Palm oil is primarily food. It, however, has loads of medicinal benefits.
By Sarah Dossa
Growing up, we enjoyed delicacies prepared with palm oil, and we still do. We also watched our mothers using palm oil for various activities – cooking, and as a medication, but we were however not as emboldened as kids born in the internet generation, to ask probing questions.
Palm oil price
As of the time of writing this article, the price of palm oil per kg is roughly six hundred naira (#600). So, a 5kg keg will go for three thousand naira (#3000). A 75cl or 1 Litre is sold between five hundred naira to a seven hundred and fifty naira (#500 – #1000). A twenty liter (20 L) keg goes for eight thousand naira (#8 000) while a twenty-five-liter keg is sold between nine and fifteen thousand naira (#9000 – #15 000). However, these prices are not stable and fluctuate from time to time due to several reasons.
Palm oil benefits
Tradomedical practitioners believe that palm oil’s benefits go far beyond food; it is highly medicinal. In days gone by (which still holds true in the rural areas), when a person experiences food poisoning and the mother alerted the people around, the next thing you would hear is, “bring palm oil!” A dose of palm oil, when imbibed, is believed to neutralise the effects of the poison.
It goes further. Palm oil, the tradomedical practitioners claim, is also a good antioxidant and helps in the treatment of ailments – malaria, high blood pressure, including weight loss, among others. As an antioxidant, the claims of tradomedical practitioners are backed by science (www.webmd.com/diet/palm-oil-health-benefits) where it was stated that palm oil is rich in vitamin E.
Iya Solution, also known as Iya Uthman, an Ibadan-based herbal practitioner, and a mother, said she grew up knowing palm oil as an antioxidant. She said that palm oil’s benefits have been underestimated. She cited cough as a good example. According to her, palm oil serves as an elixir for treating cough, which provides fast relief. A mix of palm oil and sugar or honey is an age-long remedy for cough. When taken at intervals, Iya Solution says the cough will abate.
The herbs seller also attested to the fact that palm oil, when applied with some herbs, serves as an antidote for treating measles. Rubbing palm oil on the skin of babies infected with measles also provides relief, among the Yoruba. She said this is a remedy etched in the motherhood manual of mothers of the Yoruba ethnic group.
There are lots of anecdotes related to palm oil. It is used to cleanse the skin of newborn babies so that when such babies become adults, they will not have body odors. Or, take this: Palm oil hastens the process of pus formation in boils, thereby lessening the pain associated with boils and abscesses.
Palm oil is now extensively used in the skincare industry. The importance of palm oil dates back thousands of years. Nigeria’s tradomedical practice may be on to something when they claim that palm oil is not only food but is also highly medicinal.
Sarah Dossa, is a freelance, and creative writer living in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
