Gabi (Taro) - Medicinal Plant
farmeric August 9th, 2009
WikiPedia defined Taro (or Gabi in the Philippines) as:
Taro (pronounced /ˈtɑroʊ/) is a tropical plant grown primarily as a vegetable food for its edible corm, and secondarily as a leaf vegetable. It is considered a staple in oceanic cultures. It is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants.[1] In its raw form the plant is toxic due to the presence of calcium oxalate,[2][3] although the toxin is destroyed by cooking[4] or can be removed by steeping taro roots in cold water overnight. Taro is closely related to Xanthosoma and Caladium, plants commonly grown as ornamentals, and like them it is sometimes loosely called elephant ear. The name “taro” is from Tahitian or other Polynesian languages; the plant is also called kalo (from Hawaiian), gabi in The Philippines, dalo in Fiji, seppankizhangu in Tamil, Arvee in Hindi and Karkalo in Nepali.
Local names: aba (Ilk.); aua (Ilk.); abalong (Bis.); amoang (Bon.); gabi (Tag.); pising (Bon.); dagmai (Bis.); kimpoi (Bis.); lagbai (Tag., Bis.); linsa (Bik.); lubigan (If.), natong (Bik.); taro (Engl.); aro (Sp.).
Gabi, or taro, is generally cultivated throughout the Philippines but is not a native of the Archipelago. It is pantropic in cultivation.
Gabi is variable in size and grows from 30 to 150 centimeters in height. The rootstock is tuberous, and up to 10 centimeters in diameter, short or elongated. The leaves Continue Reading »
- Food , Health , Herbal , Plants
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