An
expert has made a shocking revelation which might interest many people
after revealing that plantain cures ulcers, diabetes and s*xual
dysfunctions.
file photo
Grown throughout the tropical regions of the world, the plantain is
a close relative of the banana, making important contributor to the
economy of many countries. The nutritional value of unripe plantain
makes it stand out as a very important addition to any healthy living
diet plan due to its nutrient content.
Practitioners of traditional medicine have long prized the starchy
fruit for its medicinal properties, which reputedly include an ability
to cure ulcer. It is used in herbal medicine to treat sluggish bowels,
to heal wounds, to fight skin infections, to reduce phlegm, to soothe
urinary tract infections, and to ease dry coughs.
Most ulcers are not caused directly by stress but by the bacterium
Helicobacter pylori, which is why ulcers today are often treated with
antibiotics along with an acid suppressor. Studies on rats with ulcers
caused by daily aspirin use have shown that unripe green plantain can
both prevent the formation of ulcers and help to heal them. The agent
believed to be responsible for plantain’s curative effects was tested it
in rats.
Scientists reason that the starch in plantain’s unripe form helps
to decrease acidity and reduce irritation. It stimulates the cells on
the lining of the stomach to produce mucus that is thicker, which guards
against acid aside its elimination of stomach bacteria that has been
pointed as the main cause of ulcers.
Moreover, in a review that appeared in a 2002 issue of the “Indian Journal of Pharmacology,”
two researchers that chronicled more than 30 years of research into the
curative properties of dried powder of unripe plantain also conclude
that the plantain powder is a potent herbal remedy for the treatment of
peptic ulcer disease.
Medical research confirms that the plantain is also good for many
of life’s ailments including diabetes. Unripe plantain has the potential
of lowering blood sugar, according to a study, titled “Hypoglycemic effect of methanolic extract of Musa paradisiaca (Musaceae) green fruits in normal and diabetic mice”. It was published in Experimental Clinical Pharmacology by J. A. Ojewole and C. O. Adewunmi.
Although this group of researchers do not know the precise
mechanism of the hypoglycemic (blood sugar-lowering) action of unripe
plantain, they suggested that it could be due, at least in part, to
stimulation of insulin production and subsequent glucose utilisation.
Nevertheless, the findings of this experimental animal study
indicate that unripe plaintain possesses hypoglycemic activity lends
credence to its folkloric use in the management and/or control of
adult-onset, type-2 diabetic mellitus among the Yoruba-speaking people
of South-Western Nigeria.
In addition, diabetic patients are more prone developing stomach
ulcers because they are at risk to acquire H. Pylori infection due to
their blood glucose concentration levels. Unfortunately, the high blood
sugar also contributes to a delay in the healing of this ulcer.
But Indian researchers, looking into the benefit of unripe plantain
in diabetic animals that also had ulcer, indicated that it could be
more effective in diabetes with concurrent gastric ulcer.
The 2013 study published in the BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine was entitled “Healing
effects of Musa sapientum var. paradisiaca in diabetic rats with
co-occurring gastric ulcer: cytokines and growth factor by PCR
amplification.”
In the studied animals, they said the extract of the unripe
plantain promoted ulcer healing because of its effects on the lining of
the intestine by stimulating cells on the lining of the stomach to
produce mucus that is thicker, thus given the ulcers time to heal. It
also reduced the free radicals that were generated.
They wrote: “extract of Musa sapientum fruit (MSE) showed
antidiabetic and better ulcer healing effects compared with OMZ
(Omeprazole an antiulcer); or INS (insulin) in diabetic rat and could be
more effective in diabetes with concurrent gastric ulcer.
"They reasoned that the presence of many chemical substances
like flavonoids, saponins, glycosides and alkaloids in unripe plantain
probably contribute to ensuring healing of chronic diabetic gastric
ulcer, concluding that “unripe plantain could be a better choice in
diabetes with concurrent peptic ulcer”.
Previously, a meal of unripe plantain with local spices like
cloves, onions, garlic and ginger has been purported as the answer also
to erectile dysfunction, low sperm count, kidney problems and high blood
pressure.
How is it used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction or low
sperm count? Reverend Fr. Anslem Adodo, Director, Pax Herbal Clinic and
Research Centre Ewu, Edo State, who was of the opinion that roasted
plantain is good for men, suggested that men should make it a habit of
eating one or two roasted plantain daily.
Reverend Fr. Anslem Adodo added: “Take more plantain or unripe
bananas. They help to rejuvenate the sexual organ with high level of
potassium. Include garlic in every meal. Garlic is generally a good anti
oxidant and a good remedy for impotence in particular. Include ginger
in every meal too. Ginger has healing properties to treat erectile
dysfunction."
- Written by Sade Oguntola
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
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