Uyayak, Tetrapleura Tetraptera, is a common spice in West Africa and it is often referred to as soup perfume.
Indeed, when you add this spice to your soup, it brings a unique and sweet flavour to it.
People add it to drink and other food items.
Uyayak has different names in different West African countries.
Some call it aidan fruit, four corner spice, prekese (Ghana), yanghanyanghan, oshosho and osakirisa.
Interestingly, this spice has been used for traditional medicine for years.
There are different compounds in the spice that make it unique and able to deliver several health benefits.
One of its unique benefits is that you can use Uyayak for fertility boosting.
However, while that is backed by studies, there is a way to use it to get result.
Nutritional Value Of Uyayak
You see, most of the spices or herbs that you can use to boost fertility can also have adverse effect when a pregnant woman uses them.
Basically, one major thing that makes them able to boost fertility is their ability to treat infections, ward off oxidation and inflammation that could impair fertility.
Uyayak is a spice that contains different antioxidants and vitamins.
It is rich in Saponin, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, sterols and phenols.
Also, it is rich in different minerals like Manganese, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Phosphorus, Zinc, Copper,
Uyayak is also rich in vitamin A, B1, B2, B3 and C.
Among these are substances that power up Uyayak for fertility.
Sterols
Studies have shown that this compound plays an important role in egg fertilisation (1).
This compound is in Uyayak and it plays a great role when it comes to a woman conceiving.
Flavonoid
This is an antioxidant that is also in Uyayak in a substantial amount. It helps power up your body to be able to ward-off antibodies that may impair egg fertilisation (2).
When you add Uyayak to your diet, it helps boost your body’s ability to fight off these toxins and prepare your reproductive organ for conception.
Magnesium
Studies have found that magnesium helps balance fertility hormones – progesterone and estrogen.
Also, it controls Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH). Female hormone, estrogen, depends on the magnesium status while FSH is the hormone that stimulates the ovaries.
Therefore, when this is present in the diet of a woman who is trying to conceive, her hormones are more balanced to receive an adventurous sperm.
Vitamins C
This is one of the very vitamins that a woman needs to keep her immune system and reproductive health on point.
Uyayak is rich in this vitamin (3).
Effect Of Uyayak [ Tetrapleura Tetraptera ] On A Man’s Fertility
Indeed, this is one area that studies abound. They all talk about the boosting power of Uyayak for fertility in male humans.
According to a study, this spice can help boost male fertility (4).
It highlighted components in Uyayak such as arginine, vitamin C and zinc as, as playing important roles in boosting fertility in male humans.
It says the spice is therapeutic with zinc, vitamin C, vitamin E and arginine proved to be of benefit in treatment of male infertility.
“The beneficial effect of Tetrapleura Tetraptera on male fertility may be as a result of it antioxidant components.
“Antioxidants such as vitamins A, C and E have been reported to have good protective effects on the testis (5).”
How To Use Uyayak For Fertility
While these compounds in Uyayak boost fertility, Saponin, Alkaloids do something different when it is taken at a wrong time.
These antioxidants are often active against infections of different kinds.
They have antimicrobial and antifungal properties, making them able to help eliminate bacteria or fungi in the female reproductive system (6).
As a result, they are able to cleans the system of bacterial, yeast infection and more.
However, when these agents find a foetus in the tube, especially in its early state, chances are that they will flush the tube, forcing a miscarriage.
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This is the reason, you are not advised to eat foods with this spice at every period of the month if you are a woman trying to conceive.
In fact a study says toxicity resulting from saponin could affect the ovary (7).
Also, alkaloids have been shown to decrease plasma concentrations of hormones (8).
Due to these findings, we recommend that a woman should only consume Uyayak after period flow to help cleans the system and keep it ready for fertilisation in next ovulation window.
Also, ensure that you do not abuse the use of this spice when you add it to your diet.
One way to use is to break the spice up and add the pieces in a glass bottle and then add some amount of apple cider vinegar in it.
Cover the bottle and allow for one day to enable the spice infuse.
Take a tablespoon and add in a glass of water in the morning, a day or two after your period.
You can do this in the morning and evening.
Remember that excessive use of this spice could cause toxicity.
Uyayak has been used traditionally for the treatment of infertility in Africa for years.
It is still effective.
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