Bambara groundnut (often sold locally as okpa) has the potential to play a role in combating food insecurity and malnutrition at household, national, and global levels. Consuming it is not only a great way to stay healthy, it can also help prevent anaemia, especially in menstruating and pregnant women.
Locally, bambara nut is called “Okpa” in Igbo, “Epa-Roro” in Yoruba, “Kwaruru” or “Gurjiya” in Hausa. In several parts of Africa, the nut is used to treat several ailments. For treatment of diarrhoea, a mixture of Bambara nut and water from boiled maize is consumed, and to alleviate the nausea associated with pregnancy, Bambara nut seeds are chewed and swallowed by pregnant women.
Researchers, in a new study, said that Bambara groundnut contains substances that have the ability to boost the body’s blood volume, strengthen the immune system, and defend the body against xenobiotics and chemicals that are foreign to the body.
In animal studies, a dose-dependent increase was observed in packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb), red blood cells (RBC), and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) in animals treated with Bambara nut extract.
According to the researchers, the increase in the level of red blood cells observed in animals treated with 400 mg/kg of extract in this study might be suggestive that at this dose, Bambara nut possesses a possible potential to enhance erythropoietin release from the kidneys.
Erythropoietin is the hormone secreted by the kidneys that increases the rate of production of red blood cells in the bone marrow.
“This may be due to the high content of iron and proteins in the plant. So, it is therefore possible that consumption of Bambara nuts by humans can help prevent anaemia, especially in menstruating and pregnant women,” according to the 2021 edition of the Scientific Research Journal of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
This study was designed to assess the effect of Bambara nut extract on the haematological parameters of Wistar rats. Haematological parameters, including red and white blood cell counts and haemoglobin concentration, are widely used clinical indicators of health and disease.
Twenty-four adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups of six rats each. Rats in group A were administered distilled water, while those in groups B, C, and D were administered 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg of Bambara nut extract 12 hours a day for 28 days via oral route of administration. At the end of treatment, animals were sacrificed, and blood samples were collected.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined anaemia in pregnancy as a haemoglobin (Hb) concentration of less than 11 grammes per decilitre or blood-packed cell volume (PCV) that is less than 33 percent.
Anaemia, which is characterised by a lack of healthy red blood cells, affects 32 million pregnant women worldwide and up to half of all pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
It is one of the most common medical problems pregnant women encounter in low- and high-income countries due to higher rates of dietary iron deficiency, inherited blood disorders, nutrient deficiencies, and infections such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, and hookworm.
But the contributions of each of the factors that cause anaemia during pregnancy vary due to geographical location, dietary practice, and season.
Anaemia was more common in women in rural areas with low educational status who did not go for antenatal care or had low family income. Also, it is more common among married women, those with fewer children, those who had not used contraception, slept under insecticide-treated nets, or who had a recurrent fever.
Other prophylactic and therapeutic uses of Bambara nut include use against protein deficiency kwashiorkor, treatment of venereal diseases, treatment of polymenorrhea (frequent, short menstrual cycles), treatment for internal bruising, and treatment of cataracts with a mixture of water and crushed Bambara nut seeds.
Besides, water leaf, fluted pumpkin (Ugwu), and African spinach are among the abundant and widely consumed leafy vegetables with the potential to boost low blood volume.
In test animals, researchers found that amaranth caused the highest percentage increase in blood level, followed by Ugwu and waterleaf in a decreasing order. It was in the 2020 edition of the European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
The study was conducted using 45 male adult Wistar rats. Anaemia was induced using a 10-day oral administration of 2,4-ditrophenylhydrazine (DNPH). The animals were treated using 30 and 60 mg/kg ethanolic leaf extracts and Astymin, a standard anti-anaemic drug. Haematological parameters were analysed using standard automated methods. It lasted for 28 days.
When compared to Astymin, a standard anti-anaemic drug, the mean value for packed cell volume (PCV) was found to be higher among the animals treated with 60 mg/kg of African spinach, and the mean red blood cell (RBC) count was higher in animals treated with water leaf as well as among rats treated with 30 mg/kg of African spinach.
Moreover, researchers have shown in clinical studies that extracts of date palm, beetroot, nettle, cowhage or velvet bean, pawpaw, fig tree, and sorghum could be effectively used to improve blood count as an alternative or complement to blood transfusion and heal anaemic conditions such as sickle cell anaemia and malaria.
Also, foods that are rich in iron and vitamins, such as beans, pigeon peas, spinach, okra, green leafy vegetables, bananas, fish, oysters, and organ meat, such as kidney and liver, are also used to beat anaemia and boost blood levels.
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