Pepper Soup Spice- Udah Uwentia

 

 NEGRO PEPPER ( Uda Uwentia) - Xylopia Aethiopica .

The English name for Uda Uwentia is Negro Pepper. It is a pepper grown primarily in Africa, not to be confused with the Mexican Negro Pepper. The version of Uda used for Pepper Soup is dried, not the ripened kind
. When the pepper is ripening, it looks similar to miniature unripe plantains. This  smoked spice is  similar to black cardamom, which is traditionally dried over open flames. Also known as negro pepper and grains of selim, Ethiopian pepper (Pipper Aethiopila), Senegal pepper. These are (clusters of) black, often long-stemmed pods, which sort of resemble bean pods. They are full of seeds which sculpt and contour the pods. Used for its aromatic crisp flavour. Has a slight bitter taste so must be used in moderation.

Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils of Xylopia Aethiopica

Xylopia aethiopica is a medicinal plant of great repute in West Africa which produces a variety of complex chemical compounds. The fresh and dried fruits, leaf, stem bark and root bark essential oils in a recent review, X. aethiopica was shown to have a wide range of biological activities including insecticidal, anti-tumour, anti-asthmatic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, hypotensive and coronary vasodilatory effects, and these were attributed to the wide variety of secondary metabolites in the plant. Comparatively, the oil of the fresh fruits higher activity than that of the dried fruits except in the case of Staph. aureus. This validates the use of the dried fruits in various disease conditions by traditional health practitioners which is readily obtainable from local markets.

Among the conditions treated with X. aethiopica in traditional medicine are cough (fruits and roots) bronchitis, dysentery and biliousness (fruits and stem bark) and boils and sores (leaves and bark)). The results in the study suggest that the oils of the fruits, leaves, stem and root barks contribute significantly to the antimicrobial properties of the plant parts, and give credence to the use of these parts in the treatment of the disease conditions cited above.