Botanical Name
- Family Marantaceae
- Maranta arundinaceae
Common Names
- Maranta, Bermuda Arrowroot, Sagu, Ararot
Cautions
- The starch can produce respiratory allergic reactions in some people.
Description
Native to the northern regions of South America and the Caribbean islands, the plant is a perennial, growing to six feet. It has creeping rhizomes, many long-stemmed, oval leaves, and flowering stems with clusters of creamy white flowers. The carrot-shaped tuberous rhizome grows to eight inches in length and is covered with a white, resinous skin, coated with dry scales. Found in Trinidad and the Dominican Republic, arrowroot is cultivated mostly on the island of St. Vincent, but it is a major staple of many areas of the world. The rhizomes are unearthed ten or eleven months after planting.
Key Actions
Key Components
- starch (25-27% as Marantae amylum, maranta starch, and medicinal arrowroot)
Medicinal Parts
- Rhizome
Remedies
- ointment or poultice mixed with antiseptic herbs and applied to wounds to speed healing and soothe the area
Traditional Uses
- Arrowroot has long been used as an easily digested food for babies and convalescents.
- It is used in much the same manner as slippery elm helping to soothe and nourish. A small study in the United Kingdom indicated that it might be useful in reducing diarrhea and easing abdominal pain in those suffering from irritable bowel syndrome.
- It relieves acidity, indigestion, and colic as it exerts a mildly laxative action on the large bowel.
- In the Yucatán, a poultice is made from pounded arrowroot rhizomes and used on ulcers and wounds. It is also eaten to treat urogenital tract ailments.
- In Trinidad, arrowroot is used to treat sunburn.