Banana

Known Location

Boll Hold, Dolphin Cove Weyr Area

Growth form:

A banana is an edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants.

General habitat:

Tropical areas with soil that has good drainage and is not compacted.

Uses:

Edible:

• Fruits are edible, but harder plantain types require cooking and are a good form of starch. Softer desert types may be eaten raw. Cooked, flowers are considered a good food for diabetics.

Medicinal:

• Flowers: Used to treat dysentery, ulcers, and bronchitis.

• Sap: Banana sap has Astringent and Febrifuge qualities. The sap is used to treat a wide variety of ailments, including leprosy, hysteria, digestive disorders, hemorrhage, epilepsy, hemorrhoids, and insect bites.

• Roots and Seeds: Treat digestive disorders

• Peel and Pulp: Scientifically shown to have both Antifungal and Antibiotic components. These structures have also been identified as containing the neurotransmitters nor-epinephrine, serotonin and dopamine