Musa spp.

"The end of the human race will be that it will eventually die of civilization." - - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Musa spp. (mai'a / banana)

PLANT NAME: Musa spp.

SIMILARLY USED SPECIES: Ensete glaucum, Musa paradisica, M. rubra, M. balbisiana, M. basjoo, M. coccinea, M. uranoscopos, M. fehi, M. lasiocarpa, M. nana, M. cavendishii, M. sinensis, M. sapientum, M. troglodytarum, M. wilsonii, Musella lasiocarpa.

COMMON NAMES: Mai'a [Hawai'i], banana, plantain [English]; ba jiao, gan jiao, xiang jiao, ba jiao gen (stump), kanlu (nectar), jiao yu (sap) [China]; guineo [Spanish], box haaz, mopan [Maya]; jaina [Fiji]; kera [Nepal]; mei'a [Tahiti]; meika [Cook Islands]; fa'i, soa'a [Samoa]; kadali [India].

NOMENCLATURE: Thought to be derived either from "mouz" (the Arab word for banana), or from Antonius Musa, a physician to Augustus Caesar.

FAMILY: Musaceae (banana family).

CATEGORY: Clear heat and poisons~.

PROPERTIES: Very cooling (fruit) [China]. Sap is cold~.

Status: Polynesian introduction. No pest factor.

Habitat: Wet, sunny. Likes phosphorous.

PLANT PART USED: All of it.

TOXICITY: None noted. There are reports of the stem juice used as arrow poison in Africa and Tahiti.

CAUTIONS AND CONTRAINDICATIONS: The sap stains (just TRY getting it off your clothes). When used topically on infected sores, the wound must be cleaned well to prevent the healing of the skin over the infection.

ENERGETIC CAUTIONS: Fruit should not be eaten in excess [China].

PREPARATION OF MEDICINE: Sap can be removed from the leaf (stronger) or from the trunk (milder), gathered in a container and refrigerated for future use. Fruit may be eaten raw or baked. Flower can be cut into sections and prepared for various ailments.

DOSAGE: Roots and stump 30 60 grams. Sap 1/4" in a small cup, 2-3 times per day.

MERIDIAN AFFINITIES: Lung, spleen, liver.

WESTERN FUNCTIONS REPORTED: Alterative (root); anodyne [China]; antacid [China]; anthelmintic (root); antibilious (root); antidiabetic (root); antifebrile (root internal) [China]; antifl atulent (powdered green fruits); antiscorbutic (root); aphrodisiac [China]; astringent (powdered green fruits); astringent (unripe fruit) [China]; bacteriostat [China]; carminative; cicatrizant; demulcent; dentifrice; depurative; diaphoretic; diuretic (leaves; stem juiced); emollient; febrifuge; fungicide; hemostat; hypoglycemic (fl ower); intoxicant (when properly prepared); laxative (ripe fruit) [China, Nepal, Universal]; refrigerant; restorative (root internal) [China]; sialagogue; styptic (root); vermifuge (human and animal use).

TRADITIONAL CHINESE ENERGETIC FUNCTIONS (~ = extrapolated):
Raw Fruit
1) Relieves thirst, moistens the lungs.
2) "Purifies" the blood and heals wounds.
3) Relieves thirst and moistens the lungs (raw fruit).
4) Stabilizes and binds (unripe fruit).

Steamed Fruit
1) Invigorates blood and tonifi es the jing.
2) Invigorates blood (steamed fruit, fl ower).
3) Tonifi es the jing essence (steamed fruit).
4) Promotes bowel movement (ripe fruit).

Rhizome
1) Reduces heat, cools the blood and clears toxins.

Whole Plant
1) Clears heat (damp heat / toxins / fi re).
2) Drains damp. 3) Speeds healing of wounds.

Mai'a (Banana) Cross-Cultural Medicinal Uses

BITES & STINGS
• Insect and animal bites, centipede bites, scabies, scorpion bites [China, Samoa]; snake bite (sap internal) [Asia].

COSMETIC
• Balding in women [China (sap)]; dandruff [India (ashes topical)]; hair strengthener [China (sap)]; gray hair.
• Choco tribe members believe the fruits can cause blotches on the face [Colombia].

Mai'a (Banana) Common Medicinal Uses
• Mild constipation (ripe fruit)
• Mild diarrhea (unripe fruit)
• Skin infections (sap topical)
• Bronchial infections (sap internal)
• GI protection from anti-infl ammatory drugs (fruit internal)

CARDIOVASCULAR
• Bleeding, internal and external (topical powdered green fruits / root internal [China, Colombia, Samoa]; "blood disorders" [Nepal (stems and root)]; blood in the urine [Nepal (ripe fruit)]; nose bleed.
• Heart pain [China (fl owers)]; heart disease [Nepal (ripe fruit)].
• High blood pressure [China (fruit), Nepal (ripe fruit)].

DERMATOLOGICAL
• Abscess, bacterial infections, boils, chronic sores and skin ulcerations (ashes topical, leaves topical, stem juiced, root internal, bruised root topical) [Belize, China, Cuba, Hawai'i, Samoa]; gangrene.
• Blisters [Belize (leaves topical / stem juiced)].
• Burns (fruit juice, sap, stem juiced, and leaves mashed topical) [Belize, Bermuda, China, Fiji, Samoa, South America]. Rashes (sap / fruit pulp topical) [Cook Islands, Hawai'i, Polynesia]; hives [China (root internal)]; psoriasis; herpes, including shingles (sap topical) [Cook Islands, Hawai'i, Polynesia]; infl ammation, eruption (fruit pulp topical) [Polynesia, Samoa]; ringworm.
• Itching, wrinkles, and sunburn [USA (water extract of fruit peel)].
• Warts.

DIGESTIVE
• Coated tongue from stomach trouble [Hawai'i].
• Constipation (boiled ripe fruits / roots decocted) [Hawai'i, China].
• Diarrhea (unripe fruit, flower) [Belize, Nepal, Samoa]; re-hydration after acute diarrhea (banana flour); dysentery (flower juice, sap internal / ripe fruit) [Fiji (leaves) India, Nepal].
• Flatulence due to "evil heat" [China (root internal)].
• Gastric acidity, heartburn (ashes, fruit) [Belize, China]. Gastric ulceration due to use of anti-infl ammatory drugs [USA (dried green fruit)].
• Indigestion (powdered green fruit); stomach cramps [Hawai'i (flower bud sap)]; nausea.
• Intestinal disorders [Nepal (powdered fruit)]; enteritis; ulcerative colitis [Nepal (fruit)].
• Obesity.
• Rectal problems; hemorrhoids [China (fruit), Fiji (stem)].
• Thiamine defi ciency (beri-beri) [China (roots decocted)]; scurvy.

ENDOCRINE
• Diabetes (flower, fruit, root) [China, Nepal],
• Thyroid troubles.

HEAD AND THROAT
• Headache (root internal), migraine [China].
• Toothache due to "wind" [China (root internal)].
• Dentifrice.

HEPATIC
• Bilious disorders [China (ripe fruit)]; jaundice (fruit / roots decocted, juiced) [India, China].

INFECTION
• Fever (root) [China, Samoa]; dry mouth, restlessness due to heat, fi dgets [China (root internal)]; septicemia.
• Staph infection [Hawai'i (sap topical)].
• Smallpox.

LYMPHATIC
• Armpit swelling [Fiji (stem)].

MUSCULOSKELETAL / TRAUMA
• Back pain [China].
• Contusions [USA (water extract of fruit peel)]; fracture; spasm, strain, swelling; stalk used as splint [Hawai'i]; pain [Samoa].
• Gout [Nepal (ripe fruit)].
• Paralysis.
• Wounds (bruised root topical, leaves mashed topical, unripe fruit) [China, Samoa].

NEUROLOGICAL
• Epilepsy, convulsions [China (sap), Fiji (root)].
• Hallucinations [Samoa].
• Vertigo, dizziness [China (sap)], ONCOLOGY
• Cancer [China, Hawai'i]; tumor.

PARASITES
• Malaria.
• Worms [India (tuber)]. In Hawai'i, banana fruit was eaten after taking bitter medicine. Ripe banana fruit was also used by 'Awa drinkers to counter the taste of 'Awa. This is the fi rst use of the term "pupu."

PEDIATRIC
• Carbohydrate intolerance in children [Nepal (powedered fruit)]; children who won't eat [Samoa (sap internal)]; infantile malnutrition; weak baby [Hawai'i (flower sap)]; as "vitamins" for infants [Hawai'i (sap of fl ower)]. Cuna infants are bathed in the juice of the young plants to give them strength.
• Childhood diarrhea [Nigeria (fruit)]; intestinal complaints of children [Samoa]; colic (ashes)
• Teething babies (sap) [Cook Islands, Polynesia].
• Thrush (trunk and roots juiced) [Hawai'i, Samoa].

PSYCHOSPIRITUAL
Man is like a banana the day it bears fruit. (A man dies when his work is done) - - Hawaiian Proverb
• In some magickal traditions bananas are considered feminine and associated with the goddess Venus.
• In Western magick banana has been used for money and prosperity spells.
• Hawai'i: It is considered bad luck to dream of bananas or to meet a person carrying them, or to carry them on a fishing trip. And if you have a dream of an open hole in the ground it is a symbol of the grave and you should bury a young banana plant, a banana stalk, or a stone in the ground.
• In Hawai'i and Tahiti, banana stalks were sometimes substituted for human sacrifices and in recent times were substituted in coffins for the deceased.
• Bodies of Kings were wrapped in leaves of banana, wauke, and kalo (kapa laugarment of leaves) in the first step of deification [Hawai'i].
• Banana is a symbol of the Gods in Voodoo, as both bananas and the dieties of Santaria dieties are hermaphroditic [Haiti].
• Banana fruits and leaves were made as offerings to the Gods, the leaves sometimes used to cover shrines called "Unu" [Hawai'i].
• Associated with the god Kanaloa and considered to symbolize fertitlity, potency, and prosperity [Hawai'i].
• A woman married under a banana tree is said to have good luck [Hawai'i].
• Mangaia: Swirling of banana leaves were used to predict hurricanes.

REPRODUCTIVE
• Bleeding in childbirth [Belize (root)]; labor pain [India (ripe fruit)]; after childbirth [China (juiced root internal)].
• Groin swelling [Fiji (stem), Hawai'i (leaf)]; venereal diseases (root powder), gonorrhea, syphilis (cooked fruit).
• Menopausal bleeding [India (sap internal)]; uterine bleeding, painful menses (flowers).
• Vaginal discharge [China (roots decocted)].

RESPIRATORY
• Asthma [Hawai'i (boiled ripe fruit), China (rhizome), Asia (sap or seedling juice)].
• Cough, congestion, bronchitis (dried leaves in syrup, leaves, sap) [Cuba, Hawai'i]. Spitting up blood [Cuba (root)]; phlegm.
• Influenza [China (juiced root internal)]; chills.
• Pharyngitis, sore throat, tonsillitis.
• Tuberculosis.

URINARY
• Burning urination [India (tuber chewed)]; painful urination [Fiji (leaf juice)]; blood in the urine [China (rhizome)].
• Kidney infection (ripe fruit) [Nepal].

OTHER MEDICINAL USES
• Alcoholism [China (fruit)].
• Circumcision.
• Croton bean poisoning (roots decocted) [China].
• Debility; weakness of the body [Hawai'i (flower sap)]; consumption [Fiji (leaves decocted)]; as a tonic food [Belize (fruit)].
• Dengue fever.
• Opium and arsenic overdoses (juice of the leaf and stem).
• Navel pain [Fiji (leaf in combination)].

USE AS FOOD:
• Most of the plant is edible and used as food but usually the unripe and partially ripe fruit is used in a way similar to potatoes or made into a type of "flour."
• Leaf buds as vegetable [Hawai'i].
• Flowers cooked and eaten [Philippines].
• Also used as "insurance against famine" [Hawai'i]. Unripe fruit used in curry [India].
• Ashes of the plants may be used as a substitute for salt.
• Green bananas are boiled in their skins, then removed, and made into a kind of "pancake" [Belize].
• Leaves used to wrap tamales [Belize].
• Used alternately as a delicacy and a famine food [Hawai'i]. Beverages Smoothies [Universal among recovering hippies]. The fruit is used to make alcohol, vinegar, and wine. Banana wine is reputed to prevent malaria [Antilles, Congo]. Banana beer [Choco, Africa].

OTHER USES:
• Leaves and leaf sheaths (waterproof after scorching) are used as thatching for houses, gutters, umbrellas.
• Leaves are also used as plates, cattle food, cigarette papers, clothing, packing material, for stringing leis, and cordage [Hawai'i, Philippines].
• The banana plant was used to make aqueducts, plant pots, emergency sandals, and splints for broken limbs [Hawai'i].
• Fiber and paper made from the leaf stems [Japan].
• Ashes used for dyeing, tanning, in curries, and as a salt substitute [India].
• Dye made from juice of flower buds [Hawai'i, India].
• Splint for broken bones (hollow stalk) [Hawai'i].
• Banana trunks were used as rollers to move canoes [Hawai'i]. The young plant was used as flag of truce in war [Hawai'i].

CONSTITUENTS: Alpha tocopherol (fruit peel), ascorbic acid (fruit peel), beta-carotene (fruit peel), carbohydrates (fruit peel), delta tocopherol (fruit peel), iron (fruit peel), niacin (fruit peel), norepinephrine, protein (fruit peel), ribofl avin (fruit peel), Vit A, B, C.

Forget Prozac: Bananas contain large amounts of serotonin (5-HT) [Garcia-Moreno 1980, Helander 1992], although it is not clear if it is broken down in the gut.

POSSIBLE DRUG INTERACTIONS: Bananas protect the gastric mucosa in laboratory animals against NSAIDs and other pharmaceuticals. Bananas also appear to stimulate growth of the gastric lining after damage has occured. In one study, ripe fruit bananas did not have the same effect [Best 1984], while in another " banana pulp powder" was used. It is not clear if the banana pulp powder was ripe or not [Goel 1986].

Mai'a (Banana) Local Combinations (all refer to Musa spp. sap)
Bronchitis: AddWaltheria americana ('uhaloa), Sonchus oleraceus (pualele / sow thistle).
Asthma: Add Bidens pilosa (kïnehi / spanish needle), Curcuma longa ('ölena / tumeric), Piper methysticum ('awa / kava). Boils: Add Plantago major (laukahi / plantain).

Mai'a (Banana) Cross-Cultural Combinations
Please note some of the ingredients in the following combinations are toxic! Do not self-administer without the supervision of a licensed practitioner or an experienced Elder.
• Stomach cramps: With dried squid ink, Solanum nigrum (pöpolo), Colocasia esculenta (taro leaf), Bidens spp. (ko'oko'olau), and with Psilotum triquetrum (moa) [Old Hawai'i].
• Thrush: With Aleurites moluccana (kukui) sap or with half-ripe papaya fruit juice [Old Hawai'i]. Constipation: With Aleurites moluccana (kukui) nuts and fl owers, Hibiscus tiliaceus (hau) Syzygium malaccense (mountain apple) bark, Saccharum offi cinarum (sugar cane), Bidens spp. (ko'oko'olau), and Ipomoea cairica (koali 'ai). [Old Hawai'i].
• Asthma: With sweet potato, Morinda citrifolia (noni), Saccharum offi cinarum (sugar cane), Cocos nucifera (coconut), iron oxide ('alaea), and Ipomoea cairica (koali 'ai) [Old Hawai'i].
• Asthma: Shoot with Waltheria indica ('uhaloa), Argemone glauca (puakala), Syzygium malaccense (mountain apple bark), Aleurites moluccana (kukui) bark, and Eleocharis obtusa (kohekohe) [Old Hawai'i].
• Asthma: Flower juice with Portulaca oleracea ('äkulikuli / purslane), Morinda citrifolia (noni) fruit, Syzygium malaccense (mountain apple) bark, Aleurites moluccana (kukui) flowers, Peperomia spp. ('ala'alawainui), Curcuma longa (tumeric) rhizome, Iron oxide ('alaea), Saccharum offi cinarum (sugar cane) and ashes of banana leaves [Old Hawai'i].
• Pinworms: Fruit with Ipomoea cairica (koali 'ai), sweet potato, Morinda citrifolia (noni) fruit, Hibiscus tiliaceus (hau) bark, iron oxide ('alaea), Syzygium malaccense (mountain apple) bark [Old Hawai'i]. Cleansing: Sap with iron oxide ('alaea), Coral powder, and Aleurites moluccana (kukui) sap on tongue, forehead, temples, and navel [Old Hawai'i].
• For "burning of chest and stomach" or for "excessive perspiration": Rotting banana stump, Hibiscus tiliaceus (hau) sap, iron oxide ('alaea), an "eating fern," and Bidens spp. (ko'oko'olau) [Old Hawai'i].
• Jaundice: Fruit with "quicklime" [India]. Menopausal bleeding: Sap with curd [India]. Worms: Tuber with boiled rice, ghee, and molasses [India].
• Anemia: Fruit with chicken eggs, wine, nutmeg, and salt [Choco: Colombia].
• "Chiclero sore" (parasitic infection): Topical with Piper nigrum (black pepper) [Belize].

RANGE: Pan tropical. GATHERING: Timberrrrr.... Gather with reverence. Kinolau of Käne.

PROPAGATION & CULTIVATION: Propagation by shoots. It really is self-propagating in the right environment. If one uses biodegradable soap, downhill from a washing machine works well.

RESEARCH:
• Flower extract reduces blood glucose in lab animals [Pari 1999, Pari 2000].
• Bananas can increase blood plasma levels of sulfate-conjugated norepinephrine and sulfate-conjugated dopamine. The sulfate-conjugated dopamine increase is enhanced by vitamin C [Dunne 1983]. Neurologically impaired patients often show lower levels of dopamine sulfate, norepinephrine sulfate, and epinephrine sulfate in their cerebral spinal fluid than in their blood plasma. While bananas can increase blood plasma dopamine levels, this is not reflected in cerebral spinal fluid levels. But, bananas effect on increased norepinephrine sulfate is reflected in cerebral spinal fluid levels [Kuchel 1985].
• The stem juice prevents and treats urinary stones in rats [Prasad 1993].

NOTES 'N QUOTES
• Sumatra: The god who was sent to earth to finish creation should have fasted or eaten crab (which gets a new shell every year), but instead he ate banana and so man's life is short like that of a banana stalk.
• In Europe and Asia banana was called "fruit of paradise" and "fruit of knowledge". The banana plant was said to be the source of good and evil and that the serpent was hiding in the banana plant before he tempted Eve.
• Tahiti: The first banana stem came from the windpipe of a man.
• It is uncertain if bananas were growing in America before European contact.
• The brother of Pele first brought bananas to Hawai'i.
• The most ancient people of Hawai'i, called the Mu, were said to be a tribe of wild banana eaters living in the hills.
• Fruits of certain bananas were fed to sharks by fishermen [Hawai'i].
• In old Hawai'i it was kapu (forbidden) for women to eat all but two varieties of bananas on penalty of death.
• In Hawai'i, he fruit was eaten after taking bitter medicine. Ripe banana fruit was also used by 'awa drinkers to counter the taste of 'awa. This is the first use of the term "pupu."
• When one wants to wrap a special gift in Hawai'i, a banana stalk is used.
• Legend has it that all bananas held their fruit erect until there was a battle between the upland and the lowland bananas. The lowland bananas lost and have ever since then held their heads in shame.
• Banana sap is one of the most accessible and useful medicinals in Hawai'i for infections.