Bananas, Sweet, astringent, Cooling increase Mucus and in excess Bile, Bananas are a holy food and are very popular in India as prasad (consecrated food). They are useful in cases of dysentery, diarrhea, chronic indigestion, and in general for people suffering from weak digestive fire. As a fruit they are a great tonic and provide the system with large amounts of nutrients.
Ripe bananas are popular everywhere. Size and shape differ depending on where they are grown. The ones with a golden yellow skin and brown spots are among the best lasting.
According to Ayurvedic texts, bananas are tasty, appetizing, and fibrous They are a flesh-building foul and quench the thirst. They are good for diseases caused by excess Wind (Vata), in excess they aggravate Bile (Pitta) and Mucus (Kapha) because the long-term effect of bananas is sour. Being sweet in taste, they increase the amount of semen, and thus, increase vitality and vinlity. Bananas cure all kinds of weaknesses, and they especially help cure diabetes and spermatorrhea.
Slightly constipating when taken in small quantities, bananas remove and cure constipation if used properly and regularly. One large banana, or two or three small bananas eaten one after the other, will remove constipation. Bananas solidify stools and may be given to children from the age of two months. Infants and grandparents without teeth can take bananas mashed or liquefied. Ripe bananas digest easily, providing one does not eat too few. Regular eating of bananas, oranges, and apples- depending on your constitution-keeps the system healthy (Apples, for example, aggravate Vatas but are good for Pittas).
For thin, bony people, bananas are an ideal food. Thin people should eat two bananas a day after food regularly for a few months. This will help them gain weight without getting fat and will help them look more beautiful. For those who urinate often, bananas are a very good remedy. In general, they help reduce disease. Bananas help make people who have exhausted themselves by sexual overindulgence strong again.
For dry coughs and whooping cough, a drink made from bananas can work like an expectorant and help break up the cough.
Bananas are best eaten after other foods so they can aid in digestion. They contain plenty of calories, vitamins A, C, D, and E, and many mineral salts. Bananas contain 75 percent water, a number of carbohydrates, a small amount of protein, and very little fat. Bananas also contain B vitamins, and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, copper, sulfur, and potassium.
Flour can be made from dried banana flakes (available in health food stores). Pancakes made from this flour are delicious and satisfying. Banana flour is more nutritious than any cereal flour. Ripe bananas with milk, nuts, and seeds, or bananas in muesli make a good breakfast treat. They are highly alkaline and help maintain the alkaline reserve in the body. Bananas are an ideal food for gastric ulcers, gastritis, and ulcerative colitis.
Placing banana skins over an area with muscular pain or on an area of pain due to scratching prevents swelling and provides relief. If, by chance, one eats more than a reasonable number of bananas and experiences indigestion, the seeds of one black (or red) cardamom pod should be chewed slowly and swallowed to aid in digestion.