Mondia whitei/uMondi/White’s ginger

Family:Apocynaceae

Description

Mondia is an endemic African herb, a creeper/climber which grows on forest margins with damper soils. It grows from a large tuberous rootstock, it has large green leaves and large, distinctive, reddish-purple flowers that appear in October and March. The large fruits are woody and contain many seeds. Mostly the plant material is collected from the wild and this has led to the species being threatened. For this reason, Intelezi African Herbs has initiated cultivation trials and is working with tissue culture experts to ramp up cultivation.

Herb uses

The most important usage of Mondia whitei is as a sexual stimulant where it has been proved in a laboratory setting to stimulate the production of sperm in men. It also has been shown to promote male penile erections. However, it is also used for many other functions throughout Africa. The list is quite long and includes use as a mild laxative; easing abdominal pain, reducing nausea, reducing fever, bringing on labour, eradicating worms in the stomach and even heart disease and asthma. The herb has a distinct vanilla flavour and can be brewed as a tea. It is best brewed by pouring boiling water over the herb, then leaving it to draw for 1-2 hours. When cool it should be refrigerated and left overnight. By the following morning, the brew is ready to be consumed. If you are planning to use it to enhance sexual function, a cup of tea should be consumed 2-3 hours before activity. It can also be used as a tonic and half a cup can be consumed twice a day for continued sexual well-being.

Common Names:White's ginger, tonic root (English); mundondo, mudondo (Angola); mundondo, bondo, molo busio (Cissongo - Central African Republic); nlondo, kimbiolongwa, kumba (Ngwaka - Democratic Republic of the Congo); ubasangbwandiya, gatimba (Lugware - Democratic Republic of the Congo); mujimbaye (Tshiluba - Democratic Republic of the Congo); lacadje (Fula - Guinea Bissau); mkombela (Kenya); citumbulo (Malawi); umondi, mundi, mindi (Zulu); sedando omutona (Uganda) and mungurawu (Shona Zimbabwe).