Cassava

Cassava is an erect, shrubby plant growing to height of about i meter to 3 meters. It bears stout,elongated, fleshy edible roots. This plant is classified under root crop. Its small fruits are in the form of ovoid capsules.

Medicinal Value of Cassava

* For relief of headache or fever apply a head compress of pounded cassava leaves.

* Solution formed by boiling the bark of the stem of the cassava plant will help expel intestinal worms and will also serves as medicine of rheumatism.

Economic and Nutritive Values of Cassava

* The cassava tuber is boiled and eaten, with or without sugar.

* The tuber is a good source of gapleck and sago. From gapleck, starch is manufactures which is them made into flour and used in the preparation of biscuits, cookies and bread. Sago is used in the preparation of "guinta-an," a native delicacy.

There are two varieties of cassava- the sweet and the bitter.Both varieties contain a certain percentage of hydrocyanic compound, a kind of poison in the bark and flesh of the plant. Sweet cassava has a low percentage of the poison. The better kind has 1.012 to 0.37 percent in the edible portion. This hydrocyanic compound disappears or is eliminated during the boiling process.

In harvesting, dig the soil carefully around the roots of the plants with a crowbar or pointed bamboo stick when the soil is soft.Cut the top parts of the cassava stems first, leaving the stumps which should them the pulled to haul the storage roots from the soil.