kola nut – Cola acuminata

Description

Kola nut comes from an evergreen tree that is native to Africa. While native to Africa, it’s now cultivated in many tropical regions around the world. It grows as tall as 70 feet high and has white flowers. The seeds come from seed pods that grow on the tree. They are harvested when the fruit is ripe.

Kola nut is used to flavor many sodas. However, even before it became popular for its flavoring in soft drinks, it was used by people in Africa as an aphrodisiac.

kola nut has a long history of use in the preparation of beverages in African and Muslim cultures, John Pemberton, a 19th century American pharmacist, was inspired to combine kola with cocoa, sugar and carbonated water, giving the world the soft drink aptly named Coca-Cola.