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Published 27 December 2020
Carpolobia lutea G. Don belongs to the family polygalaceae of which Securidaca longepedunculata known as ‘ipeta’ by the Yoruba is a member. It is an evergreen shrub or a small tree which can grow up to 5 m in height. The leaves are 2-7.5 cm long and 1-2.8 cm broad; the branches and midrib are densely pubescent, the leaf lamina is variable in shape. The fruit is freshly yellow, orange or red; the seed is densely villous with copious fleshy endosperm.
Two things thrill me about this plant. The first is that it has anti-helicobacter pylori activity (H. pylori is the bacteria that causes peptic ulcer). People who suffer from ulcer should rejoice at this. At some point, I almost concluded that ulcer has become an epidemic because everyone I have come across has it! I was a sufferer too! I got a cure in nature by drinking the water from boiled sour-sop leaves.