Bitter Kola Nut: Herbal Remedy for Anxiety and Depression
Bitter kola nuts are eaten in Africa as a panacea for many illnesses including mood issues like anxiety or depression.Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata for Mental Health
Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata is often eaten as bitter kola nuts but it can also be consumed as a tea when combined with lime juice. It can have an impact on reproductive hormone levels that can also impact mental health and mood. This herb also positively impacts the cholinergic nervous system as well as brain structures such as the hippocampus and cerebellum to accomplish improvements in mood and mental health through alternative mechanisms of action that are above and beyond what prescription antidepressants and anxiolytic medications can do.Through its healing effects on brain structures, dopaminergic transmission, right-brain / left-brain connectivity, and reproductive hormone levels, Garcinia kola can be extremely beneficial as an herbal remedy for mood disorders, psychosis, mental health issues, and addictions. If you’re trying to cure schizophrenia, get rid of an addiction or control alcoholism naturally, overcome major depression using herbs, reduce PTSD symptoms naturally, or treat bipolar disorder at home, bitter kola nut is a good addition to a natural, home-based protocol for mental health. It’s a gentle herb, it has healing effects on the nervous system and also hormone levels, and it works through multiple mechanisms of action.
Click here to buy Bitter Kola / Garcinia Kola powder.
Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata Mechanism of Action
Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata is generally taken as a stimulant medicine that improves energy levels, but this herbal medicine also reduces pain and inflammation, which might explain, to some extent why people experience higher energy levels when taking it. Bitter kola nuts are used as an anti-anxiety herb that also alleviates depression as these two emotional imbalances often cycle or even exist contemporaneously in patients.The substance kolaviron in Garcinia kola is an antidepressant substance that seems to interact with the 5-HT2 receptors as well as the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in the nervous system. In other words, this isolated substance, kolaviron, which is found in the bitter kola nut and in Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata powder, interacts with the serotonin system as well as with the cholinergic system via the muscarinic receptors. As such, a person who wishes to avoid taking antidepressant or anti-anxietymedications could work with the kola nut instead.
Indeed, studies into Garcinia kola’s use as a snake venom antidote have shown that the whole bitter kola nut and bitter kola nut powder also contains enzymes that improve not just muscarinic, but also nicotinic receptor function in the cholinergic system too. Improving the functioning of the serotonin system and the cholinergic system improves mood and mental health naturally.
Click here to schedule a health coaching call with us.
Additional Treatments to Consider While Working with Bitter Kola Nut for Depression and Anxiety
Garcinia kola is an important herbal treatment that people can use if they are trying to stop taking an antidepressant and anti-anxiety drug or if they wish to avoid taking these drugs altogether. This herb balances systems of the body to relieve depression and anxiety through various mechanisms of action, so we always recommend it to people with emotional health issues as a good place to start in terms of healing.In addition to Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata though, we also recommend that people work with a bean known as Mucuna pruriens. Like Garcinia kola, Mucuna pruriens is an herb that is strong, yet gentle, and that is unlikely to do any harm to patients who wish to do self-doctoring at home. Mucuna can be used as a natural antidepressant, but it also works very well to treat many forms of anxiety. This herb provides amino acids that act as neurotransmitter precursors. Most people begin to feel the effects of taking Mucuna pruriens within only about 4 hours after they take the first dose.
Click here to do a free trial of EMDR online.
If you’re taking an anxiolytic or an antidepressant medication, you can begin taking Mucuna pruriens to make it easier to stop taking these meds. Mucuna works upstream on the nervous system to promote neurotransmitter production while most antidepressants impact neurotransmitter release. As such, Mucuna won’t hurt you if you’re taking an MAOI, an anti-anxiety medication, or even a stimulant like Adderall for ADHD. It will, however, lessen any withdrawal symptoms that you might have when you stop taking these drugs.
Mucuna pruriens is one of the most powerful anti-addiction herbs that people work with to stop taking meth, cocaine, and prescription stimulants, including those that are prescribed for ADHD.
Click here to learn more about the DreamLight.app, a guided meditation and brain-entrainment tool.
As you begin working with Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata, consider also taking Mucuna pruriens to improve the results and support your brain health in a general way. At the same time, to permanently overcome issues with depression and anxiety, seek out treatments like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing / EMDR and brain entrainment or guided meditation using a tool like the DreamLight.app.
Finally, if you have access to psilocybin therapy in the country where you live, consider microdosing and macrodosing with psilocybin as a way to permanently overcome depression and anxiety. We work with patients online who have access to psilocybin to do integration therapy for depression and anxiety while patients are also working with other herbal treatments like Garcinia kola and Mucuna pruriens.
Click here to buy psilocybin online.
Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata Dose for Depression and Anxiety:
Garcinia kola is an herb that takes some time to work as a natural remedy for anxiety or depression. It balances reproductive hormone levels and treattment can take 1-4 months to become obvious and noticeable. Be sure to take 200-500 mg per kg body weight daily for best results and work in tandem with trauma-informed therapies to release and integrate what no longer serves you as a part of your depression and anxiety treatment.
The Home-Brewed Ko-Ka-Ko-La Cure - Learn all about Garcinia kola in this detailed guide!
Resources:
• No Author (2025). Table of Biological Activities of Kolaviron. Retrieved March 10, 2025 from
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11101-023-09869-w/tables/4
• Onasanwo, S. A. et al. (2015). The Impact of Kolaviron (A Bioflavonoid of Garcinia Kola Seed) On Depression Status in Laboratory Rodents: Roles of Monoaminergic Systems. Retrieved March 12, 2025 from https://austinpublishinggroup.com/depression-anxiety/fulltext/depression-v2-id1042.php
Bitter kola nuts are eaten in Africa as a panacea for many illnesses including mood issues like anxiety or depression.
Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata is an herb that was once used in the original Coca Cola recipe which was developed initially by a pharmacist to treat chronic pain and inflammation. Today, the bitter kola nut is eaten in Africa to accomplish a number of different health goals. In the scientific literature, it is regarded as being close to a panacea because of its ability to impact many systems of the body to restore balance in all of them at the same time.
Through its healing effects on brain structures, dopaminergic transmission, right-brain / left-brain connectivity, and reproductive hormone levels, Garcinia kola can be extremely beneficial as an herbal remedy for mood disorders, psychosis, mental health issues, and addictions. If you’re trying to cure schizophrenia, get rid of an addiction or control alcoholism naturally, overcome major depression using herbs, reduce PTSD symptoms naturally, or treat bipolar disorder at home, bitter kola nut is a good addition to a natural, home-based protocol for mental health. It’s a gentle herb, it has healing effects on the nervous system and also hormone levels, and it works through multiple mechanisms of action.
The substance kolaviron in Garcinia kola is an antidepressant substance that seems to interact with the 5-HT2 receptors as well as the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in the nervous system. In other words, this isolated substance, kolaviron, which is found in the bitter kola nut and in Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata powder, interacts with the serotonin system as well as with the cholinergic system via the muscarinic receptors. As such, a person who wishes to avoid taking antidepressant or anti-anxietymedications could work with the kola nut instead.
Indeed, studies into Garcinia kola’s use as a snake venom antidote have shown that the whole bitter kola nut and bitter kola nut powder also contains enzymes that improve not just muscarinic, but also nicotinic receptor function in the cholinergic system too. Improving the functioning of the serotonin system and the cholinergic system improves mood and mental health naturally.
In addition to Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata though, we also recommend that people work with a bean known as Mucuna pruriens. Like Garcinia kola, Mucuna pruriens is an herb that is strong, yet gentle, and that is unlikely to do any harm to patients who wish to do self-doctoring at home. Mucuna can be used as a natural antidepressant, but it also works very well to treat many forms of anxiety. This herb provides amino acids that act as neurotransmitter precursors. Most people begin to feel the effects of taking Mucuna pruriens within only about 4 hours after they take the first dose.
If you’re taking an anxiolytic or an antidepressant medication, you can begin taking Mucuna pruriens to make it easier to stop taking these meds. Mucuna works upstream on the nervous system to promote neurotransmitter production while most antidepressants impact neurotransmitter release. As such, Mucuna won’t hurt you if you’re taking an MAOI, an anti-anxiety medication, or even a stimulant like Adderall for ADHD. It will, however, lessen any withdrawal symptoms that you might have when you stop taking these drugs.
Mucuna pruriens is one of the most powerful anti-addiction herbs that people work with to stop taking meth, cocaine, and prescription stimulants, including those that are prescribed for ADHD.
As you begin working with Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata, consider also taking Mucuna pruriens to improve the results and support your brain health in a general way. At the same time, to permanently overcome issues with depression and anxiety, seek out treatments like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing / EMDR and brain entrainment or guided meditation using a tool like the DreamLight.app.
Finally, if you have access to psilocybin therapy in the country where you live, consider microdosing and macrodosing with psilocybin as a way to permanently overcome depression and anxiety. We work with patients online who have access to psilocybin to do integration therapy for depression and anxiety while patients are also working with other herbal treatments like Garcinia kola and Mucuna pruriens.
Resources:
• Ibironke, G. F. and Fasanmade, A. A. (2015). Analgesic and Central Nervous System Depressant Activities of Kolaviron (a Garcinia kola biflavonoid complex). Retrieved March 10, 2025 from https://africanjournalofbiomedicalresearch.com/index.php/AJBR/article/view/548/505
• Ajayi, S. A. et al. (2011). The microstructural effects of aqueous extract of Garcinia kola (Linn) on the hippocampus and cerebellum of malnourished mice. Retrieved March 10, 2025 from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3614237/
• Ijomone, ,O. M. & Obi, A. U. (2013). Kolaviron, isolated from Garcinia kola, inhibits acetylcholinesterase activities in the hippocampus and striatum of wistar rats. Retrieved March 10, 2025 from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4117109/
• Olatunji, S. Y. et al. (2021). Garcinia kola Attenuates MDMA-Induced Neuroinflammation in the CA1 Region of the Hippocampus in the Rat Model. Retrieved March 10, 2025 from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0972753120966852#:~:text=Garcinia%20kola%20(GK)%20has%20been,Methods:
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Bitter Kola Nut: Herbal Remedy for Anxiety and Depression
Bitter kola nuts are eaten in Africa as a panacea for many illnesses including mood issues like anxiety or depression.Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata for Mental Health
Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata is often eaten as bitter kola nuts but it can also be consumed as a tea when combined with lime juice. It can have an impact on reproductive hormone levels that can also impact mental health and mood. This herb also positively impacts the cholinergic nervous system as well as brain structures such as the hippocampus and cerebellum to accomplish improvements in mood and mental health through alternative mechanisms of action that are above and beyond what prescription antidepressants and anxiolytic medications can do.Through its healing effects on brain structures, dopaminergic transmission, right-brain / left-brain connectivity, and reproductive hormone levels, Garcinia kola can be extremely beneficial as an herbal remedy for mood disorders, psychosis, mental health issues, and addictions. If you’re trying to cure schizophrenia, get rid of an addiction or control alcoholism naturally, overcome major depression using herbs, reduce PTSD symptoms naturally, or treat bipolar disorder at home, bitter kola nut is a good addition to a natural, home-based protocol for mental health. It’s a gentle herb, it has healing effects on the nervous system and also hormone levels, and it works through multiple mechanisms of action.
Click here to buy Bitter Kola / Garcinia Kola powder.
Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata Mechanism of Action
Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata is generally taken as a stimulant medicine that improves energy levels, but this herbal medicine also reduces pain and inflammation, which might explain, to some extent why people experience higher energy levels when taking it. Bitter kola nuts are used as an anti-anxiety herb that also alleviates depression as these two emotional imbalances often cycle or even exist contemporaneously in patients.The substance kolaviron in Garcinia kola is an antidepressant substance that seems to interact with the 5-HT2 receptors as well as the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in the nervous system. In other words, this isolated substance, kolaviron, which is found in the bitter kola nut and in Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata powder, interacts with the serotonin system as well as with the cholinergic system via the muscarinic receptors. As such, a person who wishes to avoid taking antidepressant or anti-anxietymedications could work with the kola nut instead.
Indeed, studies into Garcinia kola’s use as a snake venom antidote have shown that the whole bitter kola nut and bitter kola nut powder also contains enzymes that improve not just muscarinic, but also nicotinic receptor function in the cholinergic system too. Improving the functioning of the serotonin system and the cholinergic system improves mood and mental health naturally.
Click here to schedule a health coaching call with us.
Additional Treatments to Consider While Working with Bitter Kola Nut for Depression and Anxiety
Garcinia kola is an important herbal treatment that people can use if they are trying to stop taking an antidepressant and anti-anxiety drug or if they wish to avoid taking these drugs altogether. This herb balances systems of the body to relieve depression and anxiety through various mechanisms of action, so we always recommend it to people with emotional health issues as a good place to start in terms of healing.In addition to Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata though, we also recommend that people work with a bean known as Mucuna pruriens. Like Garcinia kola, Mucuna pruriens is an herb that is strong, yet gentle, and that is unlikely to do any harm to patients who wish to do self-doctoring at home. Mucuna can be used as a natural antidepressant, but it also works very well to treat many forms of anxiety. This herb provides amino acids that act as neurotransmitter precursors. Most people begin to feel the effects of taking Mucuna pruriens within only about 4 hours after they take the first dose.
Click here to do a free trial of EMDR online.
If you’re taking an anxiolytic or an antidepressant medication, you can begin taking Mucuna pruriens to make it easier to stop taking these meds. Mucuna works upstream on the nervous system to promote neurotransmitter production while most antidepressants impact neurotransmitter release. As such, Mucuna won’t hurt you if you’re taking an MAOI, an anti-anxiety medication, or even a stimulant like Adderall for ADHD. It will, however, lessen any withdrawal symptoms that you might have when you stop taking these drugs.
Mucuna pruriens is one of the most powerful anti-addiction herbs that people work with to stop taking meth, cocaine, and prescription stimulants, including those that are prescribed for ADHD.
Click here to learn more about the DreamLight.app, a guided meditation and brain-entrainment tool.
As you begin working with Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata, consider also taking Mucuna pruriens to improve the results and support your brain health in a general way. At the same time, to permanently overcome issues with depression and anxiety, seek out treatments like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing / EMDR and brain entrainment or guided meditation using a tool like the DreamLight.app.
Finally, if you have access to psilocybin therapy in the country where you live, consider microdosing and macrodosing with psilocybin as a way to permanently overcome depression and anxiety. We work with patients online who have access to psilocybin to do integration therapy for depression and anxiety while patients are also working with other herbal treatments like Garcinia kola and Mucuna pruriens.
Click here to buy psilocybin online.
Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata Dose for Depression and Anxiety:
Garcinia kola is an herb that takes some time to work as a natural remedy for anxiety or depression. It balances reproductive hormone levels and treattment can take 1-4 months to become obvious and noticeable. Be sure to take 200-500 mg per kg body weight daily for best results and work in tandem with trauma-informed therapies to release and integrate what no longer serves you as a part of your depression and anxiety treatment.
The Home-Brewed Ko-Ka-Ko-La Cure - Learn all about Garcinia kola in this detailed guide!
Resources:
• No Author (2025). Table of Biological Activities of Kolaviron. Retrieved March 10, 2025 from
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11101-023-09869-w/tables/4
• Onasanwo, S. A. et al. (2015). The Impact of Kolaviron (A Bioflavonoid of Garcinia Kola Seed) On Depression Status in Laboratory Rodents: Roles of Monoaminergic Systems. Retrieved March 12, 2025 from https://austinpublishinggroup.com/depression-anxiety/fulltext/depression-v2-id1042.php
• Ibironke, G. F. and Fasanmade, A. A. (2015). Analgesic and Central Nervous System Depressant Activities of Kolaviron (a Garcinia kola biflavonoid complex). Retrieved March 10, 2025 from https://africanjournalofbiomedicalresearch.com/index.php/AJBR/article/view/548/505
• Ajayi, S. A. et al. (2011). The microstructural effects of aqueous extract of Garcinia kola (Linn) on the hippocampus and cerebellum of malnourished mice. Retrieved March 10, 2025 from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3614237/
• Ijomone, ,O. M. & Obi, A. U. (2013). Kolaviron, isolated from Garcinia kola, inhibits acetylcholinesterase activities in the hippocampus and striatum of wistar rats. Retrieved March 10, 2025 from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4117109/
• Olatunji, S. Y. et al. (2021). Garcinia kola Attenuates MDMA-Induced Neuroinflammation in the CA1 Region of the Hippocampus in the Rat Model. Retrieved March 10, 2025 from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0972753120966852#:~:text=Garcinia%20kola%20(GK)%20has%20been,Methods:
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