Ethnobotany and Traditional Knowledge of Bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) in Asia and Their Applications in the Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Review

Early plants started colonizing the ground about 450 million years ago and have taken advantage of their versatile metabolism to produce various natural medicinal products.1 One common strategy used to identify new drugs is by exploring folk herbal extracts.2 The earliest scientific documentation of potential medicinal use of bamboo was published in the early 1960s,3 followed by a series of studies conducted by Shibata et al. in the 1970s.4-8 Bamboo, as a biomedical research topic, was relatively silent during the 1980s and 1990s, but research interest has increased worldwide since the beginning of this century.9 Thus, bamboo plants play a significant role in traditional Asian medicine over six decades ago.


INTRODUCTION
Early plants started colonizing the ground about 450 million years ago and have taken advantage of their versatile metabolism to produce various natural medicinal products. 1 One common strategy used to identify new drugs is by exploring folk herbal extracts. 2 The earliest scientific documentation of potential medicinal use of bamboo was published in the early 1960s, 3 followed by a series of studies conducted by Shibata et al. in the 1970s. 4-8 Bamboo, as a biomedical research topic, was relatively silent during the 1980s and 1990s, but research interest has increased worldwide since the beginning of this century. 9 Thus, bamboo plants play a significant role in traditional Asian medicine over six decades ago.
The family Poaceae (grasses), known as bamboo (or Bambu, a vernacular word of unknown Oriental origin), includes 12 subfamilies, the largest of which is the Bambusoideae, which includes 119 genera and approximately 1482 species. These species are further divided into three tribes: Bambuseae (tropical woody bamboos with 66 genera and 812 species), Arundinarieae (temperate woody bamboos with 31 genera and 546 species), and Olyreae (herbaceous bamboos with 12 genera and 124 species). 10- 12 The molecular phylogenetic results support the recognition of three tribes within the Bambusoideae. 11,13 These grasses have woody culm with leaves adjusted to support and protect the tender young shoots, an outer ligule (contraligule) on the foliage leaves, gregarious monocarpy (ranging from a few years to 120 years for the flowering cycle), complex vegetative branching, and have bisexual flowers. [14][15][16] Herbaceous bamboos typically lack differentiated outer ligules and culm leaves, unisexual spikelets, and have confined vegetative branching. 14,16 Excluding the New Guinea endemic Buergersiochloa, all Olyreae have crenate (olyroid) silica bodies. [17][18][19] According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 20 Asia contributes to the world's largest source of bamboo resources. However, there is no comprehensive and up-to-date checklist of plants, particularly the medicinal plants of Asian regions. Notably, Asia and Pacific regions account for about 80% of bamboo forests and species available worldwide. 21 Within its temperate and tropical climates, Asia has many advantages for bamboo cultivation, accounting for more than 900 species in 40-50 genera. Many Asian countries such as China, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Myanmar are rich in bamboo resources. 22 As a result, this review article focuses on the ethnobotanical and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants in the Bambusoideae specifically used by indigenous people and native communities in Asian regions. The medicinal plants, together with their uses, are reviewed accordingly throughout this article. Likewise, the applications of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are also addressed.
supported livelihoods throughout history. These factors make bamboo a reliable resource for meeting the needs of an increasing population, market, and development. [23][24] Thus, it has been so intricately related to the livelihood of Asia people, representing the bamboo civilization on the continent. 25 These grasses are found throughout Africa, Latin America, and Asia, but their origins can be traced back to Southeast Asia. Bamboo's geographical distribution is generally determined by climates. 26 It is widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical zones approximately between 46° N and 47° S latitude, reaching elevations as high as 4000 m in the Himalayas and parts of China as it adapts easily to a variety of climatic and soil conditions. [27][28] Bamboo thrives in temperatures ranging from 8.8 to 36°C, 29 but some species can still grow in colder climates with temperatures as low as -20°C. 30 Bamboo grows best in areas with high rainfall, ranging from 1270 mm to 6350 mm or more, 31-32 thus highlighting the significant impact of rainfall on the distribution and growth of these species.
As shown in Figure 1, the Asian-Pacific Region (I), the American Region (II), and Africa (III) are the main producing areas of bamboo. Around 80% of the world's bamboo forest is located in the Asian-Pacific regions, 21 whereas India and China account for approximately 70% of Asia's bamboo forests. 22 Along with a recent report, Asia is the world's largest source of bamboo resources. 20 China has the most bamboo species (626 species), 33 followed by India, which has 115 species. 34 Surprisingly, about 25% of all bamboo species were discovered in India, particularly in the biodiversity hotspot regions like northeast India and western Ghats. [35][36] Bamboo fossil records in Asia suggest that bamboo was most likely dispersed from India following the collision of the Eurasian Plate with the Indian Plate. Nevertheless, more fossil records from Asia are required to validate this dispersal route because another from Europe cannot be ruled out. 37 More than two million tonnes of bamboo shoots are consumed in Asia annually. Since ancient times, bamboo products have been consumed either as fresh, dried, canned, boiled, fermented, or as medicine. These practices are common in many Asian countries, including Bhutan, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, and northeast India. 12,[38][39][40] Both fresh and fermented bamboo shoots are crucial sources of income for rural communities because they are high in fat, carbohydrates, protein, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, coenzymes, reducing and non-reducing sugars, and lactic acid (if fermented). [41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49] Thus, they have been widely used as a source of nutraceutical products. For instance, underground shoots of bamboo are cooked as a vegetable soup ingredient called laswa in the Philippines. 50 Bamboo salts (jookyeom) are roasted with regular salt, yellow clay, and bamboo culms in Korean folk medicine to treat chronic diseases. [51][52][53] Tender shoots of a few species are consumed in India as pickles, vegetables, and curries. 43,48,54 In most bamboo-growing countries, clean young bamboo leaves are dried, roasted, and consumed as tea. It is considered a tasty and healthy beverage. 40

ETHNOBOTANY AND TRADITIONAL KNOWL-EDGE OF BAMBOOS IN ASIA
In 1896, American botanist John Harshberger coined the term ethnobotany, which refers to "the study of plants used by humans". 55 Ethnobotany is a branch of botany that focuses on products derived from natural sources such as food, coloring agents, fiber plants, fertilizers, building materials, dyes, tan, taboos, avoidance, magico-religious beliefs about plants, and other functional and harmful plants. [56][57][58] In other words, ethnobotany is the study of how people in specific regions and cultures use indigenous plants. 59 It is now widely acknowledged that ethnobotany is closely tied with the natural and traditional relationship between plants and humans in a dynamic ecosystem. Ethnic people have a strong belief in native folklore medicine as part of the system and rely heavily on plants for almost all of their daily needs and requirements.
Traditional medicine is a collection of empirical practices that are inextricably associated with the religious practices and beliefs of indigenous cultures. Traditional medicine relies heavily on medicinal plant knowledge. According to the World Health Organization, roughly 80% of the world's population (six billion people) depends primarily on traditional medicines. 60 In addition, anthropological research has been extensively conducted. [61][62] However, traditional medicine is widely used in modern society despite the archaeological record's remarkable lack of visibility of such medicine. This review article discusses the ethnobotanical parts and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants from the Bambusoideae used by indigenous people and native communities in Asian countries. Based on Table 1, the medicinal properties of bamboo plants and their applications are discussed throughout this article.

APPLICATION OF BAMBOOS IN THE COMPLE-MENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
For Millennia, Bamboos have been utilized in traditional Asian medicine, particularly in China and India. [115][116] In folk medicine, all parts of this plant are used. Cough, fever, leprosy, hypertension, lung inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, arteriosclerosis, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis are all treated with the leaves. 115,[117][118] In addition to being a food source, primarily in Asian countries, bamboo shoots are used to cure and prevent cancer and cardiovascular complications,   improve digestion, and treat jaundice. [119][120] They are also used to treat epilepsy, dysentery, diabetes, respiratory problems, bacterial infections, nervous system disorders, skin ulcers, and as a diuretic. 24,117 Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is described as "healthcare and medical practices that are not currently an integral part of conventional medicine". 121 Herbal drugs, traditional medicines, meditation, and religious ceremonies are cases of such practices. More than 40% of western populations practice CAM for a variety of health conditions. 122 Interestingly, Bambusa sp. stem was discovered to be used as a CAM by diabetes mellitus patients. 123 Due to its connection with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the findings of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) in treating diabetes mellitus are also being further investigated. 124 As a result, Asian bamboo species are widely used for medicinal purposes, implying that they could be a CAM in the future due to the uniqueness of their ethnobotany connections. Some lists of bamboo products or parts that were used as CAM are presented in Table 2.

Constituents Health benefits Ayurveda, Tibetan, and Unani Traditional Medicines
Tabasheer Siliceous secretion is often called bamboo silica or bamboo-manna found in the hollow internodes of various species of bamboos. It may be transparent, translucent, chalky, or mainly composed of silicic acid (up to 96.9%) with organic matter above 1%.

Sitopaladi Churna
Powder made with tabasheer as the main ingredient, plus small amounts of long pepper, cardamom, and cinnamon in the base of sugar.
A popular remedy for common colds, coughs, sinus congestion, sore throats, tuberculosis, and other lung diseases.
Phlegm mist obstructing the orifices yields symptoms of blurred vision, insomnia, and restlessness.   125