Eye health: cola macerate, a danger behind the promise of treating blurred vision

In Guinea, a traditional practitioner followed by more than 130,000 people on Facebook claims that petit cola macerate cures blurred vision and red eyes, "a false and dangerous statement", according to the scientific literature and the experts consulted.

On social networks in Guinea, a traditional practitioner named Barry Pellal declared, in a video (archived here) broadcast on April 25, 2026 on his Facebook page followed by 130,000 accounts, that petit cola macerate is an effective remedy against blurred vision and red eyes.

 

From its scientific name Garcinia kola, the little cola is a plant native to West Africa from the Clusiaceae family including plants from tropical and temperate zones.

According to his explanations, it is necessary to macerate seven small cola seeds in 30 centiliters of mineral water for three, four to five days and use the macerate as eye drops at night. “One or two drops in both eyes and you go to bed,” says the author of the video. According to him, if a person uses this mixture and when they wake up in the morning their eyes are swollen, red and impossible to open, they should not worry. This would be “the medicine that works” and that “draws the toxins” from his eyes. As of June 28, 2026, the video has more than 121,000 views and has been shared 319 times.

In this article, UniversSciences verifies the reliability of this remedy with regard to scientific studies and expert opinions on the subject.

Who is Barry Pellal?

Known on social networks in Guinea as a traditional practitioner, the author of the publication that we are verifying presents himself as a healer using endogenous remedies from Africa based on plants, animals and esoteric knowledge. On Facebook, we counted at least four pages (1, 2, 3, 4) which bear his name and in which he frequently publishes his content, mainly related to health and endogenous remedies.

He is also present on TikTok (1), and YouTube (1). Barry Pellal also presents himself as a personal development coach, sometimes speaking on the economies of various countries.

Studies confirm the action of little cola on eye conditions

In the scientific literature, there is several research on the use of petit cola in traditional African medicine. For example this study published in 2022 on the website of the United States National Library of Medicine and entitled “Biological evaluation of Garcinia kola Heckel” (translated from English to French) identifies “very effective antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, analgesic and anti-inflammatory” properties of the little cola.

Garcinia kola nuts © Dateline Health Africa

 According to the Dr Mohamed Kerfalla Camara, researcher at the Institute for Research and Development of Medicinal and Food Plants of Guinea (IRDPMAG) “the little cola is composed of flavonoids, xanthones, tannins and saponins, compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which can help reduce oxidative stress, involved in certain eye diseases”.

There is also this research published in 2010 in the Middle East African Journal of Ophthalmology, a medical scientific journal specializing in ophthalmology in the Middle East and Africa. It was carried out by a team of researchers from theObafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria and is titled “Effectiveness of Garcinia kola aqueous eye drops 0.5% in patients with primary open angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension”. Researchers followed 178 patients with glaucoma, divided into two groups. One group received 0.5% Garcinia kola eye drops, the other timolol at 0.5%, a medication indicated in the treatment of glaucoma. After 24 weeks, intraocular pressure had fallen by 47.8% in patients who took Garcinia kola 0.5% eye drops and 48.2% in those who were treated with timolol. The study concluded that the ophthalmic solution of petit cola “significantly reduces intraocular pressure compared to the initial value”.

Another study, published in 2020 in the scientific journal Acta Ophthalmologica, confirmed an effect on eye pressure. “Oral ingestion of Garcinia kola reduced intraocular pressure in healthy young adults by 21%. Such an effect could present a therapeutic interest for patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension in low-income countries.”

A dangerous remedy for the eyes

This is what gives the rumor its appearance of credibility. Except that these studies don't say what the video makes them say. They relate to glaucoma, a specific disease linked to pressure in the eye, and not to “blurred vision” in general. Above all, they use eye drops standardized to 0.5%, precisely dosed and manufactured in sterile conditions, the exact opposite of water kept for several days in a kitchen container. The active ingredient is therefore not in question. This is the method that is dangerous.

“The eye is a very fragile organ. Any product applied to the eye must be sterile, controlled, dosed and validated,” warns the Dr. Arnedo Houeto, ophthalmologist, Director of the Medi-Centre Parinaud in Conakry, to whom we showed the video. He clarifies that this statement is misleading and dangerous. “A preparation kept for three to four days in water “can contain microbes and exposes itself to very real damage,” he warns. “We regularly receive patients who arrive late after putting herbal decoctions, breast milk, lemon or other substances into their eyes. Some present with simple irritations, but others arrive with serious complications, such as infections or corneal ulcers,” adds the specialist.

Dangerous advice

There remains the most worrying passage: the one where the author states that red, swollen and stuck eyes upon waking would be proof that the remedy acts by “drawing out the toxins”. This is the opposite of reality. A red, swollen and painful eye does not “detoxify”: it reacts to aggression. These signs are precisely those that medicine treats as emergencies. “If you have blurred vision, pain, redness, discharge or decreased vision, consult an ophthalmologist promptly,” insists Dr. Houeto, adding: “Natural does not mean it is not safe.”

In other words, the video asks people to ignore exactly the signals that should land them in the hospital. A person who wakes up with red and swollen eyes, and who says to themselves “it’s normal, it’s the medicine working”, allows an infection to progress for hours, sometimes days, to irreversible damage. The reflex that video defuses, to consult without delay, is precisely the one that can save sight.

Blurred vision is a symptom, not a disease

Finally, there is a fundamental error. The video promises to cure “blurred vision” as if it were a unique ailment. “Blurred vision is not a disease, but a symptom,” corrects Dr. Houeto. It can come from a cataract, glaucoma, infection, allergy, diabetes, hypertension, dry eye, refractive error or retinal disease. “Each cause has its specific treatment. This is why a diagnosis must first be made before treatment. » No single drop can therefore instantly cure a symptom with dozens of different causes.

A rumor that has been around for more than six years

This misinformation is not new. In February 2020, Africa Check had already denied a variation of the same claim, broadcast at the time on a Senegalese site. Dr Boubacar Sarr, former coordinator of the eye health promotion program at the Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Action, considered the idea “unthinkable”, recalling that there are more than a hundred eye diseases that no single remedy can cure. Dr. Rigobert Nitiema, an ophthalmologist in Burkina Faso, warned of the same danger: everything that touches the eye must be sterile.

Conclusion: a false and dangerous statement

According to scientific literature, small cola contains active compounds and is used in the formulation of sterile eye drops tested against glaucoma in medical settings. But this in no way validates an artisanal, non-sterile preparation applied without diagnosis, against a simple symptom, according to specialists.

This article was written by Aissatou Barry and Alpha Oumar Bagou Barry, with the support of Africa Check as part of its Fact-Checking Support Grant Program.