Bamboo

Poor man’s timber

Rich man’s delicacy

Trivia
• Bestow upon us a hundred Bamboo clumps
(Rig Veda, 5000 BC)
• first direct reference of bamboo in literature
• Sri Krishna used bamboo flute (3228 BC)
• Titumir used fort made of Bamboo to resist
the British army for days (1831)
• Edison used Hachiman bamboo as filament
to achieve a continuous lighting for 1,200
hours (1881)
• Needle of Bell’s first phonograph was made
of bamboo (1907)
• Gandhi used bamboo as stick (Dandi, 1930)
• Bamboo emerged as first greenery at
Hiroshima & Nagasaki after atom bomb
blasts (1945)
• After a violent earthquake at Limon, Costa
Rica, only bamboo houses by National
Bamboo Project survived (1992)
• ASUS launched 12’’ laptop, made with
bamboo at Taiwan (2008)
• In Nepal, many structures built with bamboo
stood while structures made with steel, bricks
& cement collapsed during the earthquake
(Adhikary, 2015)
Foods and Health
• Chyawanprash, a health tonic prepared
from a number of herbs, including bamboo
manna after a sage named Chyawan, who
was its inventor.
• Bamboo by nature is laxative, frigid seminal
curative, palatable, bladder purifier and full
of astringent juice. It splits cough, subsides
bile and cures leprosy, flux, wounds and
swellings.
• Ancient Ayurvedic, Indo-Persian (Yunani)
and Tibetan system of Medicine recommend
bamboo and its products for treatment of
various ailments from 10,000 years.
• Bamboo shoots are boiled in water and the
soup is taken in cases of stomach ulcer.
• Tender shoots are boiled in water and the
soup is taken in cases of poxes and other skin
diseases and the paste is applied on
poisonous bites and injuries.
• Warm bamboo message relives muscle
tension, increases blood circulation, reduces
spasms and breaks up tissue adhesions.
Foods and Health
• Bamboo shoots are delicious and nutrient.
• Young shoots are rich in minerals, vitamins,
proteins, carbohydrates and amino acids with
dietary fibers; but low in fat and sugar.
• Some traditional bamboo shoots dishes:
• Braised spring bamboo shoot
• Pork with bamboo shoot
• Fish with bamboo shoot
• Naga boiled fish
• Shoot with Mushroom and Long Beans
• Bamboo shoots cutlets
• Panda Dung Tea is most expensive tea, is
fertilised by the dung of Pandas who feed
only on bamboo (Yaan, Sichuan, China)
• Bambrew, natural wine brewed in bamboo,
has excellent antitumor effect (Lia’an, China)
• Bamboo shoots contain silica (SiO2) which is
vital for bone formation, healthy skin, nails,
hairs, ligament and tendons.
• Bamboo extracts prevent ageing, microbial,
cancer, fatigue, obesity, cardiovascular etc.
Supply, Demand, Revenue
• India is 2nd richest country after China in
Bamboo resources. Bamboo grows at all
parts except Kashmir valley.
• Bamboo grows in 8.96 m ha (12.8% of
forest area)
• 28% of area and 66% of growing stock of
bamboo in North Eastern region of India.
• Tripura and Mizoram
• 15% to 20% area covered by bamboo
• Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh & Jharkhand
• 10% to 15% area covered by bamboo
• Northern Bengal, Meghalaya are rich in
Bamboo
• Bamboos Market size was valued at $61.03
Bn. in 2021 and the total revenue is expected
to grow at 5.6% to reach $94.38 Bn in 2029.
• Asia Pacific revenue share ~ 75% in 2021.
• Major demands are from North America
(~55%) and Europe (~26%).
• Bamboo shoots: a nutritious healthy
vegetable and has various medical values.