rs79.vrx.palo-alto.ca.us
Fruit of Gabon
Fruit of Gabon

That tree used to provide medicine to people in Congo.

Gabon Nut, African Walnut, Congowood, Tigerwood

Eaten by man and ape alike.

"The nut is 50% fat of which 87% is oleic acid. The flavour is mild and is said to be between the flavour of hazelnuts and chestnuts. Used in a variety of ways it can be boiled, roasted and fermented before being eaten. The nuts can be used in recipes and mixed with meats. It is also a source of cooking oil and ground flour. The nut is a favoured food item of chimpanzees, though the tough shell necessitates the use of a rock as hammer to gain access to the kernel."


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irvingia_gabonensis

Wild mango, African mango, bush mango, dika or ogbono

(Sounds like "Fee-ka" in the BBC documentary on the Baka people of Congo/Gabon)
"The episperm of the fruit has to be cracked open to get to the seed. Seeds, also called Dika nuts, are eaten raw or roasted. Mostly however they are pounded to butter- or a chocolate-like block.[4] Seeds can be pressed to produce an edible oil (solid at ambient temperatures) or margarine which are used for cooking. The oil can also be processed further to soap, cosmetics or pharmaceuticals.[4] The press cake can be used as cattle feed or as thickening agent for soup. Seeds can be ground or crushed and used as thickening and flavoring agent in soups and stews.[1] This food-thickening property is thought[by whom?] to be caused by mucilaginous polysaccharides, which become more viscous with cooking and is called "drawability". They can also be made into a cake called "dika bread" for preservation.[1] Various medicinal uses mostly depend on the bark and leaves. It is employed as a purgative, for gastrointestinal and liver conditions, for hernias and urethral discharge or for sores and wounds."


NIH list of Selenium containing foods

Table 2: Selected Food Sources of Selenium

Food, Micrograms(mcg) per serving, Percent DV
Brazil nuts, 1 ounce (6–8 nuts) 544 777
Tuna, yellowfin, cooked, dry heat, 3 ounces 92 131
Halibut, cooked, dry heat, 3 ounces 47 67
Sardines, canned in oil, drained solids with bone, 3 ounces 45 64
Ham, roasted, 3 ounces 42 60
Shrimp, canned, 3 ounces 40 57
Macaroni, enriched, cooked, 1 cup 37 53
Beef steak, bottom round, roasted, 3 ounces 33 47


Nutrients and bioactive compounds content of Baillonella toxisperma, Trichoscypha abut and Pentaclethra macrophylla from Cameroon

Robert Fungo, John Muyonga, Archileo Kaaya, Clement Okia, Juius C. Tieguhong and Jojo J. Baidu-Forson
Article first published online: 9 MAR 2015

DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.217

Mean Se concentrations (mg/100 g)
B. toxispermaP. macrophyllaT. abut
0.1 ± 0.020.2 ± 0.020.001 ± 0.0002


Close but no cigar

"But it beggars belief, given the knowledge of the virus’ workings, that there’s so little effort going towards priming the immune systems of West Africans, in advance of their exposure. Basic vitamins like vitamins A, C and various B vitamins, as well as minerals like zinc and selenium..."

"This multi-target function of natural molecules is of course, typically, the diametric opposite of the way in which most patented drugs work, including the latest crop of experimental drugs such as ZMapp."

They got it right, but did not know why or how right they were.


NSF nutrition database

NSF nutrient database, ranked list of the highest selenium containing foods.

1 Nuts, brazilnuts, dried, unblanched Selenium: 1917mcg

2 Sea lion, stellar, liver (Alaska Native) Selenium: 693mcg

3 Nuts, mixed nuts, without peanuts, oil roasted, with salt added Selenium: 421mcg

4 Pork, fresh, variety meats and by-products, kidneys, cooked, braised Selenium: 312mcg

5 Sea lion, stellar, kidney (Alaska Native) Selenium: 274mcg

6 Lamb, variety meats and by-products, kidneys, cooked, braised Selenium: 219mcg

7 Smelt, dried (Alaska Native) Selenium: 194mcg


http://foodandculturerecipes.blogspot.ca/2010/10/gabon-nyembwe-chicken_752.html

Gabon: Nyembwe Chicken with Gabon Nuts

A Gabonese recipe for chicken and nut curry. This recipe used Macadamia or palm nuts. In Gabon you won't be getting any Macadamia nuts, like everybody else there you'd use Dika ("Tigerwood") or the Gabon nut (sister to the Brazil nut) or both. The point is the nuts are an integral part of the diet, this is the national dish of Gabon, that contains tree nuts that are very high in selenium.




Coula edulis: Gabon Nut, African Walnut, Congowood, Tigerwood
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coula_edulis


Irvingia gabonensis: Wild mango, African mango, bush mango, dika or ogbono
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irvingia_gabonensis


Se Foods: NIH list of Selenium containing foods
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Selenium-HealthProfessional/


Se Nuts: Nutrients and bioactive compounds content of Baillonella toxisperma, Trichoscypha abut and Pentaclethra macrophylla from Cameroon
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fsn3.217/full


close: Close but no cigar
http://anhinternational.org/2014/10/15/anh-intl-feature-musings-on-ebola-a-case-for-immune-modulation-therapy/


nsf: NSF nutrition database
http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000127000000000000000-w.html


recipe: Gabon: Nyembwe Chicken with Gabon Nuts
http://foodandculturerecipes.blogspot.ca/2010/10/gabon-nyembwe-chicken_752.html