**4.5. Bamboo medicinal products**

Bamboo plant is considered medicinal. It has been found to have a high level of acetylcholine, which acts as a neurotransmitter in animals and humans [98]. Culms of many bamboo species secret siliceous materials, which can be used for medicine. This siliceous material is used as a cooling tonic and aphrodisiac, as a remedy for asthma and coughs [98] and other debilitating diseases. Medicine made from the leaves of *Pleioblastus amarus* is used for treating fever, fidgeting and lungs inflammation [98]. Stems and leaves of *Bambusa bambos* are used in traditional Indian medicine as a blood purifier, in the treatment of leucoderma and inflammatory conditions. It is also given internally for treatment of bronchitis, gonorrhoea and fever. The burnt roots of this species are used to treat ringworm, bleed gums and painful joints. The bark is a cure for eruptions [99]. The leaf bud of *B. spinosa* is used in leprosy, fever and haemoptysis. The sap of *B. vulgaris* is given as a remedy for phthisis in the Philippines [100]. Extractives from various parts of the bamboo plant have been used for hair and skin ointment, medicine for asthma, eyewash, potions for lovers and poison for rivals. Bamboo shoot is one vegetable that is free in pollution, low in fat and high in edible fibre and rich in mineral. It functions well in removing sputum, enhancing digestion, relieving toxicity, improving dieresis and it is frequently used for healing swollen tissues or oedema and abdominal disease in which watery fluids collect in cavities or body tissues [76]. The shoot also contains saccharine, which can resist little mouse tumour and has anti-ageing elements [20, 80].
