Education has no limit because every new day brings new things to learn. Albert Einstein once said curiosity is what survives education.
I have been making lot of research about common things we don’t know their original English names of, and I have learnt a great deal of new things so far. This is the fourth article I am writing on this. Let us take ourselves through what we have learnt so far in the previous three articles.
In the last three articles, these are few of what we learnt :
“Alansa” – African star fruit
“Abrofo nkate3” – Tropical almond or Indian almond.
“Tapoli” – wooden grinder
“Yooyi” – Velvet tamarind
“Kontomire” – Taro leaves
These are few of what we learnt in the previous articles.
Let’s start with the English names of Common things we don’t know about :
(1)”Nunum” – Mint leaves
Mint leaves mostly grow everywhere in Ghana, it is easy to spot one. These plant is used for medicinal purposes. If you feel pains in your breast when breastfeeding your baby, please prepare a tea made out of the herbal leaves and drink it to, it would aid in reducing the pains. It also helps in digesting ingested foods etc. Mint leaves are known to have great flavors. If your child asks you about the English name of this plant, there would be no problem ;remember “nunum” is called mint leaves in English.
(2)”P3pr3″ – Cloves
The name shouldn’t scare you if you are not a Ghanaian, because that’s how we call cloves in our dialects. This is a widely-used spice in Ghanaian meals. It is used in cooking and baking. “P3pr3″ which are cloves are used in Ghanaian soups like groundnut soup, palm nut soup and stew. Cloves are not only spices;however, they are good in digestion when they are in your stews, soups and drinks. They also protect the liver, fights against cancer and others.
(3)”Akuko mesa” – Basil
The English name of “akuko mesa” is basil. One might be asking “are basil and mint leaves not the same?” They are both from the same family and look alike. One can be used in place of the other. Basil leaves are really used for preparing poultry meat, hence the name “akuko mesa” was given to it. Basil leaves are used as spices to give flavour to soups, the scent of it only makes one to salivate. Using basil leaves in your meals help to prevent cancer ;they boost the energy level in our body and cures erectile dysfunction in men etc. One can also boil fresh basil leaves for about 10 minutes and drink;we drink this most times in my home.
(4)”Hwentia” – Negro pepper
This pepper sauce is used in the preparation of shito, soups and drinks – “shitodaa”;a drink prepared by the Ga-Adangbes. The Ewe people call it “etso” while the Ga-Adangbe call it “so”. Their health benefits are:
Aid in combating malaria.
Consumption of it by a woman who has recently given birth helps to get rid of blood clots in the womb after delivering.
Helps fight respiratory diseases like pneumonia and asthma.
It is said that when you boil negro pepper with water and drink it after sex, it helps prevent conception.
(5)”Dawadawa” – African locust bean
“Dawadawa” known in English as African locust bean is used as seasoning in Ghanaian dishes. It is mostly used in the northern side of Ghana.
The bark of the tree is known to be medicinal. The bark is boiled and believed to reduce toothaches, heal wounds,also used as a mouthwash.
(6)”Prekese” – Aidan fruit
This is a medicinal plant used in Ghanaian soups. Its English name is aidan fruit. When you boil this medicinal plant and drink it, the fats in your body would be rid; one can take this as tea everyday to reduce weight.
The grains in the pod can be grinded in an earthenware bowl and applied to wounds for quick healing.
When one (a diabetic patient) takes a drink made of “prekese”, the level of glucose in the body would be reduced.
It’s also believed that the “prekese” plants protects one from harm spiritually when they are near you.
(7)”Sobolo” – Hibiscus tea
The original English name for “sobolo” is hibiscus tea. This beverage is a Ghanaian favourite. When I was a kid, I used to steal my mother’s coins to go buy this hibiscus tea (sobolo); it was only 20 pesewas at then.
This hibiscus tea is an aide(a helper) in lowering blood pressure; It helps in reducing menstrual pains ;it contains vitamin C which helps prevent common cold and flu. It also helps in weight loss.
