The Uses of the Banana Plant

Food

• Banana plants bear bananas or plantains, which are the major sources of starch in several South American countries. The high-energy fruits are an excellent source of vitamin B12, potassium and fiber, and you can eat them raw, baked or fried. Pureed bananas are often added to breads, baby food, ice cream and other products. In addition to the fruit, banana buds and the heart of the banana pseudostem are cooked and eaten in Southeast Asia. When mixed with a protein source, bananas and banana plant pseudostems make excellent animal feed for cattle and hogs.

Wrapping

• Versatile banana leaves are not eaten, but people use them to wrap food while cooking it, or for storage. The leaves are also used as cigarette wrappers, and to wrap items for packing.

Medicine

• Banana flowers contain honey that is used to treat diabetes, bronchitis, ulcers and dysentery. Sap is spread on hemorrhoids and insect bites and stings, and leaves are used to wrap burns. Some people burn green banana peels and leaves into ashes, and use the ash to treat dysentery and diarrhea. Banana peels and pulp can also be used to treat fungal infections in plants.

Other Uses

• In Africa, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, tradesmen use the fibrous strips of dried pseudostems to construct fishing lines, weave fabric and make soles for shoes. Whole, durable pseudostems may also be tied together to build rafts and benches. Banana leaves are commonly used as temporary umbrellas, or to line cooking pits. Dried banana peel ash, which is high in tannin and potash, has applications in soap making, dying and blackening leather.