African locust bean (dawadawa)
Quick Facts
- What it is: A fermented seed condiment from the West African tree Parkia biglobosa, used to give soups and stews a deep savoury taste.
- Main uses: Savoury seasoning in cooking, Plant protein and minerals in the diet, Folk use for diarrhoea, fever and wounds
- Active ingredients: Free glutamate and amino acids, Linoleic and oleic acid, Tannins, Flavonoids, Tyramine and histamine, Phytate
- Forms: Fresh paste, Dried cakes or balls, Powder, Seasoning cubes, Bark, root and leaf (traditional healers)
- Time to effect: Flavour is immediate; no health effect has a known timeline.
- Side effects: Usually well tolerated as a food; gas, loose stools, and a salt or tyramine problem for some people.
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What is African locust bean (dawadawa)?
What is African locust bean?
African locust bean is a food made from the seeds of the tree Parkia biglobosa. The seeds are boiled, then left to ferment for several days. The result is a dark, strong-smelling paste or cake called dawadawa.
In Hausa the tree and its product are called dorowa. Other names are iru (Yoruba), soumbala (Mali and Burkina Faso) and netetou (Senegal). Cooks use it like a stock cube, to deepen the taste of soups and stews.
The bark, roots and leaves have a separate life as folk medicine. Long use in a tradition is not proof that a thing works, and it is not proof that it is safe.
Here is the short verdict. As a food, dawadawa is nourishing and has a long safety record. As a medicine, the health claims rest on lab and animal work, not on human trials.
How does African locust bean (dawadawa) work?
How might it work?
As a food, the answer is plain. Fermenting bacteria break the seed protein into free amino acids, including glutamate. That is what gives the deep savoury taste.
Fermentation also raises some B vitamins and makes the protein easier to digest. These are measured changes in the food itself, not health claims.
The medical claims come from the bark and leaf, and from test tubes. Extracts contain tannins and flavonoids. In lab tests these slow the growth of some bacteria and mop up free radicals (unstable molecules that can harm cells).
In rats and mice, bark and leaf extracts have lowered blood sugar and blood pressure in some studies. Those were animals, and the doses were not food doses. Whether any of this happens in a person who eats dawadawa is not known.
What forms does African locust bean (dawadawa) come in?
How is it sold?
Most often as a food, in these forms: - Fresh paste, sold in markets and wrapped in leaves - Dried cakes or balls, pressed and sun-dried - Loose powder, sold in packets in African food shops - Seasoning cubes and blends that list it as an ingredient - Bark, root or leaf pieces, sold by traditional healers - Capsules or extracts, sold rarely by supplement sellers
The food forms are the ones with the long safety record. Powders and cubes often carry a lot of added salt, so check the label.
Bark and root preparations are a different product. They are not food, and they have almost no human safety data behind them.
Where it comes from:
What did tradition claim?
Parkia biglobosa has been a key tree across the West African savannah for centuries. The sweet pod pulp and the seeds fed people through lean seasons. Dawadawa became a daily source of savoury taste and protein.
Healers used other parts of the tree. Bark decoctions were given for diarrhoea, fever, malaria and wounds. Leaves were used on sore eyes and skin, and roots went into mixed remedies.
Some communities fed the paste to nursing mothers and to people recovering from illness. Ethnobotanists have recorded these customs across Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso and Senegal. They are records of what people did, not results of testing.
Who should avoid African locust bean (dawadawa)?
- Never eat dawadawa or other fermented foods if you take an MAOI antidepressant such as phenelzine, tranylcypromine or isocarboxazid, or the antibiotic linezolid. The tyramine in fermented food can cause a dangerous rise in blood pressure.
- Do not use bark, root or leaf preparations if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, as there is no safety data for them.
- Do not give bark or root medicines to babies or children.
- Do not use bark or root preparations if you have liver or kidney disease, since nobody knows how your body handles them.
- Do not eat it if you have reacted to it before with a rash, swelling or wheeze.
- Avoid salted cubes and packet powders if you are on a low-salt diet for heart failure, kidney disease or high blood pressure.
- Do not eat paste that is mouldy, slimy, or has been left warm for days.
- Do not use it in place of treatment for malaria, diabetes or high blood pressure.
When should you see a doctor?
When to see a doctor
Get emergency help straight away if, after eating it, you have: - A sudden pounding headache with a racing heart, which can signal a sharp blood pressure rise - Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat - Trouble breathing or a spreading hives rash
See a doctor soon if you have: - Vomiting or diarrhoea that lasts more than a day, or any bloody stool - Fever that does not settle, especially where malaria is common - Signs of low blood sugar, such as shaking, sweating and confusion, while on diabetes tablets
Stop any bark, root or leaf preparation and speak to a doctor if you feel unwell on it. Tell them exactly what you took.
Is African locust bean (dawadawa) legal where you live?
In West Africa, dawadawa is an ordinary food sold in open markets. In the UK, EU, US and Canada it is sold as a food ingredient in African grocers and online. No health claim for it is approved by any medicines regulator, and bark extracts are not licensed as medicines.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
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