Africa, popularly known as kola nut can cure the deadly Ebola virus as shown in its tracks during a laboratory tests.

The Professor, who made the revelation while speaking at the 16th International Botanical Congress in St Louis in the United States of America, also disclosed that a compound taken from kola nut plant have also proved effective against some strains of flu.

He stated that if the anti-Ebola compound proves successful in animal and human trials, it will be the first medicine to successfully treat the virus that causes Ebola haemorrhagic fever which is usually a fatal condition.

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Iwu, who set up and heads the Bioresources Development and Conservation Programme, led the research that reportedly started 10 years ago, after researchers were led to the plant by traditional native healers who said they have used the plant for the treatment of infectious diseases for centuries.

Prof. Iwu who also came from a family of traditional healers after the tour said: “This is a very exciting discovery. The same forest that yields the dreaded Ebola virus could be a source of the cure.”

He, however, noted that tests are still in the early stages, adding that researchers hope that if the compound continue to prove successful the US Food and Drug Administration will put it on a fast track and produce drugs for humans within a matter of years.