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Traditional and Contemporary Medicinal Applications of Bamboo
Abstract
Bamboo is perhaps the best known plant on the globe with tremendous versatility and over 1500 documented uses. Bamboo based medicinal preparations have been used in the traditional medicine systems of various Southeast Asian civilizations. Having great therapeutic potential, it can provide natural and eco-friendly way of health-care in a sustainable manner. A number of bamboo species have so far been investigated for their chemical as well as pharmacological properties and some of the traditional medicinal claims have been scientifically tested and verified. With expanding green markets and interest towards herbal medicines, bamboo has now been recognized as a potential source of effective medicines and marketable health-care products. The paper describes the traditional and modern age therapeutic and health-care applications of Bamboo.
... Bamboo is a high value plant, and it has enormous potentiality to enter in the nutraceutical, medicinal, and cosmetic markets due to its reported rich source of natural antioxidants and bioactive compounds (Nirmala et al., 2018). Every part of the plant has different applications that are being used traditionally through many generations in many parts of the Asian countries (Bensky and Borolet, 1990; Piper, 1992; Huang and Wang, 1993;Zhang et al., 2005;Tripathi et al., 2009;Liese and Kohl, 2015). Even the siliceous secretion, also known as Tabasheer/Banslochan/ Bamboo mana or bamboo biosilica that is found in the hollow internodes of bamboo culms, is being used in traditional medicine for centuries in many parts of the world (Nirmala and Bisht, 2017;Nirmala et al., 2018). ...
The Northeast region of India harbours rich resources of bamboo species that are distributed in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions as pure stands or mixed-bamboo forests. In spite of enormous economic importance, bamboo remains to be a poorly underexplored plant group. This chapter describes the diverse distribution, resource stock and utility of bamboos in this region with special importance to Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland. Based on total bamboo resources of Northeast region, over 84 bamboo species are being used by tribal communities for various traditional and commercial applications. However, only fifteen woody species under genera Bambusa, Dendrocalamus and Melocanna have commercial importance mainly as raw material for construction, pulp and paper, furniture, mat, basketry and handicraft. As food, only 8-10% of the total edible species are sold at local markets as fresh or fermented products. The region still harvests most bamboos including commercial and non-commercial species from wild habitats with no sustainable management practices. Immediate attention for cultivation, harvesting, and proper management of all priority species is needed. Mapping their current distribution and studying the species adaptive capacity to different climatic conditions would help in determining the roles of climate and other ecological variables in setting the geographic ranges of species and also in identifying suitable areas for sustainable management and conservation.
... Since the past the people of this vesinity record all parts of the bamboo plant to utilize in different purpose . Bamboo juvenile shoots of some species are used for making 'Karisa' (a delicieous pikle) by the Assamese people (Tripathi, 1998;Tripathi, 2008c), leaves are used as fodder to animals, and certain medicine also traditionally prepared from bamboo shoots (Tripathi et al., 2009b). The most versatile use of bamoo is construction of houses in villages, boundary fencing, some local musical instruments (such as flute, takka, and gaganna), paper making, etc. Bamboo cottage industries are found in rural area as they produce numerous household items including utansils such as bamboo buskets of different sizes and shapes, bamboo fens, table, chair, bed, bamboo mate, fishing instrument such as polo, Juluki, Jokai, Khaloi, Karahi, pasi, Dola, kula, saloni, etc and agricultural appliences such as Moi, Nagal (plough), kathia tum, tomal, mer, Duli etc. (Tripathi et al., 2009a). ...
The Report presents a detailed account of the unique socio-cultural, ecological, and bioresource potential of Majuli Island.
... 3 In traditional systems of medicine, bamboo has been used from ancient times in various therapeutic applications for treating stomach heat, epilepsy, cough and phlegm, fainting and loss of consciousness in feverish diseases and a variety of mental disorders that develop with aging. 4 In Japan, the traditional kumazasa bamboo leaf has been used to protect food from bacterial attack, such as sheets (called "chimaki") to wrap sushi in or for packing rice balls. This is apart from its use for treating halitosis, body odor, stomatitis, hemorrhoids and healing wounds. ...
Background:
Bamboo leaf extract solution (BLES) and sodium copper chlorophyllin solution (SCCS) are known for their anti-oxidant activities. Oral malodor is often related with periodontal pathogens. The present study was undertaken to investigate the anti-bacterial effect of both BLES and SCCS on anaerobic periodontal bacteria producing oral malodorous volatile sulfur compounds (VSC).
Methods:
Porphyromonas gingivalis W83 (PG), Prevotella intermidai TDC19B (PI), Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC25586 (FN) and Prevotella nigrescence ATCC33563 (PN) were investigated as oral isolated bacteria. VSC production ability of the oral strains was investigated by gas chromatography. With serial dilution of BLES or SCCS, the strains PG, PI, FN or PN were cultured anaerobically with AnaeroPack at 37 ℃ for 3 days. For the determination of anti-bacterial action of BLES or SCCS, the inoculum was cultured with original concentrations of BLES 0.16% (w/v) or SCCS 0.25% (w/v).
Results:
Gas chromatography exhibited that all strains, PG, PI, FN and PN were responsible for producing a high range of H2S and a moderate range of CH3SH. Anti-bacterial effect of BLES or SCCS on the strains was observed. Inhibition of BLES or SCCS on the strains was revealed as concentration dependent. BLES or SCCS inhibited bacterial proliferation at higher concentrations (PG; 0.04% BLES or 0.03% SCCS, PI; 0.002% BLES or 0.03% SCCS, FN; 0.005% BLES or 0.01% SCCS, PN; 0.01% BLES or 0.015% SCCS). No viable bacterial colony observed at original concentration of BLES 0.16% or SCCS 0.25%. Strain growth was eliminated from inhibition at lower concentrations (PG; 0.02% BLES or 0.015% SCCS, PI; 0.001% BLES or 0.015% SCCS, FN; 0.002% BLES or 0.007% SCCS, PN; 0.005% BLES or 0.007% SCCS).
Conclusion:
High concentrations of both BLES (0.16%) and SCCS (0.25%) show superior inhibiting capability on all four oral malodor associated periodontal anaerobes during testing, suggesting that these compounds might have a beneficial effect on oral health care.
Bamboo has been an integral part of the traditional medicinal system worldwide. Traditionally, almost every part of bamboo has been used for medicinal purposes to treat skin infections, joint pains, bleeding gums, injuries, fever, and many more. Pastes of tender bamboo shoots are applied to injuries and skin infections. Bamboo is used in Ayurveda for paralytic complaints, inflammatory disorders, and external skin disorders. Several bioactive compounds like phenols, phytosterols, and flavonoids are present in young bamboo shoots and leaves which have putative health benefits and show antioxidative, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. Several drugs derived from plants are described in Ayurveda as possessing wound-healing properties. B. vulgaris is used for skin problems in Trinidad and Tobago. The tribes of Raisen, Madhya Pradesh use leaves and stems of bamboo to treat skin injuries topically. Several bamboo extracts of leaves and shoots show potential anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties. Antioxidants have been reported to play a substantial role in improving the wound-healing process and protecting tissues against oxidative damage. Flavonoids are known to promote the wound-healing process due to their antimicrobial properties, which appear to be responsible for wound contraction and increased rate of epithelialisation. P. edulis leaf extract has shown a potential role in preventing inflammation in persistent inflammatory conditions. Ethanolic extract of D. asper leaves has shown antimicrobial and anti-diarrhoeagenic properties, which is an important clinical aspect in wound-healing. Diabetes mellitus-associated impaired wound-healing severely affects patients’ life quality, leading to prolonged hospitalisation and lower limb amputations. Herbal medicines and plant extracts are used by about 80% population around the world for primary health care as they show efficacy, safety, cultural acceptability, and lesser side effects. Natural accelerators of cutaneous tissue repair with simultaneous anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities are of great interest for various dermatological disorders, and bamboo is one of the potential plants.KeywordsBambooPhytochemicalsWound-healingTraditional medicineHerbalAntioxidantAnti-inflammatoryAntimicrobial
Background
Bamboo species belonging to Poaceae family Poaceae has overall about 1,500 species, and 87 genera worldwide, randomly distributed between humid tropical, sub-tropical and mild-moderate regions across the globe. The plant has superior value in traditional indigenous systems of China, Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani, for its enormous medicinal and nutritional purposes since 2500 years. It was the apparent beginning of bamboo used as a medication, which was trailed by series of modern research and consequently formed a core scientific ingredient in a research laboratory.
Objective
The current review is a critical study for the evaluation of state-of-the-art concerning to phytochemistry, pharmacology and traditional uses of bamboo species of different genera, which put forward systemic research stratagems and to streamline the therapeutic exploration for the management of human ailments.
Materials and Method
The present review documents systemic overview of the scientific reports relating to the different bamboo species from older text, ancient literature available in the last five to six decades, e-books and from various online databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Google Scholar, Springer, Francis &Taylor, SciFinder, etc.). Additional information was acquired from conference proceedings, botanical books and dissertations for this work.
Results
Bamboo species belonging to six different genera were explored for its medicinal and ethnomedicinal uses for treatment of inflammatory disorders, ulcers, diabetes, solid tumour, blood purifier, menstrual disorders, and infertility to name a few. The therapeutic potentials, along with their mechanism of action, is concisely deliberated and recapitulated in this review. Bamboo is rich in its nutritive value and has been explored as food and fodder. Studies relating to the biological activity of bamboo species revealed that they possess twenty-one promising activities such as anticancer, antidiabetic, cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, and antibacterial. Eighty-two phytochemical studies have been summarized in this review which is majorly due to presence of secondary active metabolites such as phenolics, flavonoids, terpenoids, steroid glycosides and coumarins along with minor constituents like polysaccharides, ketones, tannins, lignans, vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and essential oils. A critical assessment of the compiled scientific literature indicates serious efforts for systemic evaluation of the traditional claims and to identify, isolate and evaluate the phytoconstituents for nutritional and therapeutic potentials. Although the plant has the immense potential in the health care system, still there is abundant need and avenues for commercialisation and awareness to society for the use of new health care products of bamboo.
Conclusion
The present review affirms that bamboo owing to its rich phytochemical spectrum is the epitome plant with a vast potential for the pharmaceutical, cosmeceutical, nutraceutical, and food industry.
Leaves of several bamboo species have been used to treat a variety of diseases for thousands of years. The medicinal effects of bamboo leaves are mostly attributed to their bioactive polyphenol constituents. However, different classes of polyphenol have different degree of solubility in various solvents, a single solvent will not fully extract all phenolic compounds, thus may exhibit varying antioxidant potency. The present study was designed to examine extractive values of leaves of Bambusa nutans and Bambusa vulgaris using chloroform, acetone and methanol successively and to evaluate the total polyphenols contents and free radical scavenging capabilities of each extract. The total phenolic content of the various extracts was determined spectrophotometrically using a modified Folin-Ciocalteu method and antioxidant efficacy by following DPPH radical scavenging protocol. The extracts were also subjected to preliminary screening for presence or absences of various phytochemical constituents. The results showed that B. nutans produced better yield of polyphenol [methanol (15.3542 ± 0.1576 mg/ml GAE/100mg extract) > acetone (11.7992 ± 0.5502 mg/ml GAE/100mg extract) > chloroform (10.1618 ± 0.3284 mg/ml GAE/100mg extract)] than corresponding solvent extracts of B. vulgaris [methanol (12.7976 ± 0.4878 mg/ml GAE/100mg extract) > acetone (10.1328 ± 0.2135 mg/ml GAE/100mg extract) > chloroform (8.8549 ± 0.1747 mg/ml GAE/100mg extract)]. The DPPH radical scavenging assay showed that methanol extracts leaves of both the Bamboo species exhibited highest TPC and radical scavenging activity whereas leaves of B. nutans found to be superior to B. vulgaris in term of TPC and radical scavenging potency. Preliminary phytochemical screening of leaf extracts of the two bamboo species indicated the presence of major classes of phytochemicals. The study evidently showed that leaves of B. nutans and B. vulgaris are rich sources of phenolic compounds and natural antixodants and they could be used as natural antioxidant. The study further indicated methanol as the appropriate extractant for better yield of polyphenols and leaf extract of Bambusa nutans is superior to that of B. vulgaris in term of TPC and antioxidant efficacy.
Bamboo is an important natural resource in the socio-economic, cultural ecological and functional context with 1500 well documented uses. Having high strength, elasticity and wear resisting characteristics, it grows rapidly and matures in a short period of 3-5 years. With traits like high yield, easy to manage, strong regeneration, long lasting and new shoots growth after yearly harvest; it is a versatile, low-cost, environment-enhancing resource having potential to improve livelihood security in both rural and urban areas. Apart from its traditional uses, bamboo can substitute not only wood but also other high-priced materials in structural and engineering applications. Bamboo sector has vast potential for generating income and employment. The paper presents an account of potential and opportunities for harnessing bamboo based technologies in employment and income generation particularly in rural areas.
The paper describes nutritional values and importance of various bamboo species.
Bamboo has played an integral role in social, cultural, and economic development, especially in Asia, throughout history. The range of traditional uses has varied from housing to music, from food to transport, from agricultural tools to weapons and from basketry to bridges. Bamboo can be use in a number of economic activities like making pulp and paper of different quality, bamboo fiber-cement panels, activated carbon and also used as engineering material, construction material, food, Medicine and in the fabrication of equipments. Bamboo has superior technological qualities thus requiring a proper identification for the manifold utilization. The future of bamboo lies in their development for sale in urban and international markets. If promoted extensively, edible bamboo may help solve nutritional deficiency of the rural poor. The revolution of bamboo products as a substitute for wood is an area of great strategic importance and potential since this will open up the huge wood market to bamboo. With new technical inputs, marketing finesse and a renewed commitment, bamboo could take on the role as the material of the future.
Antibacterial activity of Mosochiko Bamboo extract
- N Absuyshi
Absuyshi, N. (1990). Antibacterial activity of Mosochiko Bamboo extract. Bamboo Abstracts, 4(2): 49