Last Updated on March 12, 2024 by admin
Bananas are among the most widely spread, versatile, and loved fruits worldwide, but this is no ordinary banana. Healthy and delicious like its cousin, the banana flower is a nutrient-packed superfood with anti-cancer properties that are only now getting the attention it deserves. You probably want to know more about this incredible fruit.
What is a banana flower extract, and how can you consume it? Let’s explore.
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What Is a Banana Flower, Exactly?
The banana flower, also known as the banana heart and the banana blossom, comes from the Musa acuminata tree, a wild subspecies of the banana plant tree. These trees can be found all over Myanmar and India but are said to be first discovered in Malaysia.
When talking about the banana flower extract, we’re talking about the edible banana flower. This superfood is jam-packed with nutritional riches such as potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, copper, and phosphorus – just to name a few, and is a powerful remedy for your body.
Banana Flower in 3 Perspectives
Even though it can be eaten fresh, the banana flower is usually consumed as a cooking ingredient, taken as tea, or processed into a supplement. If you want to try it, here’s a little bit about how to add the banana flower to your everyday nutrition – from three different perspectives.
1. Relaxing Banana Flower Tea
If you want to brew tea from banana flowers, discard the outer petals or soak them in lemon water to mellow down their bitter flavor. Alternatively, you can buy sun-dried banana flower blossoms from herbal tea providers and follow the instructions on the packaging.
You usually need about ten pieces of banana blossoms for one cup of tea. After you place them in water, boil them for about three minutes or microwave them for two minutes, and then let them steep for a couple of minutes longer before you serve the tea or enjoy it yourself.
The banana flower is a powerful antioxidant with an incredible mineral profile, but it doesn’t contain many vitamins. If you need a variety of vitamins, we recommend moringa tea.
2. Sweet and Savory Dishes
Traditionally, the banana flower is used for cooking savory dishes in Asian-style cuisine. For example, the Sinhalese people from the island of Sri Lanka use it to make keselmuwa (curry), vazhaipoo (stir-fry), and similar dishes. These flowers also make excellent additions to salads and soups.
If you want to cook a banana flower, peel it first. Even though the entire flower is edible, the petals should still be removed because their sap becomes bitter when thermally processed. You will discover deliciously sweet florets and the banana heart as you peel off the petals.
Since it is bitter, the outer petals of the banana flower are often used for decorating or serving dishes made with the banana flower core and its surrounding florets, which are very sweet.
3. Banana Flower Supplement
Banana flower supplements are an excellent option for people in a hurry. If you need a nutritional boost but don’t have enough free time to commit to healthy cooking, you can enrich your diet with nutritious supplements. Banana flower extract is an excellent source of protein, as well.
Remember that no dietary supplement, no matter how nutrient-rich, is a replacement for a healthy and balanced diet. No matter how busy you get, take the time to care for your body.
Banana Flower Extract Benefits
Earlier, we mentioned that banana flowers are considered a superfood. That means that each banana floret contains a nutritional profile that can improve the overall health of your organism, protect it from diseases, and potentially cure conditions such as benign prostatic hyperplasia.
One hundred grams (100g) of banana flowers include:
- Calories: 23 kcal;
- Carbs: 4 grams;
- Fat: 0 grams;
- Protein: 1.5 grams;
- Fiber: 3 grams.
Here’s what to expect in terms of minerals and vitamins:
- Potassium: 553.3mg;
- Phosphorous: 73.3mg;
- Iron: 56.4mg;
- Calcium: 56mg;
- Magnesium: 48.7mg;
- Copper: 13mg;
- Vitamin E: 1.07mg.
The banana flower extract has a host of potential health benefits, especially in connection with the flower’s mineral-rich, antioxidant, and fiber-dense nutritional profile:
- Improves gut microbe and digestive health;
- May suppress an enlarged prostate gland;
- Lowers cholesterol and blood sugar levels;
- Alleviates joint discomfort and bone loss;
- Lighten problems with hyperpigmentation.
While the world is still waiting for medical research to pick up the pace with alternative medicine, the anecdotal evidence of the health benefits of banana flower extract is growing by the minute. However, you should remember that nothing is certain yet.
So far, we know that banana flowers are safe and healthy to eat – fresh and processed – and that they can be enjoyed by anyone who doesn’t have a banana allergy.
Conclusion
The banana flower extract is a wild banana species that is widely underestimated and understudied. It is one of the most remarkable edible flowers on Earth that does not only offer a potent nutritional profile and fantastic health benefits but also a sweet and delicious flavor.
Our nutrition is one of the most critical aspects of our life. Eating healthy and drinking fluids will boost our immune system and stay fit.
