Top Ten Uses for Bamboo
Food
Bamboo is very popular in Asian cuisine. Japanese, Himalayan, Indonesian, and Indian foods use Bamboo for broths, pickles and stews. People have learned to be wary of the Giant Bamboo variety because it contains cyanide. Animals, like the Golden Bamboo Lemur can filter out this toxin but not humans.
Medicine
Chinese medicine calls for bamboo to treat infections. It is proven to be a good source of potassium so it would be great for muscle cramps. Indian medicine uses the liquid found in bamboo culms as a treatment for respiratory problems
Construction
In China, bamboo was used to create suspension bridges. The Philippines are full of Nipa Huts made completely from bamboo. While making your home out of bamboo isn't completely acceptable in most of the western world, over one billion people on this planet live in bamboo structures. Many of these structures are resistant to earthquakes and tornadoes. There are even three ISO standards on bamboo as a building material.
Musical instrument
In China, bamboo was used to create suspension bridges. The Philippines are full of Nipa Huts made completely from bamboo. While making your home out of bamboo isn't completely acceptable in most of the western world, over one billion people on this planet live in bamboo structures. Many of these structures are resistant to earthquakes and tornadoes. There are even three ISO standards on bamboo as a building material.
Decoration
Many people try to grow bamboo around the world as a house plant. It is pretty hardy so it does well as house plants go. Bamboo is also popular in arts and crafts and makes excellent picture frames and placemats.
Paper
People all over the world used what they could to write on until paper came around. Stone tablets, papyrus, and animals skins are just a few of those materials. During the Han Dynasty, Bamboo strips were the most popular writing material in China. This practice was eventually stopped due to the advent of paper as we know it today but that wasn't until the 4th Century.
Toys
There is a company called HaPe International. They are a Swiss company based off the coast of China. All of their toys are made, at least in part, with bamboo material. Mostly they make toys for small children, like puzzles, blocks, toy cars and doll houses just to name a few. Check them out at the Educo site
RVs
Bicycles, surf boards and boats have all been constructed from bamboo. TUBS marine is a company in the Philippines that makes fishing boats from steel frames covered in bamboo. Gary Young is a huge supporter of bamboo textiles and is the creator of bamboo boards. You can take a look at his products and his mission at Bamboo Surf Boards of Hawaii
Textiles
There are two ways to make fabric from Bamboo fibers. This first and more natural method is to crush the stalks and allow the natural enzymes to break down the chemical bonds which allow for the fibers to be combed out easily. The second uses chemicals like lye and other acids to break down the fibers in bamboo. Unfortunately bamboo has antimicrobial properties that are destroyed when using the chemical process.
Clothes
Check out Bamboo Clothing. Every cloth item in your life can be made from bamboo textiles and found here. Bamboo fabric is softer than cotton and a more earth friendly resource growing 1-3 feet per day and producing 30% more oxygen than trees.