Medico Herbs Irvingia is a genus of African and Southeast Asian trees in the family Irvingiaceae, sometimes known by the common names wild mango, African mango, or bush mango. They bear edible mango-like fruits and are especially valued for their fat- and protein-rich nuts, known as ogbono, etima, odika, or dika nuts.
The subtly aromatic nuts are typically dried in the sun for preservation and are sold whole or in powder form. They may be ground to a paste known variously as dika bread or Gabon chocolate. Their high content of mucilage enables them to be used as thickening agents for dishes such as ogbono soup.
The nuts may also be pressed for vegetable oil. The fruit is a large drupe, with fibrous flesh. The trees yield hardwood, useful in construction. Irvingia gabonensis induced a decrease in weight of 2.91 ± 1.48% (p < 0.0001) after two weeks and 5.6 ± 2.7% (p < 0,0001) after one month. Although the percentage of body fat was not significantly reduced with both placebo and IG, the waist circumference (5.07 ± 3.18%; p < 0.0001) and hip circumference (3.42 ± 2.12%; p < 0,0001) were significantly reduced by IG. A reduction of 1.32 ± 0.41% (p < 0.02) and 2.23 ± 1.05% (p < 0.05) was observed with the placebo after two and four weeks respectively of treatment.
Effect on blood pressure From the second week of experimentation, the systolic blood pressure was significantly reduced; Effect Irvingia gabonensis on systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure and blood lipids components The plasma total cholesterol concentration was reduced by 39.21%, triglyerides by 44.9% (p < 0,05) and LDL by 45.58%. This was accompanied by a significant increase in HDL-cholesterol of 46.852%. The CT/HDL ratio (p < 0.05) and the blood glucose level were also reduced (32.36%; p < 0.05). No significant change was observed in the placebo group.
