A professor of Biochemistry, Ebenezer Farombi, has said regular consumption of bitter kola may promote longevity, citing years of research into the medicinal properties of the indigenous plant.

Farombi, who spoke at the Second Annual Research Week of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), said scientific studies were increasingly providing evidence for some of the health benefits long associated with bitter kola in traditional African societies.

According to him, people who consume bitter kola regularly may be less vulnerable to some diseases because of its bioactive compounds.

“People who chew it regularly will likely live long because most diseases and illnesses will be far away from them,” he said.

Farombi said the Yoruba people had traditionally associated bitter kola with longevity, including its use during naming ceremonies where it is presented alongside prayers for the long life of a newborn.

The don, who has researched bitter kola for several years in collaboration with scientists across different continents, said researchers had isolated and characterised compounds from the plant with potential therapeutic applications.

He said studies had examined its potential role in protecting the brain and managing conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, as well as its possible effects against inflammation and viral infections.

Farombi, however, warned that the plant could become scarce without urgent conservation efforts, noting that bitter kola trees can take more than 30 to 40 years to mature and produce. “The people who cultivate bitter kola don’t live to eat of it,” he said.

He urged government to invest in conserving bitter kola and other indigenous plants with medicinal value, while protecting Nigeria’s biological resources and traditional knowledge from foreign exploitation. “Nigerian government should not allow foreigners to take away what we have,” he said.

Farombi also called for stronger systems to translate research findings into commercially viable innovations, saying Nigeria had the talent, knowledge and natural resources to address many of its challenges.

He urged universities and research institutions to move beyond silo-based research towards multidisciplinary collaboration that translates knowledge into innovation, enterprise and societal impact.

“The pathway to national development is not simply the creation of more knowledge. We have abundant knowledge in the university system, in research institutes, but there is a value gap in translating the knowledge that we have to innovative products that can affect society,” he said.

He said closing the gap would enable Nigerians to derive greater economic and health benefits from the country’s indigenous resources.