What You Will Learn In This Post:
What is Muthiga?
Muthiga is a herb tree referred to as a Ugandan green heart or pepper bark tree. It is an evergreen tree native in most African countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, among others. It produces very healthy extracts mainly because it is strong and resistant to all insects.
The Nature of Warbugia ugandensis
The plant has various medicinal properties for both human beings and animals due to its antimicrobial activities against protozoan, bacterial, and fungal infections. Muthiga’s extracts can treat malaria, skin infections, asthma, human immunodeficiency virus opportunistic infections, measles, pneumonia, candidiasis, diarrhea, among other illnesses.
The herb is a product used in the production of several therapeutic drugs.
How is Muthiga grown and produced?
Muthiga is a hermaphroditic plant that can grow in lowland rainforests, upland dry evergreen forests, secondary bush and grasslands, and on territorial in swamp forests. The species is native in some parts of Northeast Tropical Africa like Ethiopia, among others, and other countries in East Tropical Africa like Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. In Central Africa, the tree grows in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and for South Tropical African areas, it survives in Malawi, South Africa, and Swaziland.
The evergreen tree does not require special care during its growth. It grows naturally to approximately (4.5-40) m in height with a spreading rounded crown at the top. At breast height, its diameter gets to be about 70cm.
The healthy stem bark is supposed to be either smooth or scaly and pale green or brown. The pepper bark tree leaves are simple, alternate, stalked, glossy, short, and have dotted glands. For the flowers, they are either solitary or in small 3-4 flowered cymes as well as axillary, regular, and bisexual.
The fruits are berries that are green and ellipsoidal at first but later on as they mature and become sub-spherical, purplish fruits. Seeds produced are compressed and more or less cordate and yellow-brown.
How do you Consume Pepper Bark Tree Products?
It is taken together with food as a spice or food seasoning. It is also used in the production of some medicines for it to be consumed for its health benefits.