10 Benefits of Bamboo Leaf You May Be Missing Out On | Herbal Goodness
There are a myriad of bamboo leaves benefits that range from physical benefits to soil support to household benefits. In fact, at first glance, there may be few plants that offer a broader range of benefits. You may have seen bamboo furniture, household decorations and healthy food that's taken in as vitamins, minerals and vegetables. The versatile bamboo leaves are from the Poaceae grass family. The grass grows as tall as 40 meters and offers a host of vitamins and minerals.1 People living in Japan, Taiwan, India, China and Southeast and South Asia dine on bamboo, adding cooked bamboo shoots to salad and other recipes.
Yet, the first image that might pop into your mind when you hear the term "bamboo leaf" are those giant, cuddly looking red pandas that frolic in mountains in the South Central part of China. Madagascar's lemurs love eating bamboo leaves too. But, what's the big attraction? What are the benefits of bamboo that you might be missing out on? We'll cover bamboo leaves benefits in this article, including the fact that bamboo leaves served as the panda's primary food source, helping to keep pandas from extinction centuries ago.2
Related: A Guide to Papaya Leaf Tea and How to Find It
Bamboo Leaf
To get the most of the bamboo leaves benefits, it's important to ensure that bamboo leaves are properly cleaned, cooked and prepared. As a tip, if you get Herbal Goodness bamboo, you can enjoy bamboo leaves benefits without having to cultivate or manufacture the plant yourself. But, before we cover bamboo leaves benefits, we want to emphasize the importance of understanding bamboo properties, how the bamboo leaf is sold and how you can get non-GMO bamboo.
Among the bamboo properties are the stem, the stem base, the stem petiole, sheath, blade, culm, node and bamboo shoots.3 The shoots and bamboo leaves are the edible part of bamboo. This is how you will likely get bamboo leaves benefits. Knowing how to separate the shoots and leaves from other parts of the plant is another fact to be familiar with. If you grew the plant in mass, pulling the edible parts of bamboo away from the stem could take time, creating a delay as it regards you getting bamboo leaves benefits.
Also, before you enjoy bamboo leaves benefits, you need to know where to get non-GMO bamboo. Herbal Goodness works with famers in Ecuador, Japan and other GMO free areas. In fact, the very soil that Herbal Goodness gets its bamboo leaves from is GMO free. That's how committed Herbal Goodness is to working with farmers and lands that grow safe, healthy fruit and plants.
Just as people do in Asia, you can dine on bamboo leaves, eating them like vegetables by using Herbal Goodness bamboo leaves in salads. You can also gain bamboo leaves benefits from drinking bamboo leaf tea, a drink that offers a mild, sweet taste. Cook the shoots and you can acquire a texture similar to asparagus. It's no wonder that bamboo leaves benefits and bamboo leaf menu items are popular in different parts of the world. Now, that you know more about the bamboo leaf, including the different bamboo properties, let's explore bamboo leaves benefits in more detail.
Bamboo Leaf Benefits
The United States Department of Energy's Office of Science shares that bamboo leaf extract is known for its antioxidants.4 Additionally, bamboo leaves benefits may include antibacterial activity. Amino acid, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc and phosphorous are minerals and other benefits found in plants from the Poaceae grass family.
Other bamboo leaves benefits include vitamin E, vitamin B6, vitamin A, niacin and thiamine. As a plant high in protein, bamboo leaves and bamboo shoots, may have a positive effect on metabolism. Some women in India consume edible parts of bamboo that has been safely prepared as a way to balance an irregular menstrual cycle.
As many as 17 amino acids have been found in bamboo shoots. Fortunately, this is one of the edible parts of the plant. If you're physically active, going to the gym three or more days a week or if you run, bike ride or swim each day, amino acids may be a good protein supplement. And, this brings up another of the bamboo leaves benefits.
Bamboo shoots offer protein. Even more, you can take in protein even after cooking bamboo shoots for 15 to 20 minutes. Fiber and carbohydrates are other bamboo leaves benefits. If you're a long distance runner or if you ran middle and long distance track in high school or college, you know the role that carbohydrates play in fueling your body.
An extra benefit is that bamboo shoots and bamboo leaves are low in calories. In fact, a cup of bamboo shoots can have less than 50 calories. Of course, as with other plants, the actual calories in a bamboo leaf menu depends on how you prepare the plant. For instance, you could add soy sauce, chicken broth, ground pork, baked chicken and sesame oil to bamboo shoots or bamboo leaves, increasing caloric intake.
Treat Yourself to a Bamboo Drink
In addition to eating bamboo shoots and bamboo leaves in a salad, as a vegetable or as a meal, you can also use the plant as a bamboo drink. As a matter of fact, people harvest bamboo to drink bamboo water. But, as with other plants, you'll need to make sure that the water is good to drink. If it taste odd, step away from it.
Another option for a bamboo drink is Herbal Goodness Bamboo Leaf Tea. And, don't worry. You can be sure that the bamboo drink also offers bamboo leaves benefits. In fact, you can still get collagen, potassium, calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B6 and vitamin A from drinking Herbal Goodness bamboo leaf tea. You also might be happy to know that Herbal Goodness' bamboo leaf tea is a vegan product.
The tea bags come in a box of 24, enough to last you nearly a month, if you drink a refreshing glass of the tea once a day. It's also possible to get Herbal Goodness bamboo leaf tea in a case. Not a tea lover? Get bamboo leaves benefits through Herbal Goodness Bamboo Leaf Liquid Extract and our Hair Skin and Nails Complex. Click here to get bamboo leaf tea and bamboo leaf extract.
Resources:
- Science Daily. Bamboo Plant. Accessed July 10, 2020.
- Panda things. Why Do Panda Eat Bamboo? Accessed July 10, 2020.
- Guadua Bamboo. Stephane Schroder. Bamboo Stem Anatomy. Accessed July 10, 2020.
- United States Department of Energy. Office of Science. Sample Records for Bamboo Leaf Extract. Accessed July 10, 2020.
