What is African locust bean bark?

African locust bean bark is the bark of Parkia biglobosa, a tall savannah tree. The tree grows across West Africa. In Hausa it is called dorowa.

The seeds are the famous part of this tree. Fermented, they become dawadawa or iru, a strong-smelling food seasoning. The bark is a separate product and is not a food.

Healers have long used the bark for wounds, loose stools, fever and sore mouths. It is usually boiled into a dark, bitter tea.

Here is the honest verdict. Nearly all the research sits in test tubes and rodents.

No sound human trials back any medical use. Long traditional use is not proof that it works. It is not proof that it is safe either.

How does African locust bean bark work?

The short answer is that no one has shown how this bark works in people.

The bark is rich in tannins. Tannins are plant chemicals that bind proteins and make tissue feel tight and dry. That astringent (tissue-tightening) action is the usual explanation for its old use on wounds and loose stools.

In test tubes, bark extracts slow the growth of some bacteria and fungi. Whether that happens on skin or in the gut is not known.

In rodents, extracts have lowered blood pressure and blood sugar in some studies. These were animal doses, not human ones.

Lab and animal results do not carry over on their own. How much is absorbed, and what is safe in people, has not been worked out.

What forms does African locust bean bark come in?

Most use is home-made rather than commercial. Dried bark is boiled in water to make a decoction (a strong boiled tea).

Other traditional forms include bark powder and bark soaked in cold water. Powder is sometimes mixed into pastes for the skin.

Mouth rinses and washes are made from the same boiled liquid. Strength depends on how much bark is used and how long it boils.

A few online sellers offer dried bark or bark powder. Capsules and measured extracts are rare, and potency is almost never stated.

Remember that the seeds are a different thing. Dawadawa seasoning is a food, not bark medicine.

Where it comes from:

The bark held a steady place in West African healing for centuries. Written records from Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal describe it.

Healers boiled it for loose stools and fever. Washes and pastes went onto wounds, sores and burns. Mouth rinses were used for toothache and sore gums.

The tree itself carried social value. Villages protected it for its seeds, pods and shade.

This is a record of what people did. It is not advice to treat yourself with bark today.

What does African locust bean bark help with?

• Diarrhoea and loose stools: This is the most common traditional use. Healers boiled the bark and gave the bitter liquid for loose stools. The idea rests on tannins, which tighten tissue in test settings. That is a reasonable guess, not a proven effect. No human trial has tested the bark for diarrhoea. Diarrhoea in a baby, an older adult or anyone losing lots of fluid needs medical care, not bark tea.
• Wounds, sores and burns (applied to the skin): Tradition used bark washes and pastes on broken skin. Lab tests show extracts slow some bacteria and fungi in a dish. Skin is not a dish. There is no human trial showing faster healing or fewer infections. Putting unsterile plant material on an open wound can introduce germs. Deep, dirty or spreading wounds need a doctor.
• Toothache and sore gums: Bark rinses were a common village remedy for mouth pain. The drying, astringent (tissue-tightening) feel of tannins may explain why it felt soothing. Some lab work shows extracts slow mouth bacteria. No trial has tested the rinse in people with toothache. Toothache usually means decay or infection. A dentist treats the cause; a rinse does not.
• Fever and malaria symptoms: Bark decoctions were widely used for fever in malaria areas. A few rodent studies report that extracts reduce malaria parasites. There is no human evidence that it treats malaria. Malaria can kill, and it needs tested drugs and a proper diagnosis. If you have fever after travel to a malaria area, seek care the same day.
• High blood pressure: Some West African healers used the bark for what we now call high blood pressure. In rats, extracts have lowered blood pressure in several small studies. No human trial supports this use. The size, safety and duration of any effect in people are unknown. High blood pressure usually has no symptoms and raises stroke risk. Do not swap a prescribed tablet for bark tea.
• Cough and chest complaints: Bark preparations were given for cough and chest tightness in parts of West Africa. Evidence here is weaker still. There are no human studies on cough. Lab antimicrobial findings do not show that a cough clears faster. A cough lasting more than three weeks, or with blood or weight loss, needs a doctor.

What are the side effects of African locust bean bark?

• Nausea and stomach ache
• Constipation or hard stools
• Dark stools and a dry, puckered mouth
• Lower iron absorption with regular use
• Vomiting after strong or large brews
• Skin rash or itching from washes and pastes
• Allergic reaction, rare but possible

Good to know:

Most reported effects are gut-related and settle when people stop. They come mainly from the tannin content.

Serious harm is not well documented, but that reflects thin study rather than proven safety. Strong home brews are the usual cause of trouble.

Stop using it if you vomit, get belly pain, or notice a rash.

How much African locust bean bark should you take?

• Recommended daily: No reliable amount exists for this bark. It is not sold as a standard supplement, so no settled label amount can be quoted. Strength swings with the tree, the season and how long the bark is boiled. Two home-made teas can differ many times over in tannin content. For that reason this page gives no amount. If you are thinking about using it, speak to a doctor or pharmacist first.
• Best time of day: Time of day makes no known difference. No study has compared morning with evening use. If you take other medicines, spacing matters more than the clock. Tannins can bind drugs in the stomach.
• With or without food: Tannin-rich teas are easier on the stomach with food. On an empty stomach they can cause nausea. Keep it well apart from iron tablets and iron-rich meals. Tannins bind iron and cut how much you absorb. Leave at least two hours between this bark and any medicine you swallow.
• Time to effect: Nobody can give you an honest number here. No human study has measured how fast it acts. An astringent, drying effect in the mouth is felt at once. That feeling is not the same as a medical benefit. It is entirely possible that it does nothing for your complaint.
• How long to take it: Traditional use was short and problem-led. People took it for a few days while a complaint lasted. Daily long-term use has not been studied in people. High tannin intake over months can irritate the gut and block iron uptake. No safe long-term period can be named, because nobody has measured one.