MUSA SAPIENTUM(MUSA PARADISIACA LINN.)

 

Common name: Banana • Hindi: Kela केला • Manipuri: লফূ থরো Laphoo tharo • Tamil: Vaazha வாழை •Malayalam: Vaazha

Botanical name: Musa paradisiaca   

Family: Musaceae (Banana family)

Geographical composition

It occurs throughout India in tropical and subtropical regions and also cultivated.

Introduction: Banana is a tropical tree-like herb, with large leaves of which the overlapping bases form the so-called false trunk. Fully grown, the stem reaches a height of 10 - to 30 feet. From the center of the crown spring the flowers. Only female flowers develop into a banana fruit that vary in length from about 4 - 12 inches. The average weight of a bunch is about 25 lbs. Each banana plant bears fruit only once. The propagation is through shoots from the rhizomes, since most of the seeds species are sterile. In India, almost every part of the banana plant is used, either for food, or for wrapping food. The unripe fruit of banana, rich in starch, is commonly dried and fried as chips in south India. The banana stem is also eaten after cooking.

 

Chemical composition

The fruit contains sugar, starch, albuminoids and vitamin A, B and C. Ash is rich in potash salts.

Therapeutic uses

It is antiacidic, antidote to poisoning, antibilious, antiscorbutic, anthelmintic, aphrodisiac, astringent, carminative, cooling, demulcent, diuretic, expectorant, laxative, nutritive, ophthalmic, styptic, sudorific and tonic. Useful in bladder irritability, bowel complaints, cholera-thirst, chronic bronchitis, cool dressings for blisters and burns, dry cough, colic, diabetes, dysentery, haemoptysis, haemorrhage, heart-burn, leucorrhoea, menorrhagia, nervous affections like hysteria and epilepsy, seminal weakness and small pox as a prophylactic.

Folk medicinal uses

The fresh, terminal leaves coated with some bland oil make a very efficacious surgical dressing for inflamed and blistered surfaces. The juice of the flower is given with curds in dysmenorrhoea and menorrhagia cooked flowers are eaten in diabetes. 20 stamens of saffron (Crocus sativus) mixed with 15 gm. roots of Banana given only once in the morning. This is said to cure even the most complicated case of typhoid.

Preparations

Kadalyadi-ghrita, kadaliphaladiyog.

Flowers : April-June

Fruits : Rainy season