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Sugarcane juice not only makes a refreshing drink but also doubles as a folk remedy for rheumatoid arthritis, boils, laryngitis and sore throat
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SUGARCANE ORIGINATED in the South Pacific Islands and New Guinea, and it can be found growing in all parts of the world — from hot and sunny Spain in the north to cool and temperate South Africa down under. Sugarcane has been growing in India for thousands of years, and Europe's first contact with the plant was when Alexander's army swept across Northern India in the 4th Century B.C. Production of sugar by boiling the cane was discovered in India around 500 B.C.
The Persians got hold of this crop in the 6th Century A.D. Soon it spread to Spain, which became a major producer of sugarcane by the 12th Century A.D. Columbus, on his second voyage, carried sugarcane from the Canary Islands to what is now the Dominican Republic, and the first sugarcane mill in the Americas began operation there in 1516 A.D.
In terms of biomass harvested and transported, sugarcane is the world's largest crop. Although beetroot is an important source of sugar in temperate zones, the world's main source of sugar is sugarcane. Cane sugar is the sweetener of choice in candy, cakes, soft drinks, jams and other foods. The bamboo-like plant is also important in the manufacture of cane syrup, rum, wax, and molasses — the thick syrup leftover during sugar manufacture.
Theophrastus called molasses "honey produced from reeds". The alcoholic distillate of molasses is rum. Ethanol made from molasses is used in vinegar, pharmaceutical, solvent and cosmetics industries. Gasohol, a bio-fuel made from sugarcane alcohol, has the potential to replace fossil fuels. Most of Brazil's cars run on gasohol. Bagasse, the fibrous residue of cane processing, is a fuel, also used in cardboard and paper manufacturing. Next to limejuice, fresh cane juice is the most popular summer drink in India, but apart from sucrose (60 calories worth) it offers little nutrition. You are better off drinking any other fruit juice. The young flower-like tops of the canes are delicious, raw, steamed or toasted. Just 100 gm of this inflorescence contains 25 calories, and it is rich in vitamin C, thiamine, and calcium. Cane juice is a folk remedy for rheumatoid arthritis, boils, laryngitis, and sore throat. Sugarcane pulp is a poultice in folk medicine, and the stiff canes are used to splint broken limbs. In South East Asia and in south India, sugarcane is used to make elephants "sagacious".
RAJIV M.
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