Bambusa arundinacea, commonly known as Vanshlochan or bamboo manna, is a natural extract derived from the inner pith of bamboo stems. This traditional Ayurvedic ingredient boasts a unique nutritional profile, particularly as a rich source of silica, which is essential for promoting healthy skin, hair, and nails. It is widely used in various herbal formulations, dietary supplements, and beauty products and is valued for its ability to enhance overall wellness and vitality.
Botanical Name: Bambusa arundinacea
Common Name: bamboo
Family: Graminae
Parts Used: Bamboo leaves, bamboo exudate, banshalochan, tabasheer
Bamboo is native to the Himalayas but is now cultivated widely throughout tropical Asia and America. It has been considered one of the fastest-growing plants on earth. Bamboo resin (tabasheer, banshalochan) is the silent secretion found in the internodes of the stems of various species of bamboo. It occurs in fragments or masses and is translucent or transparent and bluish-white in color.
Active Principles: The siliceous substance found near the joints is white, crystalline in appearance, slightly sticky to the tongue, and sweet in taste. The shoots contain active constituents such as oxalic acid, reducing sugars, resins, waxes, hydrogen cyanide (HCN), and benzoic acid. The seeds are rich in amino acids, including arginine, cysteine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, valine, and tyrosine, as well as niacin, riboflavin, and thiamine. The leaves primarily contain protein and glutelin, along with lysine, methionine, betaine, choline, proteolytic enzymes, nuclease, and urease.