The other side of Ogbono(Nigeria's most popular soup) nobody knows about

Thicken your food with this other seed "The Miracle African Mango"
Irvingia gabonensis (Ogbono), popular among the people from the Southern part of Nigeria.

It's food-thickening property is believed to be caused by mucilaginous polysaccharides, which become more viscous with cooking and is called “drawability.”

•Medicinal properties

A research study published in 2005 demonstrated that Irvingia gabonensis (Ogbono) resulted in greater weight loss and improved blood test results in obese human volunteers when compared with a placebo. According to the study, significant reductions took place in weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, and systolic blood pressure in subjects taking the Irvingia. Despite overall weight loss in this study there was not a significant reduction in body-fat percentage. This indicates that weight was lost from both adipose tissue and from lean body-mass and that these losses were proportionate to original body compositions.
A further, longer clinical trial published in 2009 reported both weight loss and per cent body fat loss.

Nutritive value of the kernels per 100g edible portion, which corresponds to about 2918 kJ of energy:
Fat 67 gram, Carbohydrate 15 gram, Protein 8.5 gram, Water, 4 gram, Calcium 120 mg, Iron 2.4 mg.
Besides the mentioned components, kernels of Irvingia gabonensis (Ogbono) contain traces of thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. The approximate fatty acid composition is myristic acid 33-70 per cent, laureic acid 20-59 per cent, oleic acid 1-11 per cent, palmitic acid 2 per cent and stearic acid 1 per cent. The contained amino acids are reasonably balanced for human nutrition. Since lysine, tryptophan, valine, threonine, isoleucine and phenylalanine have high concentrations in the seed, first limiting amino acids are methionine and cysteine.

*The pulp of the fruit of Irvingia gabonensis Ogbono, tastes juicy and sweet and is eaten fresh.

Nutritive value per 100g edible portion of fruit pulp, which corresponds to 255 kg of energy: Water 81g. Carbohydrate 15.7g, Protein0.9g, Fat 0.2 gram Phosphorus, 40 mg, calcium20 mg, vitamin C 7 mg, Iron2mg. The fruit pulp’s flavour components include zingiberene and curcumene, ethyl and methyl esters of cinnamic acid, dodecanal and dodecanol. This results in spicy-earthy, fruity, wine-yeast flavour notes.

Ogbono soup also known as Draw soup because of its slippery nature helps the lumps of solid food slide down the throat to the stomach. Enjoy!