ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the information on the uses, folk medicine, chemistry, germplasm, distribution, ecology, cultivation, harvesting, yields, energy, and biotic factors of Yeheb Nut. In the old days of British Somaliland, sacks of the nuts were brought down to the coast for sale. Although the shrub itself is essentially free of insect pests, the nuts are attacked by weevils and moth larvae. Seeds said to be edible raw or cooked, likened by one author to a chestnut, by another to a cashew. Per 100 g, the seed contains 448 calories, 12.1 g protein, 13.5 g fat, 71.9 g total carbohydrate, 1.6 g fiber, 2.5 g ash, 36 mg calcium, 208 mg phosphorous, and 7.2 mg iron. Seeds germinate as high as 80%, the seedlings quickly developing a thin but tough tap root, which complicates transplanting. Hence, field seeding is recommended.
