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All parts of the banana plant have medicinal applications…

Medicinal Uses: All parts of the banana plant have medicinal applications: the flowers in bronchitis and dysentery and on ulcers; cooked flowers are given to diabetics; the astringent plant sap in cases of hysteria, epilepsy, leprosy, fevers, hemorrhages, acute dysentery and diarrhea, and it is applied on hemorrhoids, insect and other stings and bites; young leaves are placed as poultices on burns and other skin afflictions; the astringent ashes of the unripe peel and of the leaves are taken in dysentery and diarrhea and used for treating malignant ulcers; the roots are administered in digestive disorders, dysentery and other ailments; banana seed mucilage is given in cases of catarrh and diarrhea in India.

Antifungal and antibiotic principles are found in the peel and pulp of fully ripe bananas. The antibiotic acts against Mycobacteria. A fungicide in the peel and pulp of green fruits is active against a fungus disease of tomato plants. Norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin are also present in the ripe peel and pulp. The first two elevate blood pressure; serotonin inhibits gastric secretion and stimulates the smooth muscle of the intestines.

Alleged hallucinogenic effects of the smoke of burning banana peel have been investigated scientifically and have not been confirmed.

Backyard permits urged to stop banana disease

The Australian Banana Growers Council is urging backyard banana growers to get a permit to help stop the spread of bunchy top disease.

National program coordinator David Peasley says commercial crops from Byron Bay to Cooroy are monitored closely for the disease but backyard growers can unwittingly pass it on if they give their plants away.

The disease is spread by aphids, and stunts plants and deforms bunches.   Link to rest of story;

Carotenoid and riboflavin content of banana cultivars from Makira, Solomon Islands

Lois Englbergera, Graham Lyonsb, Wendy Foleyc, Jeff Daniellsd, Bill Aalbersberge, Usaia Dolodolotawakee, Claudine Watotof, Ellen Iramug, Belden Takih, Francis Wehii, Peter Waritof, i and Mary Taylorj 

Abstract

The Solomon Islands face problems of vitamin A deficiency and infectious diseases, including malaria. It is essential to identify nutrient-rich indigenous foods for preventing and alleviating these diseases. Previous work in Micronesia identified yellow/orange-fleshed carotenoid-rich banana cultivars, in particular Fe’i cultivars (characterized by upright bunches), with potential to alleviate vitamin A deficiency. Although there is a great diversity of Solomon Islands bananas, little is documented about these cultivars and their nutrient content. Using an ethnographic approach, this study aimed to identify nutrient-rich cultivars and to collect information relating to production and consumption. Seven Fe’i cultivars (not previously analyzed) and three non-Fe’i cultivars were assessed for flesh color, fruit size and other attributes and analyzed for provitamin A carotenoids (β- and α-carotene), total carotenoids and riboflavin. Five Fe’i and two non-Fe’i cultivars were identified as carotenoid-rich. Of 10 cultivars analyzed the concentrations of β-carotene equivalents ranged from 45 to 7124 μg/100 g. Compared to cultivars with light-colored flesh, the yellow/orange-fleshed cultivars generally contained higher carotenoid concentrations. All Fe’i cultivars contained riboflavin, from 0.10 to 2.72 mg/100 g, some having substantial concentrations. The nutrient-rich cultivars, including Fe’i, should be promoted for their potential to contribute to vitamin A intake and overall health.

Keywords: Fe’i banana; Musa (Fe’i group); Vitamin A deficiency; Indigenous foods; Ethnographic approach to food analysis; Biodiversity of traditional food systems; Horticulture and biodiversity; Agrobiodiversity; Cultivar differences; Underutilized species; Food composition

Panama Banana Blight Harmless to Humans (in one sense…)

Panama Banana Blight Harmless to Humans
(But really? Is it? Doesn’t it threaten the viability of a staple crop?)

Local administrations in Haikou have opened ports to facilitate banana business and avoid more losses, after news that “banana cancer” swept most parts of China. As the rumor of the “Panama Disease” outbreak in banana plantations gradually quiets down, the local government has decided to give a 300-yuan subsidy [USD 37.5] for each banana truckload in an attempt to boost fruit sales and reduce losses suffered by local banana planters. Continue reading Panama Banana Blight Harmless to Humans (in one sense…)

We Are What We Eat: The Colonial History of the Banana

Miranda the opportunity to move north with a Broadway contract. Sporting a hat of tropical fruits made mostly with bananas and clad in colorful, frilly clothes, Miranda made her first appearance on U.S. ground at the World’s Fair in New York City (Enloe, 1989). In the following years, she began appearing in films such as Down Argentine Way (1940) and The Gang’s All Here (1943, Fig. 1 available from the author), singing, dancing, and providing comic relief with her limited and heavily accented English. One commentator described her as “the chief export of Brazil. Next [came] coffee” (Enloe, 1989, p.127).

Continue reading We Are What We Eat: The Colonial History of the Banana

Yes, We’ll Have No Bananas – Thanks to Selective Breeding, our Favourite Fruit can Neither Reproduce nor Defend Itself from Disease by Robert Alison

The banana is about to disappear from store shelves around the globe. Experts say the world’s favourite fruit will pass into oblivion within a decade. No more fresh bananas. No more banana bread. No more banana muffins or banana cream pie.

Why? Because the banana is the victim of centuries of genetic tampering. Scientists say they will be unable to prevent the extirpation of the banana as an edible commercial crop. And its demise may be one more powerful argument in the hands of those who are concerned about genetic modification of foods. Continue reading Yes, We’ll Have No Bananas – Thanks to Selective Breeding, our Favourite Fruit can Neither Reproduce nor Defend Itself from Disease by Robert Alison

Did you know that bananas don’t actually grow on trees? They may look like trees, but bananas are really giant members of the grass family. This plant, which grows in profusion in many parts of the hot and humid tropical lowland areas of Central and South America, is not native to the area. Edible varieties of bananas are native to the tropical regions of Asia and are thought to be one of the first plants to be domesticated by man and may be tens of thousands of years old. They were first introduced to the Caribbean Islands during the Spanish colonization of the New World. The banana ranks fourth among the world’s agricultural commodities. For the world’s poorest people, it is a nutritious and important staple food. Here, however, we will concentrate on the fruit produced in Latin America for export to North America and Europe. The banana is the most important of all fruits with world trade totaling $2.5 billion annually.