Tiger nuts, like walnuts, boost libido

Well, African walnut is in season and you might be overlooking this great health booster in nature. Aside improving memory, mood or non-verbal reasoning, heart health, and being protective from diabetes, regular intake of Africa walnut boosts sperm potency and quality.

Notably, experts in a new study suggest that African walnut like tiger nuts also can significant boost libido or erectile function. It helped to reduce the anxiety, which plays a role in the development and maintenance of sexual dysfunctions for both men and women.

In fact, the researchers found a significant increase in the testosterone levels in rats fed tiger nut and walnut diets compared to the control, suggesting that they contain substances that could enhance the precursors of sex hormones and increase circulating testosterone level.

Testosterone levels and replacement have been linked to sexual function, specifically erection quality, libido, and ejaculatory function.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the inability to attain or maintain erection sufficiently to permit satisfactory sexual performance. This condition is not considered normal at any age and is different from other problems that interfere with sexual intercourse, such as lack of sexual desire and problems with ejaculation and orgasm.

Notably, data from various studies have estimated that as many as half of men aged 40 to 70 years have some form of ED.  In fact, the prevalence of severe ED increases with age, with greater than 35 per cent of men over age 70 reporting difficulty obtaining or maintaining erections.

Since 1998, many conventional medicines have been accepted and used for correction of erectile dysfunction. However, there are associated side effects to the use of these synthetic drugs, including severe headache, sleeplessness, penile pain to, nasal congestion and urethral bleeding.

For years, scientists have been assessing natural remedies considered effective and safe for treating ED in many communities, including African walnut, tiger nut, Massularia acuminata root, Bulbine natalensis stem and bitter kola nut.

For the 2017 study, the researchers evaluated the enhancing effect of dietary supplementation of tiger nut and walnut on erectile function in normal male rats.

The testing was performed for 14 days after which different parameters such as sexuality, level of anxiety and sex hormone levels were conducted.

The study was carried out by Ganiyu Oboh, Ayodeji Augustine Olabiyi and Stephen Adeniyi Adefegha, all from the Federal University of Technology, Akure. It was published in the June edition of the Journal of Food Biochemistry.

In this study, supplementation of diet with tiger nuts and walnuts caused a significant increase in both mounting number and intromission number compared to the control group.

The mounting number is the number of mounts without intromission from the time of introduction of the female to the male while the intromission number is the number of times of introduction of the female until the end of the experiment.

However, mounting latency and intromission latency were significantly decreased in rats fed tiger nuts and walnut diets, both indicators of sexual motivation.

Mounting latency is the time interval between the time of introducing the female to the first mount by the male while the intromission latency is the interval from the time of introduction of the female to the first intromission by the male.

The researchers, however, suggested that the sexual enhancing effect of the supplemented diets may partly be linked to the antioxidant potentials of walnut and tiger nut.

Tiger nut, a daily ingredients in the diet of many people in Sub-Saharan Africa, is rich in vitamins E, C, and other minerals such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium which are necessary for bones and muscles.

It is called imumu or ofio in Yoruba, Aki Awusa in Igbo, Aya in Hausa, and Isip Isong in Efik/Ibibio,

Walnut, which is cultivated principally for the nuts is called Asala or Awusa in Yoruba; Ukpa in Ibo; and Okhue or Okwe in Edo.

Walnut seeds are used in the treatment of fibroid. The leaf juice is drank to mitigate prolonged and /or constant hiccups. Seeds are chewed to improve sperm count in men. The leaf juice is used to improve fertility in women and also to regulate menstrual flow.

In southern Nigerian ethnomedicine, African walnut is used as a male fertility agent and the leaves are used for the treatment of dysentery and to improve fertility in males.