Kela - Vazhai

Botanical Name: Musa paradisiacal and Musa sapientum

Sanskrit: Kadhali, Kadali

Hindi: Kela

Tamil: Vaazhai, Vazhai

Bengali: Kela, Kala

Oriya: Kadali, Kadila

Assamese: Kal, Talha

Gujarati: Kela

Kannada: Bale

Malayalam: Vazha

Marathi: Kela

Punjabi: Khela

Telugu: Ariti

Urdu: Kelaa

Description:

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. The ripe fruit is commonly eaten.

Banana Health Benefits and Medicinal Uses

Banana Fruit:

Banana offers numerous health benefits. It regulates bowel, makes blood alkaline, reduces stress and increases brain power. Its intake is beneficial in heart diseases, depression, menstrual pains and anemia. Banana shows beneficial effects in constipation, thirst, hemorrhoids, hypertension, and intoxication. They are rich in potassium. Potassium is an essential mineral required for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function. Study show mixture of banana and milk significantly reduces the acid secretion. Banana is effective against aspirin-induced damage of gastric mucosa.

Bananas are a highly nutritious fruit, but do they have any medicinal properties beyond their nutritive value. While it may come as a surprise to those of us accustomed to using bananas for baking and banana splits and little else, Perdue University boldly states that every part of the banana plant has medicinal properties.

Flowers:

Consuming one cooked banana flower with one cup of curd or yogurt is one of the most efficient way of treating excessive bleeding during menstruation, says the website Himalayan Home remedies. The cooked banana flower and curd combination increases the level of progesterone in the body and thereby reduces bleeding associated with menorrhagia. It is also used to treat dysentery, ulcers, and bronchitis. Cooked, flowers are considered a good food for diabetics.

Sap:

Banana sap has astringent qualities. In traditional medicine, the sap is used to treat a wide variety of ailments, including leprosy, hysteria, fever, 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 norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine.

Information source and read more at :

http://www.phytojournal.com/vol1Issue3/Issue_sept_2012/9.1.pdf