The idea of health promoting food is not new as Hippocrates wrote 2,400 years ago «Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food». Bamboo is one such plant which is also considered complete food as well as medicine in many societies particularly in East and South-East Asian countries. Many uses of bamboo, like baskets, scaffoldings, huts are often visible but rarely people in other parts of the world know that bamboo is also a very important health maintaining plant. In many ancient societies and culture like China, India, Japan and Korea, bamboo, particularly the young shoots, have been considered more than just food and medicine. Bamboo shoots are basically the young emerging culms of bamboo plant and appear during the monsoon season. The shoots have a crisp, crunchy taste and sweet flavour. And are used for making soups, curries, stir pies, salads etc. The young shoots are rich in nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and bioactive compounds. Bamboo is also a rich source of silica which is required for bones, skin, hair, tendons and ligaments. The health benefits of the young shoots are attributed to the presence of bioactive compounds mainly phenols, phytosterols and dietary fibers which play a very important role in health promotion and providing protection against many chronic and degenerative diseases. Now scientific tools and techniques have also proved that the old myths and beliefs that bamboo is healthy food are true and provide a number of nutritive elements and compounds which are very essential for our body. World over there are now a number of products from bamboo in the market for body care and good health. Bamboo shoot, rich in dietary fiber and various nutritive elements, now have become delicacy in all the up end hotels and restaurants around the world. Since the shoots are not available throughout the year, now attempts are being made to use the young shoots for fortifying various food items to provide people with a healthy food product.
