Bamboo is rich in minerals and high in fiber, which can be a great addition to any well-balanced, nutritious diet. Bamboo offers a variety of different amino acids, including eight types of amino acids that humans must receive from a food source, as the body does not manufacture these certain amino acids within the body. While most would have to eat several different types of food to receive these eight different amino acids, by including bamboo in your diet, you can receive them all in one serving! Imagine, eating a serving of bamboo instead of choking on several servings of fruits and vegetables.
Most food choices focus on bamboo shoots, which are tender and delicious vegetables. Once it hardens, bamboo is virtually inedible. But the shoots are used in different recipes such as bamboo sweets, beer, chutney, and even soup.
Just like fruits and vegetables, sprouts also have a season. Since the blooming season for buds only lasts one to four months of the year, buds are not available year-round. Bamboo vinegar has also been produced for multiple reasons, including medicinal purposes. Bamboo vinegar has been used to treat various stomach disorders.
Since bamboo shoots are becoming more popular in Western cultures, harvesting the shoots can be not only a food source, but also an inexpensive one. Rural communities that depend on bamboo shoots for food can now rely on bamboo shoots as a source of income and economic growth within their small communities. It’s a way the entire planet can give back.
As a medicine, bamboo can be used for a variety of ailments, including intestinal disorders such as diarrhea. It is also believed to promote healthy bodily functions such as the female menstrual cycle and while bamboo leaves are known to be antispasmodic and blood secreting. Boiling the leaves and mixing them with brown palm sugar can induce labor in pregnant women or cause miscarriage of a fetus earlier in pregnancy. Bamboo shoots help in protein digestion and can promote stomach functions. While most of these claims are not fully supported by scientific evidence, the practice has been around in certain cultures for centuries and has proven quite effective over the years.
Bamboo has a rich history in Asian cultures as a material for resistance and construction, but little else is known about its nutritional and medicinal properties. However, as more bamboo is explored and researched, we learn more about this special and unique grass that panda bears have enjoyed for centuries. So whether you’re looking for a simple stomach digestion aid or a nice addition to your garden landscape, bamboo has a lot to offer you, if you give it a chance. If pandas can eat buds and leaves, it’s not so unreasonable that we can too!
