Scientific names Common names

Arum esculentum Linn. Aba (ilk.)

Arum colocasia Linn. Aua (ilk.)
Colocasia esculenta (Linn.) Schott & Endl. Abalong (Bis.)
Colocasia esculentum Linn. Amoang (Bon.)
Colocasia antiquorum Schott Gabi (Tag.)
Calla gaby Blanco Pising (Bon.)
Caladium esculentum Vent. Dagmai (Bis.)
Coladium colocasia W. F. Wight. Kimpoi (Bis.)
Coladium violaceum Desf. Lagbai (Tag.)
Yu (Chin.) Abalong (Bis., Tag.)
Linsa (Bik.)
Lubingan (If.)
Natong (Bik.)
Elephant's ear (Engl.)
Taro (Engl.)
Taro potato (Engl.)

Other vernacular names

AFRIKAANS: Amadoembie.
CHINESE: Lao hu guang cai, Dong nan cai, Hong tu yu, Yu tou hua, Yu tou, Tai yu, Guang
cai.
FRENCH: Colocasie.
GERMAN: Kolokasie, Yamswurzel..
HAWAIIAN: Kalo.
INDIAN: Alu, Dasheen.
JAPANESE: Sato imo.
KOREAN: T'a ro t'o ran.
MALAY: Aaa
HAWAIIAN: Kalo.
MALAY: Daun keladi, Talas (Indonesia).
SPANISH: Aro.
THAI: Bai bon, Bon, Bon chin dam, Bon nam, Phuak (Phueak), Pheuak.
VIETNAMESE: Khoai môn, Khoai nước.
ZULU: Amadumbe.
Botany
Gabi is a long-stalked herbaceous plant with huge leaves, growing to a height
of 30 to 150 centimeters. Rootstock is tuberous, up to 10 centimeters in
diameter. Leaves, in groups of two or three, are long-petioled, ovate, 20 to 50
centimeters long, glaucous, with entire margins, with a broad, triangular, basal
sinus extending one- third or halfway to the insertion of the petiole, with broad
and rounded basal lobes. Petioles are green or purplish, 0.2 to 1 meter long.
Peduncles are usually solitary. Spathe is variable in length, usually about 20
centimeters long, the tubular part green, usually about 4 centimeters long,
with the lanceolate, involute yellow limb about 20 centimeters long. Spadix is
cylindric, half as long as the spathe, green below and yellowish above; male
and female inflorescences are each 2.5 to 5 centimeters long, separated by
intervals and covered with flat, oblong neuters.
Distribution
- Generally cultivated throughout the Philippines but is not a native of the
Archipelago.
- in cultivated soil, nearby swamps or water.
- Pantropic cultivation.
Constituents
- Plant has yielded flavonoids, ß-sitosterol, and steroids.
- An ethanol extract showed alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, and tannins as
major constituents.
- Good source of calcium, phosphorus, and iron.
- Young leaves are rich in vitamin C, roots are rich in starch.
- Tubers yield amino acids.
- Corms yield anthocyanins perlargonidin, 3-glucoside, cyaniding 3-
rhamnoside and cyaniding 3-glucoside.
- Ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions of leaves yielded 10 compounds,
namely (1), orientin (2), isoorientin (3), vitexin (4), isovitexin (5), luteolin-7-O-
glucoside (6), luteolin-7-O-rutinoside (7), rosmarinic acid (8), 1-O-feruloyl-D-
glucoside (9) and 1-O-caffeoyl-D-glucoside (10). (see study below) (18)

Properties
- Leaves and petioles are excellent to taste, also rich in minerals.
- Leaf juice considered expectorant, astringent, styptic, stimulant, rubifacient.
- Juice of corm is considered laxative, demulcent and anodyne.
- Tubers are digestive, laxative, diuretic, lactagogue, and styptic.
- Pressed juice of petioles are styptic.
- Acridity of leaves, petioles and tubers is due to raphides which easily
disappear on boiling or cooking. These crystals may cause irritation.
- Studies have suggested analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer,
hypolipidemic properties.

Parts utilized
Roots and leaves.

Uses
Culinary / Nutrition
- Prized for its large corms or underground stems, used as staple food in
many localities.
- Fresh edible leaves and petioles are a rich source of protein, ascorbic acid,
dietary fiber, and some important minerals.
- The corms, petioles and leaf blades are good sources of vitamin B.
- To the early Hawaiians, grown mainly for poi production.
- Its easy digestibility makes it a great nutritional supplement for weight gain
needs in cancer-cachexia, AIDS, pancreatitis and a miscellany of weight-loss
conditions.
Folkloric
- Used for asthma, arthritis, diarrhea, internal hemorrhage, skin disorders.
- Juice of petioles sometimes used for earache and otorrhea.
- Juice of the corm used in alopecia.
- Leaf juice also used for internal hemorrhages, otalgia, adenitis.
- Internally, a good laxative. Also, used for piles.
- Also, used as antidote for wasp and insect stings. Leaf juice applied to
scorpion stings and snake bites.
- Heated tubers are applied locally to painful rheumatic joints.
- Ash of the tubers, mixed with honey, is used for buccal aphthous stomatitis.
- Raw juice of gabi, mixed with sugar, used as febrifuge.
- In Hawaii, end of petioles used to stop wounds from bleeding.
- Stem leaf used on insect bites to prevent swelling and pain.
- In India, leaves used as anthelmintic.
- Borl tribal people of Goalpara district, Assam, use the leaf juice for boils and
pains.
- Poultice of roots used on infected sores.
- In Ayurveda, plant pacifies vitiated vata and pitta, constipation, stomatitis,
alopecia, hemorrhoids, and debility.
- Juice consumed to reduce fever.
- In Venezuela, the corm is used as an abortifacient and to treat tuberculosis,
pulmonary congestion, crippled extremities, fungal abscesses in animals and
as an anthelminthic. The Warao use the stem sap for wasp stings. Poi, a
ferment from corm shavings, is used bo bathing the sickly to improve muscle
tone.
Studies
• Lactobacillus / The Medicinal Uses of Poi – The possibility of poi being a
probiotic in medical nutrition therapy was raised. Investigation has determined
that the predominant bacteria in poi are Lactobacillus lactis (95%) and
Lactobacilli (5%), containing more lactobacilli per gram than yogurt. It was
also considered for use in infants with allergies and failure-to-thrive. This
review suggests a need to confirm these results. (3)
• Anti-Colon Cancer: The anti-cancer effects of poi (Colocasia esculenta) on
colonic adenocarcinoma cells in vitro: The study results suggest that poi may
have a novel tumor specific anti-cancer activities and suggests further animal
studies and human clinical trials. (4)
• Anti-inflammatory: An ethanol extract study of the leaves of Colocasia
esculenta in wistar rats showed significant anti-inflammatory activity with
inhibition of carrageenan induced rat paw edema and leukocyte migration and
reduction of pleural exudates. (5)
• Antioxidant / Flavonoid Glycosides: Study isolated 6 C-glycosylflavonoids
and one O-glycosylflavonoid from the shoot system of Taumu (CE) identified
as schaftoside, isoschaftoside, orientin, isovitexin, isoorientin, vitexin and
luteolin 7-O-sophoroside. Some of the compounds showed strong antioxidant
activity. Study results suggest the potential of the leaf of Colocasia esculenta
as a source of dietary antioxidant. (6)
• Antihepatotoxicity: Study evaluated the antihepatotoxic and
hepatoprotective activity of C. esculenta against two well known hepatotoxins-
-paracetamol and CCl4. Results showed the leaf juice to possess
antihepatotoxic and hepatoprotective efficacy in vitro using rat liver slice
method. (9)
• Anti-Diabetic: Study of an ethanol extract of leaves for antidiabetic activity
in alloxan-induced diabetic rats showed antihyperglycemic activity.
Phytochemical screening yielded alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, and tannins
as major constituents in the extract. (10)
• Antimicrobial / Anti-Vibrio spp / Aquaculture: Study evaluated the
antimicrobial property of C. esculenta against 5 strains of Vibrio spp. Resistant
pathogenic bacteria has posed a problem in the aquaculture industry. Results
showed only the leaf aqueous extract showed antimicrobial activity against all
tested bacterial strains (Vibrio alginolyticus, V. cholera, V. harveyi, V.
parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus). (11)
• Antioxidative / Response to Arsenic Stress: Study showed an increase in
antioxidant stress enzyme activities in response to arsenic exposure may be
taken as evidence for an enhanced detoxification capacity of C. esculentum
towards reactive oxygen species that might be generated in the stressed
plants. (12)
• Antihelmintic: Study evaluated aqueous and ethanolic extracts of leaf for
antihelmintic activity against earthworm. Piperazine citrate was used as
standard drug reference. Results showed significant anthelmintic activity at
highest concentration, 50 mg/ml extract. (14)
• Anti-Lipid Peroxidative Activity in CCl4 and Acetaminophen Mediated
Damage: Study using a rat liver slice method showed C. esculenta whole leaf
juice prevented lipid peroxidative reactions caused by free radicals generated
by the hepatotoxins (CCl4 and acetaminophen). Results showed the whole
leaf contains free radical scavenging efficacy. (15)
• Antimicrobial / Antioxidant / Anti-Cancer: Study evaluated extracts of
different plant parts--corm, stem, and leaf-- for antimicrobial, antioxidant, and
anti-cancer activities. Study showed antimicrobial activity against against
Aeromonas hydrophila, Escherichia coli, Edwardsiella tarda, Flavobacterium
sp., Klebsiella sp., Salmonella sp., Vibrio alginolyticus, V. parahaemolyticus,
V. cholerae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antioxidant activity was revealed
using a DPPH radical scavenging assay. Anticancer activity was done with
Colorimetric MTT assay against human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7). (16)
• Poi / Probiotic Potential: Poi is the pasty starch made from cooked,
mashed corm of the taro plant. Study has hypothesized that poi has potential
use as probiotic. No scientific studies have explored the potential of poi as a
probiotic in medical nutrition therapy. An investigator reports the predominant
bacteria in poi are Lactococcus lactis (95%) and Lactobacilli (5%), both lactic-
acid producing bacteria. Also, poi contains more bacteria per gram than
yogurt. A literature search produced documented evidence that poi shows
promised for use in infants with allergies or failure-to-thrive. Study suggests
further research for poi as potential probiotic. (17)
• Aldose Reductase Inhibition / Anti-Diabetic: Ethyl acetate and n-butanol
fractions of leaves yielded 10 compounds. Orientin (2) and isoorientin (3)
significantly inhibited rat lens aldose reductase. Results suggest flavonoid
derivatives from C. esculenta possess compounds with the potential for
prevention and/or treatment of diabetic complications. (18)
• Antibacterial: Ethyl acetate extract of leaves showed the highest activity
against pathogenic bacterial strains tested and recommends potential use for
treatment of typhoid, pneumonia, otitis, urinary tract infections and diarrheic
infections. (19)
• Antimetastatic Effect / Immunostimulation: Study extracted a crude
polysaccharide from the Taro. The purified active compound, Taro-4-I
activated the complement system through classical and alternative pathways.
Taro-4-I significantly increased production of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis
factor. Administration of taro-4-I also significantly inhibited the lung
metastases of B16BL6 melanoma cells. (20)
• Antibacterial / Antifungal: Aqueous extract of leaves was tested for in-vitro
antimicrobial activity against gram positive bacterial strains (Streptococcus
mutans, B. subtilis), gram negative bacterial strains (K. pneumonia,
Pseudomonas fragi, E. coli) and fungal strains (Aspergillus niger and C.
albicans). The extract showed good antimicrobial activity against some of the
tested bacteria and fungus, with maximum activity against Streptococcus
mutans. (21)
• Anti-Compulsive Activity: Study evaluated the anti-obsessive-compulsive
disorder activity of hydroalcoholic extract of leaves using marble-burying
behavior test in mice. Results showed anti-compulsive activity comparable to
reference drug fluoxetine. Both HECE and fluoxetine do not produce overt
motor dysfunction. (22)

Availability
Cultivated.
Wild-crafted.