What is Uda?
Uda is the igbo name for Negro Pepper, (Xylopia Aethiopica), a multipurpose medicinal plant that is very important in the local economies especially in West Africa, supplying foods, a wide range of medicines, and wood. Uda is one of the main ingredients in making popular Igbo delicacies such as pepper soup, isi ewu and nkowbi. It remains an important traded plant species throughout parts of Africa, sold in local markets as a spice and medicine. The dried fruits of Uda (Xylopia aethiopica) are used as an herbal medicine. The tree is often cultivated near villages and often protected when growing in the forest. Uda is sold in its whole natural, long form, and also sold ground or in powder form though people prefer to buy the whole spice.
What is fertility?
Fertility is about the ability to get pregnant. More than 8 out of 10 couples where the woman is aged under 40 will get pregnant within one year if they have regular unprotected sex. More than 9 out of 10 couples will get pregnant within 2 years. The birth rate for Nigeria in 2019 was 37.684 births per 1000 people, a 1.09% decline from 2018. The birth rate for Nigeria in 2018 was 38.098 births per 1000 people, a 1.25% decline from 2017. The birth rate for Nigeria in 2017 was 38.582 births per 1000 people, a 1.24% decline. SEE: Alligator Pepper: Uses, Health Benefits, Side Effects
Why is fertility rate high in Nigeria?
These factors include high level of infant and child mortality, early and universal marriage, early child bearing as well as child bearing within much of the reproductive life span, low use of contraception and high social values placed on child bearing.
How Does Uda Affect Fertility?
Uda affects both male and female fertility negatively. A 2013 study that evaluated testicular and epididymal weight, testosterone as well as sperm parameters after consumption of uda showed a reversible dose dependent negative effect in body and organ weight, sperm parameters and in fertility parameters. In women, uda can cause abortion and negatively affects menstrual periods. According to research, alterations in the estrous cycle, specifically, with prolonged diestrus, reductions in ovulation levels and implantation, as well as, abortifacient effect. Dietary Xylopia aethiopica could be a good candidate for consideration as an oral contraceptive agent. The menstrual cycle is the hormonal process a woman’s body goes through each month to prepare for a possible pregnancy. Regular menstrual periods in the years between puberty and menopause are usually a sign that your body is working normally. Irregular or heavy, painful periods are not normal. Uda can alter the normal pattern of a woman’s monthly flow. SEE: Learning How to Use Uda for Abortion Can Kill You
