The kola nut is the fruit of the kola tree (Cola acuminata and Cola nitida), indigenous to West Africa. Each fruit contains between two and five kola nuts. It is relatively large, being about the size of a chestnut. It has a bitter taste when chewed fresh. When they’re dried, the taste becomes milder and they reportedly smell of nutmeg. It may be beneficial for certain health conditions whether taken in supplement form or chewed.
One of the reasons why the kola nut is classified as healthy food is because of its chemical components. Even though it is not nutrient-rich in the traditional sense, it still has a chemical composition that offers many short-term and long-term health benefits.