Bamboo: Spare the wood for the trees

Bamboo. A little word which evokes a thousand images in one’s mind. From luck-bearing Feng Shui plants and intricately crafted jewelry, lamps, bowls, baskets, boxes and mats to comfortable natural furniture, eco-friendly huts, and scaffoldings for construction and maintenance. In the recent times bamboo is also reminiscent of iconic forest martial art scenes from Chinese cinema and the loveable animated panda, ‘Po’ drooling over a green stem.

In a world that’s struggling to discover new means for sustainable living this simple grass or tree, whatever you like to think it is, offers a million possibilities. After all, it is the fastest growing plant on earth with more than 10,000 species across the world. 136 of these are found in India alone. Considered to be the poor man’s timber, bamboo has a special significance in India as the country uses it to burn 3 billion incense sticks for prayers, daily!

But many of us have barely scratched the surface of what the world of bamboo has to offer. So here are some out-of-the box things that you can do with bamboo.

1) House that!

According to UNESCO, 70 hectares of bamboo produces enough material to build 1000 houses. Today, over one billion people in the world live in bamboo homes. The big advantages are that they’re cheap, strong, naturally termite proof, easily renewable and are good looking too.

2) Bridge the gap

Bamboo can be widely used in connecting people and places through roads and bridges. It is being used in road reinforcements in Orissa and many isolated areas of North East India have made bamboo foot bridges. China though has taken this a step further and made bamboo bridges that are capable of supporting trucks that weigh as much as 16 tons!

3) Potent Potions

In China extracts from the black bamboo shoot are used to treat kidney diseases and bamboo roots and leaves are used to treat venereal diseases and cancer. In Indonesia, water from the bamboo culm (the side branches) is used to treat bone related diseases. In several other countries various species of bamboo are used for curing enzyme related disorders, ringworms, fever, cough, cold, indigestion, diarrhea, diabetes, etc.

4) Weaving a new tale 

Did you know that bamboo can be made into a strong and durable fabric & textiles like canvas and can also be used make all sorts of garments & rugs?

It can be blended with other fabrics, made into linen and is considered to be the most eco-friendly fabric on earth! For those of you are passionate about going green, buying a bamboo rug will ensure that you save a tree from being cut.

Bamboo fabric is breathable, anti-bacterial, naturally UV resistant, hypoallergenic, powerfully insulating, resists odor, absorbs sweat, dries easily and is more comfortable than any other fabric. It’s said that bamboo fabric retains its antibacterial properties even after 50 washings and therefore many believe it’s the ideal material for (hold your breath), nappies!

5) A thing of beauty

Since ancient times tribal communities the world over have used bamboo to make different types of jewelry like necklaces, bracelets, earrings, nose pins etc. Since it has antiseptic qualities there’s no harm done to your body.

6) Food for thought

Bamboo shoots are an integral part of the diet of several Asian countries including South East Asia, Japan and China. They are eaten in most parts of North East India too. Bamboo shoots contain several vitamins including A, B6, E, riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid and many minerals including calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium and iron. 100 grams of bamboo shoot contains just 20 calories, 3-4 gms of carbohydrates and just 2.5 grams of sugar (lower than several fruits & vegetables) and 0.49 grams of fat! Several people believe that bamboo shoots have cancer-fighting & anti-inflammatory properties.

In Japan, bamboo skin is used as natural food preservative because it prevents bacterial growth and has antioxidant properties. Little wonder then that the Japanese say that bamboo shoot is the ‘King of Forest Vegetables’.

7) Black Magic

For centuries, charcoal made from bamboo has been used as cooking fuel in China, Japan and parts of Northeast India. It has also been used to dry tea. Today Bamboo charcoal is used as a sustainable solution to purify and mineralize water, regulate moisture content in soil, as a deodorizer, as an air filter to absorb toxic chemicals  for commercial and industrial applications and in personal care products like soaps, shampoos etc and cosmetics because of its natural alkaline properties.

These are just a few small ways in which you can shoot up the green quotient in your life and have a more eco-friendly and sustainable existence. There’s plenty more – from exotic bamboo vinegar to mind-blowing musical instruments.

All you have to do is reimagine and rethink. As they say in Japan, ‘the bamboo that bends, is stronger than the oak that resists.’