Bananas are cheap, delicious, and healthy to eat as a snack.
While people eat bananas as fruit, most of us have wondered – what are bananas? Is banana an herb or fruit?
So if you have ever wondered, let’s talk about that here. A banana is a fruit that is a herb. Does that mean anything to you? Then, let’s dig in deeper, shall we.
To start, bananas originated from the forests of Southeast Asia thousands of years ago. There is no exact time frame, but bananas now grow in almost all tropical locations of the earth.
What now? In order to accurately define a banana, one must examine its components. We will start by following the plant or tree to the most eaten product in the world.
Classification of Bananas
Using its scientific name of Musa Musaceae, bananas come in several varieties.
The skin on the soft edible culm comes in a variety of colors, including green, yellow and red.
The change in color reflects the maturity of the plant, although there are a few varieties remaining green even when they are ripe.
Bananas can be eaten fresh, dehydrated, or cooked for a meal.
While most people grow banana for food, the banana plant also serves as food for animals and adds to the tree cover.
Aside from humans, some animals including rabbits, pigs, horses, goats, birds and squirrels like to eat banana stalks. Some insects also like to feed on the stalks!
Why is a banana plant a herb?
So, here’s the deal: botanists call bananas herbs because bananas are technically not true trees because banana trees have a soft trunk.
The fleshy stem of the tree, called a pseudostem, grows from a rhizome underground.
The underground rhizome is called a corm and it will grow up from the rhizome which is covered by large leaves that are the big leaves will wrap around the stalk and extend out into the banana tree leaves.
One year from when the rhizomes shoot to form the banana tree, stalks begin to extend out, it then creates a flowering bud that creates the bananas.
When the bananas grow, the pseudostem dies, and the corm will create new growth.
Time passed – The corm creates several shoots which if not cut will make an old banana tree appear exceptional with its clusters.
Is a banana tree the largest herb?
Yes, banana plants are actually the biggest herb in the world.
These plants are perennial and can grow for more than 20 years and can be over 15 m tall.
The plants are not trees because a tree means wood in the center or stalk, but the inside of a banana plant is a fleshy stalk.
Fun facts about banana plants
Well, aside from what we already know about bananas, here are a few facts that may surprise you:
Here are the facts:
- There are thousands of different types of bananas around the world.
- Bananas have seeds, but they’re tiny, and you probably can’t see them with the naked eye. But the types you typically find in grocery stores are seedless because they are a sterile variety.
- Even though bananas and tomatoes are from different plant families, they are both classified as berries by horticulturists. And, the big purple bud or flower that bananas come from are banana hearts.
- Bananas hearts, the purple flowering bud from the banana tree, are edible. They are very popular in Vietnamese and Chinese cooking.
- Banana plants grow from an underground root, in the same way turmeric and ginger do.
- Bananas grow in cooler temperatures than other warm or equatorial places too, so there can be indoor banana plants!
- In some parts of the world, including East Africa, bananas are grown and produced as the staple food crop!
Types of Bananas
There’s so many types of bananas grown around the world today.
However, the most common edible raw banana variety is the Cavendish banana.
Yellow in color it has a mildly sweet flavor. When unripe, the skin is green but turns yellow in ripe fruit with soft or brown spots.
The second most common variety is the apple banana.
With a very sweet flavor, the apple banana is smaller in size, and does not brown quickly making it good for desserts and fruit salads.
The ladyfinger is the smallest and the sweetest banana type. Because of its high sugar content, it is great for a snack for kids and adults.
The best bananas for cooking are plantains. These bananas are picked and sold while still green.
Plantains are used in cooking and are harvested while green, unlike other types, and have a higher starch content than you would find in a proper banana. You can steam them before mashing them, roast them or deep fry them.
Uses of bananas
Aside from eating it as a meal, dessert, or fruit, bananas have other uses.
The stalks of the banana plant can be good indoor plants and decorative plants in outdoor settings.
Also, bananas can be used as good natural cosmetic products. And they have their traditional medicine uses for treating a number of sicknesses.
In the following, you have several detailed benefits of bananas.
Health benefits of a banana
Wow, there’s a ton of nutrients in bananas, and they are beneficial to the human body’s system.
A single banana has over 8 % potassium, which is the daily recommended level!
Potassium in bananas has many functions in the body. One main function in bananas is helping blood pressure in the body.
Bananas have some fiber, vitamin c, and folate that reduce cholesterol and are good for heart health.
The antioxidants in bananas may help reduce the effects of asthma in young children.
Bananas have lectin as an antioxidant that prevents free radicals that may cause cell damage that may lead to cancer, by promoting healthy cell growth with protein in bananas.
Bananas promote a healthy digestive system due to the fiber content.
People eat bananas when they are sick because they replenish electrolytes and stop water loss due to diarrhea.
Also – people that have bloating and stomach inflammation on a regular basis, will see benefits from eating bananas on a regular basis.
The natural sugar content in bananas means that people who have diabetes can eat them in moderation.
Bananas are also rich in amino acids that help improve memory and control mood swings.
Bananas have Vitamin A that helps to maintain proper eyesight. Lastly, bananas help with strengthening bones, especially children.
Medicinal properties in bananas
In addition to eating healthy nutrients from the ingested banana food, it has also use in traditional medicine.
Bananas neutralize the acidity of stomach ulcers.
If you suffer from heartburn, bananas can bring relief. The intrinsic properties of bananas allow them to serve as a natural antacid.
Most women who are pregnant have less of an episode of nausea when they eat bananas.
Also, alternate medicine practitioners use the banana stems for their patients to help get rid of kidney stones.
The stems soak in water for hours, and then you drink the water for easy passage of the stones.
The traditional medicine that uses the purple banana flower can cure lung diseases and relieve menstrual cramps in women.
Some people also use the inside of a banana peel to tie-off and sever the blood supply of warts.
As a result – They will fall off with no pain or problems. Banana peel also reduces the sting and swelling of insect bites.
Cosmetic uses of a banana
Bananas also provide fun, natural cosmetics for daily use.
A fresh banana paste is a great skin moisturizer, especially on the face.
Mix a ripe banana with honey and yogurt, apply it generously to the face, leave to soak for a few minutes and wash off.
The white of your teeth can also be improved using banana peels.
To do this:
After brushing, gently rub from the inside part of the banana peel on your teeth.
Let it dry then gently brush the excess banana off.
A banana puree makes a great hair and scalp treatment. The natural oils from the bananas mixed with yogurt and avocado will moisturize your scalp and hair.
Gently massage the mixture into your hair and scalp. Leave for half an hour and rinse out with warm water.
Bananas can be used with sugar to make a soft body sugar scrub. A sugar mix made with banana mash and cream is an easy, natural scrub and is good for your skin.
If you have indoor plants that have dull leaves, mash up the banana and apply the paste to their leaves to make them bright again. Rub any excess banana off.
Finally – banana peels can be used to buff silverware and leather surfaces in your home. Wipe away the leftover banana tar with a dry cloth.
What are the side effects of eating too many bananas?
Eating huge quantities of bananas may be unsafe to some people. Bananas are:
- People on potassium supplementation. In this situation, you should really avoid potassium-rich foods like bananas because an excess of potassium can cause your kidneys to not work properly.
- It’s not possible for your kidneys to filter excessive potassium out of blood.
- People who have a allergy type reaction to bananas. If you have itching, swelling or trouble breathing following eating bananas, you ought to probably stop.
- Some people who develop migraines have reported migraines after they eat bananas.
Storage and transport of bananas
Farmers should harvest banana bunches before they reach full maturity.
If the bananas are over-mature when they reach stores, they will be over-ripened, and direct transportation may make it worse.
Bananas should not be stored unripe and dusty in the refrigerator as the cold environment will halt growing completely.
The best place to store bananas is in a cool, dry area and a plastic bag will accelerate ripening.
Once Ripe – Place in the refrigerator to keep a few more days. Otherwise, exposing them is the best way to preserve bananas.
Conclusion
So now you know about the banana as a herb and a fruit you can dive deep into the nutritional benefits.
Next time you eat or buy a banana, think of the many advantages the little herb has to offer.
Bananas are readily accessible…so incorporate them into your daily regiment. In addition to humans, bananas make great snacks for household pets, especially dogs.
Finally, if you are a kitchen gardener, banana peels will make an excellent-natural compost. The potassium will boost your soil and therefore, your plants.