essential for sexual function, potentially through central influences or increased sensitivity of Leydig cells.

A lower dose of bitter kola was more effective than the higher dose in enhancing sexual activity in normal male rats.

The study found an increase in testicular weight over a 28-day treatment period, which is associated with enhanced sperm production, while accessory reproductive organ weights remained unchanged, indicating no adverse effects on reproductive health.

Recently, many studies have provided scientific evidence that the saying “taking bitter kola a day keeps the doctor away” is true. Particularly, it fences off various chronic diseases, including cancer, erectile dysfunction and other diseases that involve oxidative stress and inflammation.

A professor of biochemistry and molecular toxicology, Ebenezer Farombi, speaking at the Research Day of the College of Medicine, Ibadan, stated that taking two bitter kola nuts a day can ensure the body has enough kolaviron, its main constituent, which keeps many diseases away.

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According to Farombi, “Its intrinsic antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties will prevent any disease that has oxidative stress and inflammation as an undertone.”

Antioxidants are compounds that counteract the damaging effects of free radicals. Free radicals, products of normal cell processes, can wreak havoc in their quest to hook up with other molecules, which could be lipids, proteins, or DNA.

Farombi said that consuming bitter kola daily is also protective against environmental contaminants that lower male libido.

According to him, “Traditionally, people believe that it is very effective in erectile dysfunction. One of the things we found in animal studies was that it boosts testosterone levels. Studies have shown that a high testosterone level is responsible for effective sexual activity. When there is a decrease in testosterone, there is a lack of libido.

“It was also found in animal studies to also improve sperm quality and count in preclinical studies as well as protect against damage to the testis, thus qualifying to be an effective agent in the treatment of male infertility.”

He also advised on regular intake of bitter kola to counteract the negative effects of many heavy metals in the environmental pollutants, adding that environmental pollutants, both in the air and through foods, oil spillage, gas flaring and indiscriminate use of pesticides and herbicides, had been implicated in many diseases, including cancers.