I am as excited as you are about this fruit. To be truthful, I just knew about this fruit barely two months ago from a friend.

So you see, even if it is your first time, it feels good knowing about it now than not.

There is more than a type of Monkey kola. Some common types are:

• Yellow Monkey kola (Cola Lepidota); it has a brown rough pod and yellow crunchy pulp.
• Red Monkey kola (Cola Millenii); more details will be further explained.
• White Monkey kola (Cola Pachycarpa); it has a brown pod but white pulp.
• Cola Lateritia is another uncommon variety of Red Monkey kola. The pod is the same colour as Cola Millenii, somewhat pinkish red but rounder. However, the pulp is yellow rather than white.

What is Cola Millenii?

Cola Millenii is a shrub of about 12m high from the Sterculiaceae family. It is native to West Africa and can be found in the tropical areas of Nigeria, Senegal, Cameroun, Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

Many people know it by the English names such as Spider’s spool.

Some of its local names are Obi edun, Atewo-edun (Yoruba), Achi okokoro (Igbo), Ewoha-bitan (Edo), Asikanσyereba, Ananse adodowa (Ghana).

Features of Cola Millenii

Appearance

• The fruit pods are joined together to form a web or cluster. Each cluster may contain 6-11 pods.
• The fruit has a pinkish-red colour.
• The pods and seeds have a similar resemblance to Cocoa. However, cocoa is bigger with more seeds than Cola Millenii, which have roughly 8 – 10 seeds in each pod.

Taste

• The fruit has a sweet-sour taste. However, you need to break open the pods first. Lick the pulp and throw the seeds away or use it for other purposes as mentioned below.

Health Benefits of Cola Millenii

Cola Millenii is rich in phytochemicals such as tannins, alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, glycosides and terpenoids. These natural chemicals exhibit biological activities in the plant.

It offers some benefits to humans too as it helps to:

• Boost anti-inflammatory effect, thereby helping to reduce the risk of cancer.
• Ease or prevent oxidative stress due to its anti-oxidation property.
• Reduce the chances of chronic diseases such as those that can lead to neurodegenerative and cardiovascular problems.
• Stop the growth and spread of microorganisms. Cola Millenii when used to treat wounds have shown some microbial activities against human pathogenic organisms.
• Facilitate weight loss but should not be dependent on only for an effective result. Research shows it can help suppress appetite and the growth of adipose tissue.
• Decrease blood glucose level. Therefore, it can work as an anti-diabetic agent and help decrease the chances of type 2 diabetes.

Bottom line

There is limited research on Monkey kola varieties such as Cola Millenii, which may be due to its unpopularity as it is mostly grown in the wilds.

Therefore, there is a need to promote its cultivation. Create awareness to improve its economic value.