KJC Medicinal Garden

Our Collections | Medical Plants | Herbal Plants

Bettabale
Ensete superbum


Order: Zingiberales
Family: Musaceae
Genus: Ensete
Species: E. superbum
Common Names: Cliff banana, Rock banana, Wild plantain
Native to Tropical regions of Africa and Asia

Other plants of the same genus with medicinal properties

    E. glaucum
    E. maurelii
    E. gilletii
    E. homblei
    E. ventricosum
Morphology:
  • It is monocarpic, non-stoloniferous, unbranched herb
  • It reaches an average height of 3 to 4 m and has an enormous swollen base of 2.5 to 3 m circumference.
  • Inflorescence is globose at first, later drooping and elongating to one-third the length of trunk
  • Reproduction is only through seeds
  • It completes its life cycle in 3 to 3.5 years

Uses in Tradition systems of medicine

  • Used in Ayurveda
  • The pseudo-stem and seeds are used for the treatment of various human ailments like diabetes, kidney stone, leucorrhoea, measles and stomach ache.
Nutritional Properties
  • Protein (2.06g/100g)
  • Carbohydrate (10.4g/100g)
  • Fat (0.50g/100g)
  • β-carotene (0.18mg/100g)
  • Phosphorus (61mg/100g)
  • Potassium (139mg/100g)
  • Calcium (79mg/100g)
  • Magnesium (51mg/100g)
  • Zinc (1.0mg/100g)
  • Iron (10.8mg/100g)

Suggested Medicinal Properties

  • Antiurolithiatic
  • Anti-estrogenic
  • Cardiovascular activities
  • Treating appendicitis
  • Treating dog bite
  • Treating kidney stone
  • Anticancer
  • Antidiabetic
  • Treating leukoderma
  • Treating leucorrhoea
  • Treating measles
  • Treating stomach ache

Active Phytochemicals

1. Triterpenoid esters
2. Proanthocyanidin
3. Pro-pelargonidin glucosides
4. Pelargonidin
5. Anigorufone
6. Hydroxyanigorufone
7. β-carboline alkaloids and fractions such as VIDR-2T, VIDR-2GC, VIDR-2GD

References

Sethiya, Neeraj Kumar; Shekh, Mohammad Raeesh; Singh, Pawan Kumar (2019). Wild banana [Ensete superbum (Roxb.) Cheesman.]: Ethnomedicinal, phytochemical and pharmacological overview. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, doi:10.1016/j.jep.2018.12.048

Nimisha Sarah Mathew, Pradeep Singh Negi; Phenolic content and anti-oxidative attributes of various parts of wild banana (Ensete superbum Roxb. Cheesman) plant, doi: 10.1111/jfbc.13657