GRAINS OF SELIM (NEGRO PEPPER)
BOTANICAL NAME: Xylopia aethiopica
OTHER NAMES: Nigeria - Uda (Ibo), Eeru alamo (Yoruba), Chimba (Hausa), Ata (Ibibio/Efik) Senegal - Djar Akan (Ghana) - hwentia kimba pepper, African pepper, Moor pepper, Negro pepper, Kani pepper,Kili pepper, Sénégal pepper, Ethiopian pepper, and Guinea pepper.
The term Grains of Selim refers to the seeds of a shrubby tree, Xylopia aethiopica, found in Africa. The seeds have a musky flavor and are used as a pepper substitute. It is sometimes confused with grains of paradise. Before the arrival of colonial masters in Nigeria, and the use of modern contraceptive methods like hormones, condoms, IUCD, hysterectomy etc. women used natural methods of contraception like uda water. Now such natural methods are gradually becoming more popular again in Nigeria as women are beginning to realise that some of the modern methods of contraception have side effects.
As a spice the hull of the fruit lends an aromatic note (with the taste being described as an admixture of cubeb pepper and nutmeg with overtones of resin) whilst the seeds lend pungency (they are also quite bitter).
The pods are crushed and added whole to soups or stews, then removed before serving the food. Smoked pods can be ground before being used as a spice rub for fish. In northern Cameroon it is one of three spices added to tea, along with dried ginger and cloves.
Negro peppers can be added whole or crushed before using to prepare assorted food dishes such as soups, yam porridge, pepper soup, stews, sauce, meat and fish etc. It can be used alone or mixed with garlic or ginger for making herbal tea. Negro pepper can also be used as a preservative. Every parts of the Negro pepper plant such as the bark, seeds, stem, fruit, leaves are of great importance in folk medicine for therapeutic purposes.
In Senegal, The grains are a key ingredient in Touba Coffee (called Café Touba in French). The Ga of Ghana use it in preparing shito - a spicy black pepper sauce. In Nigeria, it is used to make the popular Nsala Soup/White Soup.
NUTRITIONAL VALUES / HEALTH BENEFITS
It is used in treating coughs, fever, flu and cold.
It is used to prepare a special peppersoup as a postpartum herbal tonic for newborn mothers immediately after childbirth. It helps to clear blood clots in the womb after child delivery.
It stimulates appetite.
It reduces pain that's why it's used to treating rheumatism, arthritic pain and other inflammatory health conditions.
It helps increase the flow of breast milk.
Some studies reveal that the Negro Pepper spice can also be used for inducing labour.
This spice can be used as a herbal stimulant for treating gastrointestinal problems such as stomach ache, dysentery and gastric ulcers.
The bark of the Negro pepper tree can be soaked in palm wine and used for treating respiratory system diseases such as bacterial pneumonia, asthma and bronchitis.
Dried Negro peppers are usually used in folk medicine for increasing the menstrual blood flow. It can also be used for treating amenorrhea, which is an abnormal absence of menstruation.
Negro pepper seeds can be crushed and applied topically on the skin for treating boils, itches and skin eruptions.
Negro pepper contains antimalarial properties thus can be used for making herbal drugs for preventing and treating malaria.
It contains anti-fertility substances. These are contraceptives which are capable of reducing or destroying fertility. As a contraceptive, some women prepare a herbal concoction with uda seeds, which they take immediately after sexual activities to reduce the chances of falling pregnant.
Negro pepper possesses antimicrobial effects against bacteria and as such can be used for fighting against microbes.
Negro pepper contains anti-spirochetal properties thus can potentially destroy pathogens that are capable of causing syphilis, relapsing fever, yaws, and other related diseases.
Negro pepper is an excellent source of antioxidants, which are substances capable of removing free radicals and oxidizing agents in a living being. it can be used for preventing and destroying cancerous tumors.
The essential oils of the Negro pepper can be used for producing cosmetics such as creams, soaps, foaming liquid, perfumes and repellents.
Negro pepper can be used as an insecticide for killing insects.
The aqueous extracts of the Negro pepper helps to improve steroid hormonal levels.
Side Effects of the Negro Pepper
A study by Obembe et al., (2015) reveals that the aqueous extract of the Negro pepper can significantly reduce the haemoglobin concentration. Moreover, it also increases the bleeding and clotting time as well as reduces the white blood cell count and mean corpuscular haemoglobin.
SWIT KITCHEN’S NOTE: Remember too much of everything is bad. Eat in moderation. Not too much and not too little. #Balanceyourlife