Common name: Locust Beans ,carob tree,
Botanical name: Parkia biglobosa
Family name. : Leguminosae
Other name: Ogiri in Igbo ,Iru in Yoruba
Locust bean, is a local seasoning or condiment used in soups and stews. A very popular soup ingredient, globally, it is referred to as African locust bean
It is not easy to look at, and the smell is unpleasant – at best.
These aside, Locust Bean is the single, most significant ingredient guaranteed to take your soups, stews or mixed vegetables from just okay to great.
In countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, the locust bean seeds are eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable known as ‘petal’.
Nutritional Values of the African Locust Beans
The African locust beans seeds contain 35% protein, 16% carbohydrate and 29% lipid while the bark contains between 12 to 14% tannin.
The pod contains 60% carbohydrate whereby 10 to 20% of this carbohydrate is sucrose, with a 29 milligram of vitamin C per 100 gram of the pod.
The husk is made up of 27 to 44% tannin. The ripe sweet yellow pulp of the locust beans contains 60% simple sugar (except maltose), higher sucrose and cellulose but less ascorbic acid.
Parkia biglobosa is also an excellent source of essential vitamins and minerals such as calcium, fat, potassium, ascorbic acid and phosphorus. The seeds also have some antinutritional contents such as tannin, phytate and oxalate.
Benefits of Ogiri (African Locust Beans)
1. Culinary Purposes
African locust bean is mainly used as an aromatic condiment for seasoning assorted traditional soups such as palm fruit soup (banga soup), bitter leaf soup (ofe onugbu), melon (egusi soup), corchorus soup, African salad (abacha) and ayamase stew etc.
Other similar oil seeds that are similar to the African locust bean and serve a similar culinary purpose are; mesquite bean, melon seed, soybean and castor oil seeds.
2. Anti-oxidizing Properties
Parkia biglobosa has a very strong free radical scavenging and reducing abilities and as such can be used as an antioxidant for detoxifying the body. The fruit has a remarkable amount of polyphenols that accounts greatly for its anti-oxidizing properties. The anti-oxidizing properties of the fruit extracts of Ogiri are very similar to that of ascorbic acid.
3. Wound Healing Properties
The bark of the African locust beans can be crushed, ground, soaked and boiled for preparing herbal tea for treating and healing wounds.
4. Treatment of Hypertension
The fruits are normally used in folk medicine for treating hypertension.
5. Boosts the Immune System
Researchers reveal that the African locust beans are useful for boosting the immune system, especially in immunocompromised individuals.
6. Dental Care
The bark can be infused, soaked and boiled for use as a mouthwash and for treating toothache.
7. Dermatological Care
The root, bark, pod and leaves of the African locust beans can be infused, soaked and used for bathing by individuals suffering from skin infections such as leprosy and sores. It can also be applied to the skin to soothe burns.
8. Treatment of Respiratory Infections
It can be macerated (infused or soaked in liquid) for treating respiratory infections such as pneumonia, bronchitis, cold, cough and fever.
9. Treatment of Gastrointestinal Disorders
African locust bean is a rich source of tannins and as such both the seeds, roots, stems, barks, fruits, flowers and leaves can be used for treating gastrointestinal diseases such as diarrhoea and ulcer.
10. Ocular Care
The roots of the locust bean are used in folk medicine for preparing lotion for sore eyes. Studies reveal that it helps to promote good eyesight.
11. Reduction of Blood Pressure
The leaves contain procyanidin, which has been proven effective in reducing blood pressure. They significantly reduce the diastolic blood pressure more than the systolic blood pressure.
12. Anti-malarial Properties
Researchers reveal that Parkia biglobosa is very effective for treating malaria. Both the leaves, pods, stems and barks can be macerated and used as an herbal remedy for tackling malaria.
13. Antibacterial Properties
African locust bean plant contains antibacterial properties that are similar to those of streptomycin and as such can be used for preventing and treating bacterial infections.
14. Treatment of Coccidiosis
The roots of Parkia biglobosa are normally decocted and used for treating coccidiosis in veterinary medicine. This is a disease condition of birds and mammals that mainly affects the intestines as a result of coccidia.
15. Construction Purposes
Thick extracts of the locust bean pods are normally used for construction purposes as it offers elasticity to ceramics, walls and floors. The binding nature of the husks is due to its constituents of tannins and their polymeric nature. These attributes help to make the surface of ceramics, walls and floors waterproof.
16. Soap Production
The oil of the African locust bean contains high saponification value and as such very useful for soap production. Both the oil and the pod ash are normally used for making soap.
17. Textile Manufacture
African locust beans can be used alone or mixed with either starch or synthetics for producing textiles. It can equally be used as a print thickener for dyeing textiles and indigo clothes.
18. Insecticidal Purposes
The pods can be used for making insecticidal powders for treating crops and for preventing insecticidal and pesticidal attacks.
19. Livestock Fodder
The locust beans pods are consumable and are normally fed to livestock as fodder.
20. Fishing Bait
The green pods are normally ground and added to rivers in other to kill fishes.
21. Other Uses of the African Locust Beans
African locust bean tree helps in erosion control, offer shade from sunlight, serves as a windbreak, used as firewood and timber for construction purposes.
The roots and pods are used locally as sponges for washing and can also be used as local strings for musical instruments.
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