Meanwhile, among the Igbo people in Nigeria community, they can hardly do without eating garden egg because it is good for the sight. Given that there is scientific basis for this, many individuals may equally imbibe this culture. In a study to assess the “Effects of garden egg on some visual functions of visually active Igbos of Nigeria”, the experts found that its consumption may be of great benefits to glaucoma patients.
Drs. S. A. Igwe, D. N. Akunyili and C. Ogbogu from the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Abia State University, Uturu, Nigeria; Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria and School of Optometry, Abia State University, Uturu, Nigeria, respectively did the study. It was published in the 2003 issue of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.
The study, which initially set out to find out if there may be complications associated with its excessive consumption in the male volunteers that were involved in the study, found they all had a reduced pupil size. They also had a lower intraocular pressure. It dropped by 25 per cent, even though it was yet still within the normal range. They concluded that garden egg consumption does not produce any vision discomfort and that people need not fear eating plenty of it since it could even help to lower eye pressure in persons with glaucoma.
However, in a study by Drs. S.O Bello and others in the 2005 edition of the Research Journal of Agriculture and Biological Sciences, which assessed the toxicity and pharmacological properties of the aqueous crude extract of garden egg, while the researchers agree that this fruit may work both for the control of weight and asthma, they raised some doubt about its use for the control of acute attacks of asthma.
Even though garden egg is generally said not to contain huge amount of protein and other nutrients, it is low in sodium, low in calories and very rich in high dietary fibre. It is also high in potassium, a necessary salt that helps in maintaining the function of the heart and regulate blood pressure.
Without any exaggeration, this is the perfect recipe for achieving weight loss within a short period of time. It is also good for a diabetic because it is very low in calorie content.
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