1. BANANAS and their Medicinal Properties
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the
throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the
river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the
leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:1-2 NIV
Banana is said to have been first cultivated in India.
Of the soft fruits, banana is only second to strawberries when it comes to overall mineral
content.
Unripe bananas are hard to digest and should not be eaten.
Bananas contain three natural sugars (sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber). A
banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just
two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout.
Banana has high potassium content. Potassium benefits the heart and the muscles of the body by
working in balance with sodium to:
Stimulate and regulate heart-beat,
Eliminate oedema,
Tighten the collagen in the skin so that the skin looks healthier and smoother,
Maintain body weight,
Relieve muscle cramps, and
Control blood pressure.
Eating ripe bananas regularly may therefore help in preventing cardiovascular diseases.
Bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, that
helps us to relax and feel happy. Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all
the time!
Bananas are rich in iron and can stimulate the production of hemoglobin, and so help in
cases of anemia.
Banana is high in fiber. It is even shaped like a well-formed stool to give us the
architectural code that it may help to restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome
constipation without resorting to laxatives.
Very ripe Banana has a natural antacid effect in the GI tract for those suffering from
heartburn or gastric ulcer.
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up for those with
hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar).
Because bananas are high in B vitamins, they help calm the nervous system.

2. Bananas may help people trying to quit smoking. The vitamins B12 & B6 they contain,
as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the
effects of nicotine withdrawal.
When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels.
These can be balanced with the help of a banana snack which is high in potassium.
According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine, "eating bananas as part
of a regular diet can cut the risk of death from strokes by as much as 40%!
Compared to an apple, banana has 4 times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, thrice the
phosphorus, and 5 times the vitamin A and iron.
So, rather than say ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’, maybe we should rather be
saying ‘A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"
According to Tony Isaacs, in an article published online in NaturalNews on April 28, 2010,
‘Bananas May Provide Key to Preventing Spread of HIV’. He writes as follows:
A new study published in March 2010 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry has found that a
lectin compound known as BanLec found in bananas is as effective in preventing the spread of
HIV as two commonly prescribed drugs. The study was conducted at the University of Michigan
Medical School, where researchers found that BanLec was able to stop HIV from entering the
body by connecting to the HIV type 1 envelope protein. Lectins are sugar binding proteins found
in plants and can successfully recognize and bind to foreign invaders in the body. The BanLec
compound had previously been shown to bind to high mannose carbohydrate structures,
including those found on viruses such as the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1).
The research study abstract reported that the researchers "determined that BanLec inhibits
primary and laboratory-adapted HIV-1 isolates of different tropisms and subtypes" and that
"BanLec possesses potent anti-HIV activity." The researchers also found that BanLec compared
favorably to T-20 and maraviroc, two anti-HIV drugs currently in clinical use. "The problem
with some HIV drugs is that the virus can mutate and become resistant, but that's much harder to
do in the presence of lectins," said lead author Michael D. Swanson. "Lectins can bind to the
sugars found on different spots of the HIV-1 envelope, and presumably it will take multiple
mutations for the virus to get around them."
Source: Healthy living newsletter, by Rev. Tony Akinyemi.
NOTE: This will come in series, looking at the medicinal properties of each of the fruits.