New Delhi, June 19: The humble bamboo, used since ages as timber and for making craft items, seems to be the latest health fad, with its shoot being propagated by health experts as the new panacea for all modern-day ills including cancer.
"Recent researches all over the world have found bamboo to be effective in cancer prevention, increasing the appetite, decreasing blood pressure and cholestrol levels in the human body," says V S Oberoi, advisor, national mission on bamboo applications.
Bamboo shoot can be labelled as a heart protective vegetable and its component phytosterols may be suitable as nutraceuticals, the research shows.
"To further establish the anti-carcinogenic properties of bamboo shoots, we have taken up extensive research in collaboration with Dabur. The government has also approved a 200 tonne processed bamboo shoot unit at Jorhat in Assam," says Oberoi.
Bamboo is used in traditional cuisines in many countries. In India, it is an integral part of diet in the North-East and Western Ghats in Karnataka. Bamboo shoots are used in the fresh form during the season and as salted (pickled) and fermented products during the rest of the year.



The emerging tip (shoot) of bamboo plant that arises out of the ground during the monsoons is consumed more as a vegetable by the natives and is made available to the others as a delicacy in up-market and speciality restaurants in metros.


Bureau Report