In India, it is the sacred cow; among Native Americans, it is tobacco; and in West and central Africa we can safely say that it is the revered kola nut. Perhaps no object meets so many social, medical and spiritual purposes as this sacred nut. As common as table salt in the West, kola nuts are a popular household item, serving as food, medicine, gifts, offerings and ritual objects. They can be used to create a coffee-like beverage, delivering a substantial buzz, offered at a healing ceremony like a vial of holy water or tossed about like dice on a mat for divination purposes. In short, the kola nut provides a natural high, heals your soul and predicts your future. What more could anyone ask for? Perhaps this is why it is one of the most admired objects across much of Africa.

To put some of its basic appeal into context for a Westerner, kola contains some of the main ingredients of both coffee and chocolate – together! In fact it’s even responsible for the name of Coca Cola, with the kola once being used as a base component for the popular soda. While the kola may look like a chestnut, it tastes like Novocain. However, it does offer a pleasant aftertaste and emits the agreeable aroma of nutmeg. Many visitors to the continent initially find the kola too bitter, though those who persevere will find it proves to be quite savoury and potentially addictive.

The colour of the nut – either white or red – will usually determine its use. For instance, the white kola is often given for a peace offering or a sacrifice. The inside of the kola also has its own meanings. Once cut open, the nut will automatically divide into several segments. A nut that divides into six is most prized, and is perhaps similar to an Irishman happening upon a four-leaf clover. Africans know this kola nut by a special name and use it for a significant purpose in a ritual ceremony. In divination, the way these six divided pieces land, once tossed on the ground, determines the reading. A face-up or face-down piece will signal various meanings for the diviner.

Kola nuts also serve in the treatment of countless common ailments: headaches, fevers, fatigue, diarrhoea, vomiting, digestion and stomach ailments, anxiety and depression. The kola’s popularity may also be due to its aphrodisiac qualities and for its use in treating impotence.

Any object that holds such significance for the people must be equally prized by their gods. Kola nut offerings are made to the ancestors, nature spirits and heavenly divinities. No sacred ceremony would be complete without the kola nut. For a Christian, it would be like attending church without the presence of a Holy Bible. And like that sacred text, the kola nut plays a major role, as both witness and sacred object, at many ceremonies. The kola nut welcomes a child at her birth and buries her upon her death. At the naming ceremony, a child’s name will not be announced until the kola nut is cracked open and offered to the attending guests. A circumcision will not be complete until the kola nut is passed around at the head shaving ritual. A marriage will not be sealed until the kola nut is broken open at the exchanging of vows. Death will not be a smooth journey unless the kola accompanies the deceased in the coffin.

Of course, with all things sacred in Africa come many taboos. Eat a kola nut and then curse or tell a lie, and you are inviting misfortune and poor health upon yourself. The exchange of kola nuts communicates deep levels of trust and respect. Perhaps this is why giving a kola nut is one of the most gracious gestures one can make in this part of the world – better than giving money. One will offer a kola nut to a beggar to invite fortune and prosperity his way. Young people offer kola nuts to their elders to please them, flatter them and invite their support and protection. Even close family members will exchange kola nuts to strengthen familial bonds. So, the next time you find yourself on this side of the continent, leave your pretensions behind, load up your pockets with a few of these nuts and know that you have gifts to share that are worth more than anything money can buy.