3. The A list : Herbs and Spices that Heal - ACHI SEEDS

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 ACHI SEEDS

Formally known  as Brachystegia Eurycoma

Popular in the South of Nigeria

Locals call it

Achi or  Akpa

 Nutritional and Ethnomedicinal

Igbo people use it to get rid of parasites

Join Gulzaar Foods as we explore the grossly underutilized Achi Seeds that holds promise for drug and food development.

 

 

Appearance and Description

 

Round, dry and flat
A soup thickener
Once ground, a white, brownish powder

  

• The  Brachystegia Eurycoma tree is large with a flat crown of, twisted,  huge and widely spread branches. It grows about  37 meters tall.
• Harvested for local use for food, medicine, and wood
• Used locally and exported.

ACHI Flavor

Achi, the indispensable vegetable is strong, yet it has a tinge of sweetness.  It is the  Nigerian soup thickener cornerstone.

When in Nigeria, whether you having  Vegetable soup, sauce or a stew, most probably it contains Achi.

Common in:

• Egusi soup,
• Oha soup,
• Ogbono soup,
• Uziza 

 

ACHI Uses

 Soup Thickener and Flavorant

 The spicy seeds are consumed like condiments, used in the preparation of a flour.

 

  

ACHI Tree and Seed Health Benefits

• Anti Inflammatory
• Medicinal and Nutritional values of the plant 
• Minerals and Vitamin packed
• Analgesic
• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti Microbial
• Wound Healing
• Antioxidant
• Anti Cancer
• Lowers blood glucose
• Gastrointestinal modulation
• Liver enzyme
• Lowes Blood pressure
• Body warmth
• Bowel Movement
• Diabetes And Cholesterol aid

  

Other Uses of  The Achi Tree 

• The wood is used for furniture, flooring and interiors
• Course cloth for protection from the rain and makes containers
• Insectidal
• Used against termites and as a fungicidal remedy

 

References

1. Adekunle, A.A., 2000. Antifungal property of the crude extracts of Brachystegia eurycoma and Richardia brasiliensis. Nigerian Journal of Natural Products and Medicine 4: 70–72.
2. Okwu, G.I., Achar, P.N. & Sharma, S.K., 2010. Quantification of aflatoxin B1 in ready-to-use food thickeners in South-east geo-political zone in Nigeria. African Journal of Microbiology Research 4(16): 1788–1793.
3. http://www.tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Brachystegia+eurycoma