Palm wine is consumed by millions of people in West Africa (especially men), and in lower frequencies in Asia, South America, the Middle East and North Africa.
Due to its near-global popularity, palm wine is known by a variety of names in different countries including “Emu” in Nigeria (Yoruba), “Matango,” “Fitchuk,” and “Mbu” in Cameroon, “Doka” in Ghana, “Toddy” in India, “Lambanog” in the Phillipines, and “Panam culloo” in China, just to name a few.
Traditionally, palm wine is deeply rooted in West African culture and traditions and thus is the most frequently consumed alcoholic beverage. It is enjoyed at birth celebrations, at funeral wakes, and plays an integral role during traditional marriage ceremonies.
Palm wine is commonly thought to be a very nourishing drink which promotes lactation, treats conjunctivitis, and improves eyesight. African traditional healers often infuse palm wine with medicinal herbs to produce a wide variety of remedies.
Palm wine is a high source of Amino acids — Amino acids is said to be the building blocks of life. Our body requires amino acids because they are the fundamental building blocks of our tissues and the singular component of protein. Twenty percent of the human body is made up of protein. Protein plays a crucial role in almost all biological processes and amino acids are the building blocks of it.
A large proportion of our cells, muscles and tissue is made up of amino acids, meaning they carry out many important bodily functions, such as giving cells their structure. They also play a key role in the transport and the storage of nutrients. Amino acids have an influence on the function of organs, glands, tendons and arteries. They are furthermore essential for healing wounds and repairing tissue, especially in the muscles, bones, skin and hair as well as for the removal of all kinds of waste deposits produced in connection with the metabolism.
Palm wine is a high source of Potassium — Potassium is a very important mineral for the proper function of all cells, tissues, and organs in the human body. It is also an electrolyte, a substance that conducts electricity in the body, along with sodium, chloride, calcium, and magnesium. Potassium is crucial to heart function and plays a key role in skeletal and smooth muscle contraction, making it important for normal digestive and muscular function.
Potassium is good for bone health, to reduce high blood pressure, prevent heart disease and stroke, and to protect against or treat inflammatory bowel disease.
Palm wine is a good source of Zinc — Zinc is involved in numerous aspects of our body’s cellular metabolism. Zinc plays a role in immune functions, wound healing, protein synthesis, DNA synthesis, and cell division. Zinc also supports normal growth and development during pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence, and is required for proper sense of taste and smell. A daily intake of zinc is required to maintain a steady state because the body has no specialized zinc storage system.
Palm wine is a healthy source of Iron — Iron is said to be an essential component of hemoglobin, which is a substance in red blood cells that transfers oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. As a component of myoglobin, a protein that provides oxygen to muscles, iron supports metabolism. Iron is also necessary for growth, development, normal cellular functioning, and synthesis of some hormones and connective tissue. If suffering from fatigue, iron helps eradicate different causes of fatigue. Iron is also necessary to maintain healthy cells, skin, hair, and nails.
Palm wine as a good source of vitamin B1, B2, B3, and B6
Palm wine contains vitamin B1 — Vitamin B1, also called thiamine or thiamin, is one of 8 B vitamins. All B vitamins help the body convert food (carbohydrates) into fuel (glucose), which the body uses to produce energy. These B vitamins, often referred to as B complex vitamins, also help the body metabolize fats and protein. B complex vitamins are needed for healthy skin, hair, eyes, and liver. They also help the nervous system function properly and are needed for good brain function.
Since palm wine contains vitamin B1 (thiamine), drinking sap from the palm fruit tree importantly promotes healthy vision, which is arguably why aging African elders in villages often drink freshly-tapped palm wine; it helps with their vision.
Preliminary evidence suggests that vitamin B1 (thiamine), along with other nutrients, may lower the risk of developing cataracts. People with plenty of protein and vitamins A, B1, B2, and B3 (or niacin) in their diet are less likely to develop cataracts. Getting enough vitamins C, E, and B complex vitamins — particularly B1, B2, B9 (folic acid), and B12 — may further protect the lens of your eyes from developing cataracts.
Palm wine contains Vitamin B2 — Vitamin B2, also called riboflavin, is one of 8 B vitamins. All B vitamins help the body to convert food (carbohydrates) into fuel (glucose), which is used to produce energy. In addition to producing energy for the body, riboflavin works as an antioxidant, fighting damaging particles in the body known as free radicals. Free radicals can damage cells and DNA, and may contribute to the aging process, as well as the development of a number of health conditions, such as heart disease and cancer. Antioxidants, such as riboflavin, can fight free radicals and may reduce or help prevent some of the damage they cause.
Palm wine contains Vitamin B3 — Vitamin B3, also known as niacin, is one of 8 B vitamins essential for good health. Niacin helps the body make various sex and stress-related hormones in the adrenal glands and other parts of the body. Niacin also helps improve circulation, and it has been shown to suppress inflammation.
One large population study found that people who got a lot of niacin in their diets had a lower risk of developing cataracts. Other studies show that people with higher levels of niacin in their diet have a lower risk of Alzheimer disease. Palm wine is a good source of vitmanin B3 (niacin).
Palm wine contains Vitamin B6 — Vitamin B6, also called pyridoxine, is one of 8 B vitamins known to man. Vitamin B6 helps the body make several neurotransmitters, chemicals that carry signals from one nerve cell to another. It is needed for normal brain development and function, and helps the body make the hormones serotonin and norepinephrine, which influence mood, and melatonin, which helps regulate the body clock.
Deficiency of vitamin B6 may lead to muscle weakness, nervousness, depression, short-term memory loss, and difficulty concentrating. Palm wine is a good source of vitamin B6.
Information about Palm wine
Palm wine is an alcoholic beverage created from the fermented sap of various palm trees. It is collected (or tapped) from tall palm trees, or raffia tree which is shorter and thus more accessible. There are reports some people also collect sap from oil palm tree (Elaies guineensis). However, sap from a palm tree (raffia tree) is milkier and sweeter.
When palm wine is tapped fresh and not fermented; it is considered a fruit juice or drink as it contains no levels of alcohol yet; which makes it highly nutritious and beneficial to the body.
Fermentation of palm wine begins immediately after collection as a result of natural yeasts in the air and wine; within two hours, the alcohol content reaches approximately 4%. At this stage, the product is a sweet, white, mildly intoxicating aromatic beverage.
Continued fermentation for up to 24 hours results in a more alcoholic, acidic, and sour white drink. This palm wine can also be distilled into whisky-like drinks with higher alcohol content (up to 40%). Beyond a certain threshold, the wine no longer gains alcohol content and further fermentation produces vinegar.
Many factors including the species of the tree, the season of the year, time of day at harvest, and type of soil, impact the alcohol content of the wine. In fact, these factors play a key role in the characteristics of the final product as rudimentary storage and production facilities do little to preserve the product.
In Africa, the sap that provides the base of palm wine is extracted and collected by a palm wine tapper. Palm wine tapping is a common occupation in many palm-growing regions of the world. In most cases, it involves climbing very tall palm trees using rudimentary climbing equipment, slashing the palm flower until the sap begins to run and attaching a gourd to collect the wine.
Palm wine can also be tapped from fallen trees which yield higher quality wine but in much smaller quantities. Although bringing down the palm tree is a much safer practice, this method of tapping is said to be destructive and the sap stops flowing after 2–3 weeks. Given that the tapper is most often not the tree owner, the former method is preferred since it preserves the tree for many years at the cost of more labor time, effort and risk. In many countries palm wine carries an important sociocultural and economic value.
Health Benefits of Palm Wine
Since palm wine is high in amino acids, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and iron. And also has contains vitamin B1, B2, B3, and B6. Drinking palm wine (especially freshly tapped unfermented sap) is a good source of healthy nutrients that helps to build and repair tissues in our body.
Palm wine is a good source of vitamin B2 (riboflavin) that produces energy for the body. Riboflavin also works as an antioxidant that fights and defends against damaging particles in the body known as free radicals. Free radicals can damage cells and DNA, and may contribute to aging, as well as the development of a number of health conditions, such as heart disease and cancer.
Below is a breakdown of some of the health benefits of palm wine (palm tree sap). Palm wine helps with:
Vision
Depression
Fatigue
Nausea
Blood pressure
Slows aging
Prevents cancer
Symptoms of malaria
Promotes skin and hair health
There are also word-of-mouth reports that palm wine helps with male erection. In West African culture, palm wine is credited for increasing sperm in men and breast milk production in women.
If you know of any other health benefits of palm wine, feel free to leave a comment below
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