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Health benefits of bitter berries
Bitter berries commonly known as katunkuma. PHOTO/NET.
What you need to know:
- Bitter berries have been found to be an important natural alternative treatment for several health problems.
Commonly known as katunkuma, bitter berries are common among several cultures in Uganda. They are very small compared to their counterparts, ntula and very bitter.
They are eaten as a side sauce mostly favoured by older people who have acquired the taste for their bitterness. In addition to adding taste to meals, bitter berries contain a number of medicinal and nutritional values.
Daudi Muwonge, a 50-year-old man says he was grappling with high blood pressure. “I was tired of the medications which were not only expensive but also making me feel dizzy at times. So when a friend advised me to start eating katunkuma, I thought it was worth trying since it was only Shs500 in the market,” Muwonge says he has not had to deal with pressure issues since he started regularly eating the berries.
Sylvia Namuleme, a mother and business woman, credits bitter berries for helping manage her diabetes. “Fiveyears ago, when I was battling with diabetes, my mother advised me to start eating kantunkuma. I had been taking other bitter vegetables such as nakati and jobyo so adding katunkuma was not hard. Ever since I started taking it religiously, my sugar levels have normalised making life easier,” says Namuleme.
Medicinal
Innocent Kwame, a nutritionist, says the bitter berries are a great addition to fight against several ailments, most of which are lifestyle illnesses such as diabetes. “Bitter berries have lots of nutrients in them that help to get the body back to its natural state and ridding it of the toxins that cause some of these diseases,” says Kwame.
He adds that since it is totally natural, it also aids one to get rid of bad cholesterol. “Bad cholesterol collects in one’s body owing to continuous consumption of foods such as red meat. However, when the consumption is reduced and replaced with bigger quantities of katunkuma, it helps the body lose the bad cholesterol which would have piled on the blood vessels thus making one prone to heart diseases,” Kwame shares.
With cleansing abilities, Kwame says even kidneys are helped when one consumes bitter berries as they help rid the body of toxins. “These could come from the foods one eats. When the body is cleaner, one is then certain that kidneys will not get overwhelmed hence reduced chances of kidney failure,” notes Kwame.
The little berries are also packed with antioxidants which are necessary for helping the body fight effects from pollution.
“Our environment is filled with lots of pollution from industrial smoke, waste and so much more. However, with katunkuma, the antioxidants therein allow for the body to fight off their effects such as cell damage,” Irene Namale, a nutritionist, shares.
Nutritious
She also says that bitter berries have Vitamin C which helps in boosting one’s immunity.
“Such vitamins help to fight against diseases such as colds. It also helps in faster recovery in case one is sick,” says Namale. The berries are rich in dietary fibre so when consumed on daily, they help in easing digestion which allows for good bowel movement. With that, problems such as constipation, bloating and heart burn are avoided.
Justus Muhereza, a father shares that he has also used the katunkuma powder as first aid to ease his child’s diarrhoea.
“In the middle of the night, my son was battling with diarrh0ea and my mother told me to mix a spoon of it in a cup of warm water and give it to him. It helped him sleep until we could take him to the hospital in the morning,” says Muhereza.
That said, nutritionists urge that these berries should not replace the doctor; “In case of an ailment such as diabetes, it is advisable that one sees the doctor for proper diagnosis. More to that, in case you are on medication, it is important that you talk to your doctor to ensure that the berries will not interfere with the medication.”
