8 Unusual Bamboo Uses

Bamboo is a fascinating plant. Some people only know it as nutrition Pandas love to snack on, but in reality, the plant has a variety of practical uses that humans have leveraged for thousands of years. Not only is Bamboo a multi-practical plant, but it is also an extremely sustainable one that is good for our planet.  Did you know that bamboo is one of the fastest-growing natural resources on the planet (it can grow up to one yard per day)? While bamboo uses only 12 gallons of water to produce one pound of fabric, cotton requires over 200 times more. Also, bamboo does not require replanting after harvesting because its vast root network continually sprouts new stems. The roots pull in sunlight and greenhouse gases and convert them into new green growth. Bamboo grows without the need for petroleum-guzzling tractors and poisonous pesticides and fertilizers and in fact when Japan’s Hiroshima was bombed, Bamboo was the first plant to grow back, bringing green back to the land. With all the amazing benefits that come from this plant, here are some of the bamboo uses that can be put to work.

Bamboo Plant Uses

1. Building roads

While Bamboo is used in road construction all over the world, you are more likely to see bamboo weaved into roads in places like India and China. Bamboo bridges have been built in China capable of supporting trucks that weigh as much as 16 tons. Bridges and roads built from bamboo instead of steel provide a cheaper, more environmentally sustainable engineering solution.

2. Rugs

Bamboo rugs add a beautiful element to your home decor and can provide many practical benefits. Using them in your main entrance can help prevent dirt from being tracked into your home. Bamboo rugs also bring natural warmth to your house and are very easy to clean. Not only are bamboo rugs are a smart choice, but they also add a great conversational piece to your home.

3. Nutritional/medicinal purposes

Bamboo is used extensively in Asian cooking for its medicinal purposes. The most edible part of the plant is the shoots which can be found in markets in various forms including canned, dried and frozen. Bamboo leaves have antioxidant properties, have a low-calorie count, are high in dietary fiber and are healthy for the skin. The use of bamboo in medicine includes helping women regulate their menstrual cycle, easing labor pain in late stages of pregnancy, treating wounds and ulcers, curing stomach symptoms like indigestion and diarrhea, control blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and much, much more.

Sounds like a miracle plant if you ask me!

4. Weapons

Bamboo has often been used to construct weapons and is still incorporated in several Asian martial arts. Bamboo is naturally suited to blowguns, as you’d often see in movies. Bamboo is used as a staff with one end sharpened off in the martial art of silambam. Bamboo can also be turned into swords, bows and the first gunpowder-based weapons. The lightweight of the plant is what makes it so favorable in the use of weaponry.

5. Musical Instruments

If you’ve ever held a piece of bamboo before, you know that the insides are completely hollowed out. If you have a musical inclination, you were surely tempted to use the bamboo staff as an instrument, blowing through the ends. The most common bamboo instrument is (obviously) the flute but it can be made into other instruments as well including slit drums, guitars, and ukuleles.

6. Beer!

No this is not made up, bamboo beer really exists! And it’s not some special alcoholic drink for Pandas celebrating their birthdays. Bamboo breweries harness the plant, more specifically, the leaves, to create a sweet and refreshing taste.

7. Houses and Schools

According to UNESCO, 70 hectares of bamboo produce enough of the material to build 1000 bamboo houses. If timber was used instead, it would require the felling of trees from an already diminishing forest. Today, over one billion people in the world live in bamboo houses. There are also places in Bali, Indonesia and other parts of Asia that offer hotels made entirely of bamboo creating a pretty unique experience.

8. Bedding

As durable as bamboo is, it can actually be woven into one of the softest, comfortable fabrics on earth. Bamboo bedding is often compared to silk because of it’s soft and cozy feel. At Bamboo Sheets Shop, we’re leveraging the sustainability of bamboo to create one of the most comfortable bed sheets on the planet. Check out some of the different colors we have to offer!