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Herbal Remedy for Chronic Pain: Garcinia Kola

Posted By Jennifer Shipp | Apr 06, 2025

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Kola Nut: Herbal Remedy for Chronic Pain

Bitter kola nut is one of the best herbal remedies for reproductive hormone imbalance in women.
The kola nut, also known as Garcinia kola, or  Cola acuminata, is a plant that’s famous in Africa. It’s also known as bitter kola or false kola. It belongs to the same family as mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), Garcinia indica, and Garcinia cambogia, which are all medicinal plants that are used in different ways to accomplish different, but sometimes related health goals. In this discussion, we’re going to talk about the Garcinia species of plants with a special focus on Garcinia kola as an herbal remedy for a variety of health issues. Note, however, that Garcinia cambogia is also a focal point for those with chronic pain due to reproductive hormone imbalances. 

Garcinia kola, in particular, has been studied in irresponsible ways, perhaps to obscure the true medicinal value of this plant. Or maybe the chaotic, irresponsible research is just how consensus science works. In some studies, for example, the Garcinia kola dose was incredibly high at 5000 mg (5 g) per kilogram of the subject’s body weight. This exaggerated, mega-dose of Garcinia kola has toxic effects on the reproductive organs of animals. But at a more comprehensible, though still rather high dose (200-500 mg / kilogram body weight), Garcinia kola is an herb that balances reproductive hormone levels in both men and women (though its effects in men and women is almost completely opposite) to heal complex health issues like Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), fibromyalgia, neuropathy and nerve disorders, and digestive issues that are rooted in reproductive hormone imbalances. In terms of chronic pain, the Kola Nut specifically works to reduce prolactin levels, which in turn, makes the body less reactive in a negative way to stress. This may be part of the magic of this herb in terms of getting rid of chronic pain.

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Before we begin a full discussion of Garcinia kola, it’s important for readers to be aware that while male reproductive hormones have been studied in-depth in scientific circles, in terms of erections and treating erectile dysfunction, women’s reproductive hormones and their reproductive health is still a mystery. The way that reproductive hormones are studied in both men and women is completely haphazard. For example, animal studies dominate reproductive hormone research even though animals like rats have a reproductive hormone production pathway that is significantly different than in humans. In most studies, scientists look at just one reproductive hormone in terms of dose and examine how the addition of a synthetic or bioidentical form of the hormone impacts the entire system, but this isn’t how reproductive hormone physiology works. For example, the reproductive hormones like Follicle Stimulation Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH), are both cued for release by Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) through different rhythms. Essentially, when the body is exposed to a certain amount or type of sunlight and/or moonlight (or other types of light), indicating a specific time of month during the year, GnRH taps out a rhythmic “beat” that causes either FSH or LH to be released. These hormones, in turn, produce their own rhythm and amplitude, in a crescendo (in healthy women, at least) that then quiets back down, like the notes of a song in a orchestra. In conventional medicine, doctors or scientists will inject in long, ugly, synthetic tuba-tones or a squeaky chorus of electronic clarinets into a symphony of acoustic music and then watch what happens as though doing such a thing has some kind of academic value. Are we really learning something by mega-dosing rats with a hormone like estrogen and then holding them over hot plates to burn them and then count how many times they writhe in pain?

In today’s world, there are ways to treat imbalanced reproductive hormones, but there is literally nothing in conventional medicine that’s safe for men or women in this domain. If you suffer from chronic pain, gastrointestinal problems, headaches, autoimmune disease, cancer, or any type of disease state that seems to have roots in reproductive hormones, then you have to seek treatment outside of conventional medicine. If you have taken birth control pills, synthetic hormones, or bioidentical hormones and you now have a reproductive imbalance as a result, you’ll have to look out beyond conventional medicine into fields like herbalism, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), or Ayurveda (among other things) to restore balance. If, as a woman, you’ve had a baby and then develop reproductive hormone imbalances, the same holds true for you. There’s a lot of hope for those with reproductive hormone imbalances, but to restore balance to the symphony, you have to find something that can orchestrate and conduct (or “steer”) the song of it. The Garcinia species of herbs have a lot to offer in this respect. 

Garcinia kola is an important herbal remedy for PCOS, heavy periods, and low libido in women. It is a vital part of any protocol to overcome postpartum depression naturally although it should not be used during breastfeeding. For women's health, Garcinia kola and Garcinia cambogia are essential at-home treatments that really work.

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Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata Medicinal Benefits



Garcinia kola has been regarded as a panacea and a cure-all, by scientists who have studied it. Indeed, Garcinia kola works to treat some of the health issues that are really common in today’s world and it works through some truly interesting mechanisms of action to restore health in both men and women.

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Garcinia kola / Cola acuminata has been used to treat the following conditions:

  • Chronic pain control / analgesia
  • Ulcers
  • Diabetes
  • Liver disease
  • Diarrhea
  • Dysentery
  • Antimicrobial
  • Sexual dysfunction / aphrodisiac
    • Erectile Dysfunction
    • Menstruation Disorders
  • Cough
  • Abdominal pain
  • Laryngitis
  • Throat infection treatment
  • Bronchitis
  • Purgative / detoxifier
  • Immune system modulation
  • Atherosclerosis
  • Fever reducer
  • Whooping cough / pertussis
  • Malaria
  • Asthma (bronchodilator)
  • Antimicrobial
  • Stimulant 
  • Lipolytic
  • Stimulates gastric juice secretion
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Fertility regulation in men 
  • Hypertension
  • Obesity
  • Liver disease
  • Glaucoma prevention
  • Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome / PCOS
  • Fatigue
  • Fibromyalgia 
  • Rheumatism


Kola nut is an extremely important medicine in the areas of the world where it grows naturally. It has an extremely low level of toxicity, yet it is highly effective at treating certain symptoms of disease. 

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Resources:


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