Banana is called one of the most delicious fruit in the world., the seedless fruit has gained the status of the staple food of millions around the world, so much so that the soft ripe banana is the first food given to babies,
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Vitamins: The ripe banana is rich in Vitamin A also have vitamin C, B and B2.
The unripe banana is an excellent source of vitamins which do not perish even after cooking at temperatures up to 60 degrees.
Minerals: Magnesium, potassium and phosphorus are some of the minerals present abundantly in the fruit and calcium and iron are others moderately found in it.
Sugar: The numerous varieties of banana contain glucose levels varying between 15 and 27 percent.
Fibre: The stem is rich in fibre and is cooked as a curry in banana growing regions. Even the inflorescence is made into a curry in the north-eastern regions.
Strictly speaking, the term plantain is used for the cooking variety of banana, though now, both terms are used intermixed.
How it looks:
It is a fleshy, decorative tall herb with long sheathing leaves and bright yellow fruits( on ripening)
What we use- Root, leaves, fruit, stem.
What it does- Roots- anthelmintic, antiscorbutic, depurative and tonic.
Fruits- sweet, astringent, emollient, aphrodisiac, anthelmintic, antidiabetic, antidysenteric.
Ayurvedic health uses of Banana
In urinary retention.Take a glassful of the stem juice with a few cardamom seeds crushed into it thrice a day to get rid of painful or burning urination and to dissolve tiny urinary stones.
In anaemia Take one teaspoon of the dried root of banana powder with milk twice a day.
For Wounds: Take ripe clean leaves and tie onto the wounds, to clear it from pus and foul odour. Change the dressing twice a day.
White discharge One of the best remedies for excessive vaginal discharge is to mix a teaspoon of the powder of dried amla seeds and ripe banana fruit every day for at least 40 days.
Constipation Take ripe banana with warm milk at bedtime every night is a well known smooth laxative for hard bowels.
In Menorrhagia or any other bleeding condition: The fruit of plantain should be consumed every day mixed with ghee to arrest bleeding either from rectum due to piles, excessive menstrual bleeding or any other internal bleeding.
A cough and breathing disorders Roast a banana and peel it after cooling.The banana so baked should be consumed every day to relieve from respiratory distress.
When hair is swallowed: Make a curry plantain stem and consume. The roughage present in it roots into its bulk hair other matter present in the alimentary canal and eliminates them.
For boils: Scrape the inside of a ripe banana peel, spread it on a cloth and bandage on to the boil to effect quick healing.
For burns in an emergency, when nothing is available a banana comes in handy.Mash a yellow ripe banana and spread it over the burn. The demulcent effect of the fruit quickness healing and prevents scar formation. Repeat until a cure is effected.
As a cosmetic, the fruit pulp is mixed in honey or used as such as a face mask.
These are the health benefits and Ayurvedic uses of banana.
