The Wonders of Kamoteng Kahoy
Family • Euphorbiaceae
Kamoteng Kahoy
Kamoteng-kahoi
Manihot esculenta Crantz
CASSAVA, TAPIOCA PLANT
Botany
Erect, smooth, half-woody or shrubby plant, 1.5 to 3 meters in height, growing from stout and fleshy roots. Leaves are alternate and smooth, the upper leaves entire, dividing to the base into three to seven narrow segments, 10-20 cm long. The flowers are about 1 cm long. Fruit is ovoid,1.5 cm long, with six, narrow longitudinal wings 



Distribution
Planted or semicultivated for its fleshy and starchy roots in settled areas throughout the Philippines.
Properties and constituents
• Roots considered appetizer, aperient, vulnerary, tonic.
• Two well-known varieties: bitter and sweet.
• The bitter, more robust and planted for its starch; the roots containing hydrocyanic acid, considered poisonous but easily dissipated by heat. It is the source of tapioca.
• Sweet cassava is not as good a starch producer as the bitter kind, but is non-poisonous, tasty and grown for use as vegetable.
• Mandiocin, a glucoside, has been isolated from the leaves.
• Most of the poisonous hydrocyanic acid from the cortical layers of the roots is removed by thorough peeling of the tubers.

Parts used and preparation
Tuber, leaves.


Uses

Folkloric
Leaves used for measles, small pox, chicken pox, and/or skin rashes.
Used as flour for starch bath.
Remove peelings and grate the tuber. Extract the juice, add enough water for a baby tub bath and boil.
Poultice of fresh rhizome used for ulcers.
Leaf sap latex used for eye conditions.
Decoction of trunk bark used for rheumatism.
In west tropical Africa, compress of powdered leaves used for fevers and headaches.
In Cambodia, pounded tubers used for ulcerated wounds.
In Brazil, ointment useful for ulcers of the cornea; also used to preserve meat.
In Malaysia, used for headaches, colds, fever and to treat constipation.
Others
Source of tapioca.
The bitter variety is planted for the production of starch. The roots contain hydrocyanic acid and poisonous: the hydrocyanic acid is dissipated by heat. The root, harmless when fresh, becomes poisonous when stale. Thorough peeling of the tubers before cooking removes the chance of poisoning. The sweet variety is grown for use as a vegetable.
In Brazil, the indians use the tender leaves as food; fruit used as fish poison.

Studies
• Antimicrobial Activity of Cassava Seed Oil on Skin Pathogenic Microorganisms: Study showed Cassava seed oil had inhibitory effect on the growth of all test isolates (Staph aureus, Propionibacterium acnes, E coli, Pityrospoium ovale and C albicans).
• Antibacterial / Low Toxicity: The in vitro Antibacterial Activity and Brine Shrimp Toxicity of Manihot esculenta Extracts: Chloroform extracts exhibited antibacterial activity against L. moncytogenes, V cholera, Shigella flexneri, S typhi white ethanol extracts was effectvie against P aeruginosa, C diphtheria and V cholera.
• Antiamoebicidal Activity : In a study on the in-vitro effects of extracts on E. histolytica, Manihot esculenta was one of 10 extracts that showed ≥ 50% antiamoebic activity at 96 hours
• Antitumor Activity: A study has suggested antitumor activity attributed to its triterpenes.
• Decreased Alcohol Toxicity / Increased Cassava Toxicity: Contrary to expectations that consumption of alcohol with a cassava rich diet would potentiate the toxicity of alcohol, co-administration reduced the toxicity of alcohol and potentiated the toxicity of cassava. The protection by cassava on alcohol-induced toxicity may be due to micronutrients like vitamins B and C. However, the toxicity of cassava was potentiated by consumption of alcohol as shown by the degeneration of hepatocytes and cell death.
• Lipid Content of Young Leaves: Study showed young cassava leaves to have low content of lipids (3.02%). Analysis of the fatty acid composition of each of the leaf lipids showed that, with the exception of of steryl esters, all leaf lipids have a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
• Anthelmintic: A study on fresh cassava leaves incorporated into the diets of West African goats in Cameroon showed decrease in helmintic and coccidia infections.

Toxicity conerns

• Cassava is a dietary staple in many tropical countries. In times of famine, it may be the only food available. Tissues of all casava cultivars have been found to have varying amounts of cyanogenic glucosides.
• Presence of cyanoglycosides, linamarin (93%) and lotaustralin (methyl linamarin, 3%) pose potential toxic effects. Linamarin is hydrolyed by intestinal luminal bacterial ß-glucosidases to release hydrogen cyanide which can cause acute poisoning. Although traditional methods of cooking (boiling and decanting) and processing remove cyanoglycosides, some residual amounts and toxicity remains.

• In Asia, cassava is processed to make cassava chips and tapioca. In rural philippines, it is a common and accessible snack fare consumed after simple boiling or frying.

• A Kwashiorkor Etiology Hypothesis–Cassava and Linamarin: A study hypothesizes that intact linamarin from cassava diets cause Na-K-ATPase inhibition with consequent electrolyte imbalances and potassium depletion, which may results in renal tubular nephrosis, subsequent proteinuria and hypoalbuminemia, hepatocellular damage, pancreatic dysfunction, muscle wasting–all features of kwashiorkor.

Availability
Wild-crafted.
Common backyard planting and market produce. 










 






Cassava Cake