BAMBOO could very well be considered as among the most amazing plants, but in reality, it is just a type of grass.
It is also among the fastest-growing plants in the world, and is claimed to be the most versatile.
It is so versatile that an international research group says that bamboo has as many as thousands of documented uses.
For most of us, bamboo is only as a source of culms for constructing native houses, for making furniture, fences, baskets, and even used as barbecue and banana-que sticks, and of course, as poles for dancing the “tinikling.”
It can be noted that even the leaves of bamboo have several uses.
This came out from recent studies conducted by the Forest Products Research and Development Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-FPRDI) which will perhaps make bamboo leaves more popular in the Philippines.
The research project shows that the leaves of the bamboo species “kauayan-tinik” (Bambusa blumeana J.A. & J.H. Schultes) are a promising source of antioxidants and antimicrobials, and thus, possible raw materials for medicines and nutritional supplements.
Their antioxidant potential is very high – similar to that of ascorbic acid which is the standard.
The DOST-FPRDI project studied leaf extracts from five types of bamboos found in the country.
It was learned that the leaves were harvested during the dry season and extracted using water and ethanol.
According to researcher Rebecca B. Lapuz, among the five species, kauayan-tinik was the most promising.
Kauayan-tinik leaves extracted with water had the highest antioxidant level compared with bolo, giant bamboo, kauayan-kiling and buho, aside from showing antimicrobial action against the two bacteria species studied.
Given these promising results, and considering the abundance of bamboo in the Philippines as well as the giant market for health and wellness products locally, we are looking forward to conduct further research on the leaves of kauayan-tinik as well as leaves of other Philippine bamboos, said Lapuz.
In recent years, bamboo leaf extracts have received a lot of research attention especially in China due to their reported health benefits.
On the other hand, responding to the need for more personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the DOST-FPRDI was able to produce bamboo-framed face shields for distribution to frontline services in the province of Laguna.
“Our team had to improvise with the materials at hand because the enhanced community quarantine made it challenging to procure supplies,” says DOST-FPRDI Director Romulo T. Aggangan.
The frames of the face shields were made from bamboo (kauayan-tinik), the perennial, woody-stemmed grass known for its versatile uses.
Bamboo grows very well locally and is a favored raw material for handicraft and furniture production.
“The DOST-FPRDI is one with the science community in finding ways to protect our frontliners and the public from COVID-19. Currently, we are exploring other possible uses of forest products to help combat this global pandemic. The use of R&D and scientific facts is all the more needed to cope in these challenging times,” he added. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
