Aframomum melegueta is abundant in the West African region, Northern Africa. It can also be found in other places such as the  Carribbean Island but as introduced crop.Alligator pepper becomes very obvious when the pod is open and the seeds are shown, the seeds have a papery skin enclosing them and the bumps of the seeds within this skin looks like that of an alligator’s back.

Alligator pepper can be mixed with coriander, cinnamon, dried chilies and cloves as a condiment for grilled lamb, chicken, fish, pumpkin and okra, or added to soups, stews and pickling mixtures.

Within minutes after birth, a baby born in Africa, specifically in Nigeria, to the Yoruba culture, is given a small quantity of pepper to taste. It’s said that the newborn goes through a welcoming process. In the same Yoruba tradition, it is also customarily given as a wedding gift. Additionally, in the eastern region of Nigeria, guests are served kola nuts and alligator pepper. When combined, the fiery, spicy flavor either intensifies or lessens the kola nut’s bitter flavor. One of the misconceptions about these seeds is that they lessen inebriation and prevent accidents when ingested and lessen the level of intoxication. Among the Efik people, alligator pepper is used for divination and trial to ascertain guiltiness (mainly Eastern part of Nigeria). In the Caribbean Islands, it is also utilized for religious ceremonies known as voodoo.

Few researchers evaluated the fasting blood glucose in some rats daily, found that oral administration of aqueous extract of alligator pepper to diabetic rats lowered blood glucose to normal level within six days of administration, while metformin (a diabetic drug) took 14 days.