FERTILITY PLANT

Botanical Name: Newbouldia laevis

Yoruba Name: Ewe Akoko

Parts used: Stem bark and leaves

Akobundu described this notable herb as “a fast growing perennial, normally a small tree that grows up to 15m high, but commonly bushy and shrubby around settlements and secondary forests”. The woody stem is irregularly twisted and smooth. The compound leaves are pinnate about 50cm long. The axis is swollen at the nodes and has two glands on the leaf stalk. The tree is used as live fence in villages especially in native shrines. In Yoruba areas the leaves are of special social significance as they are used as laurel to decorate people who have achieved distinction in the community when receiving chieftaincy titles.

As the name implies, the herb has considerable medicinal uses especially as a fertility herb. In pregnancy, it is used by experienced practitioners to help incompetent cervix. For this, the stem bark is burnt with a whole snail into powder. This powder is then added to other ‘stopper’ herbs and the woman is given to drink. To use as ‘stopper’ the stem bark is collected by scraping it upwards. The same preparation prepared by scrapping the stem bark downwards is used in the 9^th month to help easy delivery. Hot water extract of the stem bark taken orally is said to stop post-partum bleeding or used with xylopia ethiopica (eru) to increase menstrual flow. The dried leaves used as tea is said to stimulate fertility while th hot water extract of the roots is said to boost sperm count and sexual pleasure in men. A decoction of the fresh stem bark left to cool is also used to wash face and ½ glass kaken twice daily to treat migraine. The roots combined with the roots of stoolwood and jatropha is also said to be used in treating epilepsy.

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