The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1888-11-24
THE KOLA TREE
A Tropical Nut Possessing mar
velouS Qualities.
Its Soothing Effect Upon Ex-
hauSted Human Systems.

ties. If the prophecies regarding the
benefce services of certain prepare
tions of it are realized, an unspeakable
boon will be conferred upon millions OF
the human race. For many years it has
been extensively used as "a excellent
beverage and sacred symbol in the in
terror of Africa; but now its properties
have every reason to be far more extern
sively utilized. There is no doubt, Ga
writer in the Scotsman says, from what
is already known, that it has the extra
ordinary property of cOunteracting the
influence of alcohol, of giving stimu-
liant in wasting diseases, OF acting as a
powerful tonic in cases of deep seated
injuries of the digestive organs, Of puri-
flying foul water, of overcoming the
sense of fatigue, and of exciting to az
duous work with the least in jury TO the
frame.
1t appears that kola nuts were crigi-
nally found in the western territories OF
Africa, and that soldiers stationed along
the coast were the first white men who
became aware of their peculiar property.
They found, for instance, that the chew
ing of these nuts prevented drunken
headache. Not only SO, but some who
have used the paste as a ''pich me-up"
assert that while removing the nausea,
it gives them quite a 'sku2nc-' at the
smell of whisky and removes irritating
desire for a morning" to keep the
stomach hearty. If the paste be mixed
with cocoa paste, which it resembles
closely, it produces a much faer and
more nutritive chocolate. 1t has been
shown by repeated experiments that
the nerv, energy p.odCccd by
partaking of the chocollte made
with kO!a paste is ten times
greater than that produced By an
equal quantity of ordinary cocoa choc-
olate. So nutritious is this kola that
with a single cup of it laborer can IN
dcrgo days work without any sense
of WEAKNESS. Though 1t may rot d.
rectly feed tic muscular system it has
the property OF preventing the rapid
waste of the tissues. So much have the
manufacturers OF chocolate become alive
to the excellent properties of the new
paste, that they are making arrange
ments to procure 1t for mixing pur.
poses, as soon as its price become:
reasonable. The British government,
too, have gone the length of making
experiments upon the paste in pure
state, so as to ascertain the saving
which would be made in the transit o
provision in time of war by giving
this beverage TO the army. 1t is of grea
service for purifying the foul waite
which is so prevalent il hot climates
this will be the preventive of many dis
eases, especially TO Europeans. 1t ha
also been found very Us e!ul in clarifyin!
beer and spirits, acting much like tn
white of al egg or lsing glass. A com
parison between the composition of ko
la, tea, coffee and cocoa shows that tn
proportion OF caffeine is higher n kol
than in any of the others, and it e1
ceeds cocoa in tho obromine. Just o
with tea among old ladies, the kol
maintains the health and strength of til
body in Tn equal degree upon smalle
supply of ordinary food, and arrest
the waste, enabling the less energeti
, powers of digestion to supply as niue
, as is needed to repoir the wear and tea
: of the solid issues. The obromine {
cocoa resem bles the theme of tea an
the caffeine of cocoa, and contains eve
, a larger quantity of nitrogen. Tn
I element in the kola is also very activ
: exercising an exhilarating and sootl
, ing, hunger sitting and waste retard in
1 effect upon the human system.
DR.. Nachtigal gives some interestiu
information about the kola-nut fro
personal experience. lie tried it #
, sometime himself, and, in his book {
: the Soudan, bears testimony to Il
q great power it has over the system
q The craving for it becomes more inten
4 than that for either tobacco or alcoho
/. and he had great difficulty in giving ,
e its use. In some places it is SO high
Q priced that for the dry powder of t
nut an equal weight of gold dust