Bamboozling Bamboo

We all know that Bamboo are woody evergreen grass and have amazing properties. Today we shall see some not so known facts about Bamboo:

1. Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on Earth; it has been clocked surging skyward as fast as 121 cm (47.6 inches) in a 24-hour period,and can also reach maximal growth rate exceeding one meter (39 inches) per hour for short periods of time.

2. Although some bamboos flower every year, most species flower infrequently. In fact, many bamboos only flower at intervals as long as 60 or 120 years.

3. The bamboo shoot in its fermented state (called khorisa) forms an important ingredient in the cuisine of Assam.

4. In Ayurveda, the Indian system of traditional medicine, the silicious concretion found in the culms of the bamboo stem is called banslochan. It is known as tabashir or tawashir in Unani-Tibb the Indo-Persian system of Medicine.

5. In tropical climates bamboo is used in elements of house construction, construction scaffolding, as a substitute for steel reinforcing rods in concrete construction.

6. It has also been documented that in World War II, Japanese troops tortured U.S. soldiers by removing their fingernails with bamboo.

7. Bamboo absorbs nearly 5 times the amount of greenhouse gases and produces 35% more oxygen than the same amount of trees. It is critical in the fight to end global warming. Bamboo is rain-fed only and helps to reduce soil erosion. It is a grass, so it regenerates without the need for replanting.

8. There have been several breakthroughs in the use of bamboo as an alternative fuel. In this capacity it is most widely known for charcoal. In 2008 one U.S. Company (Lorachell) in a collaborative effort with Vietnam has successfully tested bamboo use as an alternative bio mass fuel. The Bamboo is chipped and fermented producing a biogas.

9. The fiber of bamboo has been used to make paper in China since early times. A high quality hand-made paper is still produced in small quantities. Coarse bamboo paper is still used to make spirit money in many Chinese communities.

10.In the Philippine creation myth, legend tells that the first man and the first woman each emerged from split bamboo stems on an island created after the battle of the elemental forces (Sky and Ocean).

HMM.. To top it all, One of Thomas Edison's first commercially successful incandescent lamps used a filament of carbonized bamboo.

Source:Wikipedia

Mohan Rao.

Cry who will, laugh who can.
- Zen Proverb