Surprising Health benefits of Pepper fruit

Pepper fruit, which is botanically known as Dennettia tripetala G. Baker, belongs to the Annonaceae family. It is well known as mmimmi by the igbo people of Nigeria (West Africa), Ata Igebere or igberi by the Yorubas, Imako by the Niger Deltas and Urhobo, ako by Bini, Nkarika by the Efik and Ibibio. It is a pungent, pepperish, spicy medicinal plant that is characterised by greenish appearance when unripe but tends to be reddish or pinkish in colour when ripe.

People consume the fruit during cultural ceremonies, coronations, traditional marriages, naming ceremonies, new yam festivals and other events in the eastern part of Nigeria. The fruit is usually found in the tropical region of West African especially Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Cameroon. Pepper fruit tree thrives mainly in the Savannah and rainforest zones while the fruit usually ripens between April and May.

Edible mature pepper fruit is mostly chewed raw but can also be used for food preparations and for preparing herbal medicines. Both the fruits, leaves, roots and barks of the Dennettia tripetala plant are distinguished by their strong pungent, spicy and pepperish taste, fragrance and aroma.

Health benefits of Nigeria Pepper fruit are:

Treatment of Typhoid: The leaves and fruits of the pepper fruit can be used for preparing herbal medicines for treating typhoid.

Reduces the growth of prostate cancer cells and treat them: A study from University of Illinois at Chicago in United States found that extract of Nigerian pepper fruit has the ability to press or reduce the growth of prostate cancer cells.

Minimizes Cancer Risk: Pepper fruit is an excellent source of flavonoids, which have been proven effective for reducing the onset of cancer attacks

Source of antioxidant: Flavonoids and ascorbic acid are antioxidants in Nigerian that eliminates free radicals in the body. As the fruit ripened, the antioxidant tends to be decreased. As the total phenol in the fruit increases, the potential antioxidant is automatically being reduced.

Cures liver and kidney damage: Extract of Nigerian pepper fruit will cure the damage that happens to liver and kidney damage. Nigerian pepper fruit ameliorates the damage in liver and kidney, which linked to the impact of multiple exposures to carbon tetrachloride.

Acts as insecticidal property: Hexanolic extract from it can toxic the larvae of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Consequently, the fruit is potential as insecticidal property.

Treatment of Infantile Convulsion: The leaves and fruits of the pepper fruit can be used for preparing herbal medicines for treating infantile convulsion. Infantile convulsion is a neurological genetic disorder notable for its autosomal dominant mode of inheritance

Controls blood sugar level: It controls blood sugar level, due to its antihyperglycemic effect.

Anti-inflammatory Properties: Essential oil from pepper fruit contains anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. As a result, the essential oil can be used for reducing body inflammation and pain.

Heals womb after giving birth: Some people have believed that Nigerian pepper fruit helps to heal the womb of mothers after giving birth. Facts also revealed that the seed can aid uterus contraction and therefore it is recommended to be given immediately after mothers are giving birth to their baby.