Plant atlas Short
Namwa Banana: Green for Cooking, Ripe for Cake
Namwa Banana · กล้วยน้ำว้า · Musa × paradisiaca
Namwa Banana — กล้วยน้ำว้า (kluai-nam-wa) — Musa × paradisiaca (ABB group).
Thai cooks use namwa banana at two stages: green and starchy for savory cooking, then ripe and sweet for cakes and fritters. The edible part is the fruit. In rats, green banana protected the stomach lining against injury. Namwa banana provides potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and manganese. Kanom Gluay steams ripe banana batter in small cups and serves the chewy cake warm with freshly grated salted coconut. Gluay Kaeg coats banana slices in sesame batter and fries them crisp for a hot street snack. The banana blossom is also eaten as a vegetable. Each stem fruits once; botanically, banana is a giant herb. If you have kidney trouble or take medications that raise potassium, go easy on high-potassium foods such as banana. Follow Longevity Biome for a new Thai plant every day.
Kanom Gluay — ขนมกล้วย (ka-nom-gluay)
Gluay Kaeg — กล้วยแขก (gluay-kaek)
Source: Dunjić BS et al. (1993). Green banana protection of gastric mucosa in rats. Scand J Gastroenterol. PMID 8266018
Educational content, not medical advice! Consult your doctor before changing diet or medication.
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Food and nutrients
Rich in: potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, manganese
Research context
Green banana protected the stomach lining against injury in rats — Scand J Gastroenterol, 1993 (animal)