KIGELIA AFRICANA: THE SAUSAGE TREE'S 10 MAGICS

Botanical name: Kigelia africana

Trade name: The Sausage tree/Cucumber tree

Family: Bignoniaceae

Local Names:
English (Sausage tree); Luo (Yago) Kamba (Muatine); Kikuyu (Muratina); Kipsigis (Ratuinet); Luhya (Kumufunga); Maasai (Oldarpoi); Marakwet (Rotio); Meru (Muratina); Nandi (Ratinuet); Pokot (Roti); Swahili (Mwengea); Taita (Mwasina)

Kigelia africana is a tree widespread across Africa and found in wet savannah and riverine areas. Seedlings and direct sowing at site can be used to propagate it. Soaking the seeds in boiling water for 1 minute aids germination—an 80% success rate has been noted. Cuttings can also be used for propagation. The tree grows to 20 m (66 feet) tall or more. The growth rate is about 1m/year. It is semi-deciduous with smooth grey-brown bark and velvety maroon flowers.

 Kigelia begin to flower from the age of 6 years. The unusual grey, sausage-shaped fruit that gives the tree its common name (the sausage tree) hangs from rope-like stalks. They can reach over a metre in length and weigh as much as 10kg. The fruit pulp within the thin skin is firm and fibrous fruit pulp and contains many small seeds.

Traditional Uses

Traditional African healers use kigelia to treat a wide range of skin ailments from fungal infections, boils, acne and psoriasis, through to more serious diseases, such as leprosy, syphilis and skin cancer. It is also used effectively to dress wounds and sores.The powdered mature fruit is applied as a dressing in the treatment of wounds, abscesses, and ulcers.

Known Tested Traditional Uses:

1. Enlarges Genitalia and Enhance Firmer Bigger Breasts:

Young men and women use the fruits and bark to enhance the growth and development of their genitalia and firmer breasts respectively. Fruit is also used by the Vhavenda men of the Limpopo province of South Africa to increase penis size. The fruit is rubbed on the breasts of young girls in Cape Verde to enhance their development.

How does it work? You ask.... 

Kigeline is a phyto-hormone derived from the fruit of the Kigelia Africana tree and acts to prevent the relaxing of skin tissue while increasing firmness and tension. Phyto-hormones are plant chemicals remarkably similar to human hormone secretions. They are rich in bioflavonoids and they contain effective antioxidants. For those who want breast enlargement but don't want implants, this is one options to consider. Kegelia also reduce swelling and mastitis of the breasts. 

For well toned skin, the Tonga women of the Zambezi valley apply cosmetic preparations of kigelia to their faces to ensure a blemish-free complexion. 

2. Aphrodisiac/ Love Food

Sexual complaints such as infertility, poor libido, sexual asthenia and impotence are treated with medicines containing the kigelia fruits, roots or leaves. A small amount of unripe fruit is chewed, or an aqueous preparation is taken orally as a sexual stimulant, and traditional beer to which they are added is drunk as an aphrodisiac - food or drink that stimulates sexual desire.

3. Making Local Brews: in Kenya.

Reminder: The fresh fruit is poisonous and strongly purgative if ingested raw and fresh.

Fruit are prepared for consumption by drying, roasting or fermentation. In central Kenya, the dried fruits are used to make an alcoholic beverage called Muratina which is a core components in cultural events in Central Kenya.

4. Treat Diabetes, Malaria, Pneumonia and Intestinal worms

Kigelia is taken internally to treat conditions such as dysentery, ringworm, malaria, diabetes and pneumonia.

5. Skin Cancer:

Several papers support the use of kigelia extract for treating skin cancer while the extract has found a market in Europe and the Far East as the active ingredient in tumour reducing cytotoxic activity

6. Sarcoma:

Effective in the treatment of solar keratosis and Kaposi’s sarcoma, an HIV-related skin ailment. Research by PhytoTrade Africa supports its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

7. Digestive disorders

An infusion is made from the ground bark and fruits to treat stomach problems in children. The roots, bark, leaves, stems, twigs and fruits are pound and boiled to treat digestive disorders. Administration is typically by oral ingestion or as an enema. The roots, bark and ripe or unripe fruits are taken as a laxative or emetic, to treat chronic and acute digestive disorders and against gastric infections like ulcers

8. Sexually Transmitted Infections

Infections of the genito-urinary tract, particularly venereal diseases, are treated both internally and externally with preparations of the roots, bark, leaves, stems and twigs. In West and Central Africa, palm wine, in which dried and ground bark is macerated, is taken against syphilis. Stem bark is used to treat Candida albicans infections

9. Timber : 

The wood is easy to work and produces a good-quality timber for general use, mostly bee hives.

10. Non Wood Forest Products:

Food : Ripe fruits are inedible, although slices of baked fruit are added to beer to aid in fermentation of local honey beer, for example throughout East Africa. In times of food shortage, the seeds are roasted in hot ashes and eaten.

Fodder: When the flowers and leaves fall to the ground they are eaten by game and livestock.

Apiculture: The large, maroon flowers attract bees and are a source of bee forage

Tannin or dyestuff : A black dye can be produced from the fruit. Tannin can be extracted from the roots and stem bark.

Poison : extracts from the fruit have molluscicidal properties and raw fruits are poisonous to humans.

Environmental Services:

Erosion control : The sausage tree is suitable for riverbank stabilization.

Shade or shelter : It provides a good shade but should be avoided during fruition as its fruit which weigh about 10 kg are deadly if they fall on you.

Ornamental: the tree is fast growing; its spreading canopy and interesting flowers and fruits, it makes a good ornamental tree.:

Break seed dormancy: In Nigeria pieces of fruit soaked in water, together with small pieces of metal, are sprinkled with young palm fronds to stimulate germination of yam tubers as well as promote a good harvest.

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Sources/Studies

Burkill, H. M. (1985) Kigelia africana . Useful plants of west tropical Africa, Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. 1: 254-257; 738-739; 754; 757.

Grace, O. M., Light, M.E., Lindsey, K.L., Mulholland, D.A., van Staden, J. and Jäger, A.K., (2002). Antibacterial activity and isolation of active compounds from fruit of the traditional African medicinal tree Kigelia africana . South African Journal of Botany 68 (2): 220-222.