MONOCOTYLEDONS. 



MUSACE^. 



Banana Family. 



Musa paradisiaca, L. 



M. sapientum, L. 



NOM. VULG. Pldtano, Sp.; Sotgig, Tag., etc.; Banana, 

 Eng. 



USES. The fruit produced by the various varieties of the 

 banana plant constitutes one of the most wholesome and de- 

 licious of foods, appreciated by natives and Europeans alike. 

 According to Boussingaul its nutritive value is greater than 

 that of the potato and it may be used constantly without ill 

 effects. Bananas contain a large percentage of sugar and mu- 

 cilage. In India they dry them in the sun, as figs and grapes 

 are treated in other countries and thus preserve them for long 

 voyages by sea or land; eaten in conjunction with animal food 

 they are a strong preventive of scurvy. If eaten when thor- 

 oughly ripe they have a laxative effect. 



The young and tender leaves are used in the Philippines as 

 a protective dressing for ulcers, dermatitis, burns and can- 

 tharidal or other artificial blisters. Before applying to the af- 

 fected surface the leaf is heated to make it more flexible and 

 coated with a thin layer of cocoanut oil or other fatty substance. 



In the dispensaries of India they also use the leaves in this 

 way, thus protecting and at the same time maintaining the 

 moisture of the part. Dr. Waring recommends the practice 

 and Dr. Van Someren follows it in the application of water 

 dressings, having substituted banana leaves for gutta-percha. 



