Kisumu men rush for ‘more bedroom power’ from herbal porridge

Women in Kisumu have discovered a plant that doubles as a libido booster.

These women from Kajimo in Kisumu County use ododo or amaranth, an indigenous vegetable, which is taken in many forms.

 “Porridge made from amaranth is loved by many men who believe in its libido-boosting qualities,” says Consolata Muga, the chair of SIATOK Widows and Orphans Group who makes money from ododo.

Zablon Otieno, who is a farm boy in Nyakach, has been using ododo which he swears sustains erections “if taken as porridge.” Otieno warns against mixing ododo with mkombero which is also used as an aphrodisiac and a cure for erectile dysfunction. “Inaweza ua mwanamke bwana,” he cautions.

Muga learned how to make the porridge at a training in Maseno where she learnt how to add value to ododo by using it as porridge after its seeds are crushed into flour.

“To make good porridge with it, you mix it with cassava or finger millet, then you ferment it with warm water,” she revealed. The porridge is sold in cups at Sh10 and as well as in 20-litre jerricans.

She says that a quarter-kilog of the ododo flour goes for Sh50, while a two-kilo tin (gorogoro) goes for Sh350. She said that men in the region take it in large quantities and usually finish the 20-litre supply in a very short time.

Apart from porridge, the flour is used to bake cakes, chapatis and bread that are afterwards sold at Sh48 a piece to female students in Nyakach and other residents.

“To bake cake using the weed’s grains, one needs a cup full of flour of amaranth, three cups of wheat flour and three eggs,” says Muga, adding that other ingredients include one cup of margarine, sugar and a teaspoon of lemon rind or vanilla.

Amaranth seeds can also be used as spice or popped liked popcorn for snacking.