''Rhamnus prinoides'', the shiny-leaf buckthorn, is an African shrub or small tree in the family Rhamnaceae. Commonly referred to as "gesho" it was first scientifically described by French botanist Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle in 1789.

Description

''Rhamnus prinoides'' occur from

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

, and

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

at medium to high altitudes. They grow near streams or along forest margins. The small edible fruits are shiny red and berry-like.

Uses

The ''Rhamnus prinoides'' plant has many uses amongst the inhabitants of Africa. All parts of the plant are harvested and used for nutrition, medicine or religious purposes. Gesho, as it is known in Ethiopia and Eritrea, In

and

, where the plant is known as ''gesho'' or ''gešo'', it is used in a manner similar to

hops Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant ''Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to whic ...

. The stems are boiled and the extract mixed with honey to ferment a mead called '' tej'' in Amharic and in Tigrinya. It is also used in the brewing of

tella ''Tella'' or ''talla'' (Amharic ጠላ; , ) is a traditional beer from Ethiopia. It is brewed from various grains, which can change depending on location. These typically include barley or teff. Depending on region, wheat, sorghum, or corn may be ...

('' siwa'' in Tigrinya), an Ethiopian and Eritrean beer.Amborn, Hermann. Sewa in Tigringa "Ṭälla." In ''Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: O-X'': Vol. 4, edited by Siegbert Uhlig. 848-49. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2010. This local drink is made from gesho as a major ingredient. Gesho leaves are sundried and pounded with mortar and pestle into flour. Barley malt is prepared and sundried and ground. These two ingredients are mixed, in a proportion that varies from maker to maker, and fermented 3 to 5 days on average. Finger millet (or sorghum and maize flour regionally) are baked, and finally mixed with the fermented solution. After 1–2 days of fermentation, the ''tella'' can be filtered and consumed in a drink locally called ' ( in Tigrinya). In Central Kenya the plant is known as "Mûkarakinga" and it is believed to be medicinal. The bark of the plant is cut, boiled and then added to soup.

Gallery

File:Rhamnus prinoides, loof, Ncagaberg, b.jpg, File:Rhamnus prinoides, blom, Moreletakloof NR, a.jpg, File:Rhamnus prinoides, rooi vrugte, Moreletakloof NR, a.jpg, File:Rhamnus prinoides, ryp vrugte, Moreletakloof NR, b.jpg,

References

* * Trees of Southern Africa, K C Palgrave, 1984 prinoides Flora of Africa Flora of Southern Africa Plants described in 1789 Trees of Ethiopia Trees of South Africa Ethiopian cuisine {{Ethiopia-cuisine-stub