In sub-Saharan Africa there are several thousand indigenous, high-nutrition plant species that have been consumed for generations as staples or medicinally. It is believed that there are more than 3,000 native African roots, stems, tubers, leaves and leafstalks, bulbs, immature inflorescences, and fruits and vegetables that are eaten routinely. 

Because the knowledge of what plants can and cannot be eaten has generally been relayed through word of mouth over generations, much of it has been lost over time. Furthermore, most of these indigenous foods lack scientific research and institutional support.

To make it worse, some species have been transported out of Africa and claimed by other parts of the world, while not enough of them have been studied in order to benefit communities that go through malnutrition and famine year after year. That’s quite a disgrace, as this would benefit not only sub-Saharan communities, but communities the world over. 

According to the Handbook of African Medicinal Plants, there are more than 50,000 distinct plant species in the sub-Saharan region. While more than 25 percent of known species have been used for several centuries in traditional African medicine to prevent and treat diseases, Africa remains a minor player in the global natural products market, largely due to lack of practical information.

The Baobab

With the rise of healthy eating, especially in the West, some African ancestral food plants have become popular for their high nutritional value.  One of these is the baobab, a superfruit. For thousands of years, indigenous Africans have consumed most parts of the baobab tree—the “tree of life”—whose leaves, seeds, bark and shell are deemed equally nutritious. 

Its fruit pulp has very high vitamin C content (roughly 10 times that of orange) and can be used in seasoning, as an appetizer and to make juices. 

Its seeds contain appreciable quantities of crude protein, digestible carbohydrates and oil, and high levels of lysine, thiamine, calcium and iron. They can be eaten fresh or dried—ground into flour and added to soups and stews. Processing eliminates a number of antinutritional factors present in the seed. 

Its leaves are superior in nutritional quality to the fruit pulp, and contain significant levels of vitamin A. The leaves can be eaten fresh or dried; they’re a staple for many African populations.

Several parts of the baobab have interesting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and it has been used extensively since ancient times in traditional medicine. The bark fibers are also used to make household items. The tree provides food, shelter, clothing and medicine as well as material for hunting and fishing. Every part of the baobab tree is useful.

The Moringa

Another traditional food plant of Africa (also grown in other tropical and sub-tropical places, like Asia and South America) is the Moringa oleifera tree. Its leaves, flowers, seeds and roots have been used in folk medicine for centuries. In ancient times, people considered moringa a cure-all, and some still see it as one. It’s been used as a digestive aid, to improve eye health, and as a tonic. Multiple parts of the tree are edible. Its leaves, which are peppery and mildly bitter, are added to many Western dishes, water or beverages. 

The moringa tree grows in warm weather. It’s become so popular in the West, including the United States, that it’s not surprising to find them in quite a few backyards, especially in the South. There are many videos, podcasts, articles and recipes online about the moringa’s benefits and uses. 

At A Gift To Africa, we work with women in Malawi and Kenya to collect and process baobab fruit, moringa and other high-nutrition plants. These ancient foods are ingredients for the products we make here in Florida. 

Our ingredients provide an income for the women we partner with in Africa, and provide great nutrition to our customers around the world. We also train the communities we work in to use the rich plants that they have as prevention and not necessarily treatment for diseases.  

It is also our mission to promote and increase the use of African traditional ingredients to benefit everyone’s health.

Sabina Zunguze is CEO of A Gift To Africa. To learn more, visit AGift2Africa.com.