Cassava, Tapioca Plant, Yuca

Manihot esculenta

Physical Characteristics

Manihot esculenta is a deciduous Shrub growing to 3 m (9ft) by 3 m (9ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Distribution

Tropics.

Habitats

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves Root Edible Uses: Young leaves - cooked as a vegetable[296 ]. Boiled like spinach, or added to stews[301 ]. The leaves need to be boiled for about 15 minutes in order to destroy harmful glucosides[298 ]. Some sweet varieties contain little or no glucosides[300 ]. Root - cooked and used as a vegetable[296 ]. The tuberous root can be sliced and fried like chips, boiled and added to vegetable dishes, or made into a flour and used in breads and biscuits, or as a thickener in gravies, soups, desserts etc[296 ]. The root is higher in carbohydrate and rather deficient in protein than many other root crops[296 ]. Unfortunately, where cassava is used as the main staple in the diet, it can lead to malnutrition[200 ]. It is a fairly good source of vitamin C[296 ].Starch from the tuber is used to make tapioca[46 , 296 ]. Some care should be exercised in using this plant for food since it is more or less poisonous when raw. Sweet varieties need to be simmered for 10 minutes before eating, whilst bitter varieties should be soaked for 24 hours prior to simmering for at least 10 minutes in fresh water[296 ].

Medicinal Uses

Antibacterial Antidiarrhoeal Antifungal Antiviral Dysentery Febrifuge Haemostatic Laxative Ophthalmic Poultice Skin Vitamin C Cassava is often used in traditional medicine and has a number of applications[311 ]. The plant is antifungal, antiviral, mutagenic and antibacterial[311 , 348 ]. The roots of bitter varieties can be used to treat scabies, diarrhoea and dysentery[254 ]. The juice of the grated tubers is used to treat constipation and indigestion[311 ]. A flour made from the roots can be used as a dusting powder on the skin in order to help dry weeping skin[254 ]. Soaked with Carapa oil, it is used as a poultice on shattered muscles[348 ]. It is mixed with rum and rubbed onto children's skin as a treatment for abscesses and skin eruptions[348 ]. It can be made into an ointment to treat fungal dermatitis[348 ]. The leaves are haemostatic[348 ]. They are made into a poultice to treat wounds[348 ]. The leaves are infused in bath water to treat influenza and fevers[311 ]. The leaves are heated and rubbed across sore eyes[311 ]. The stem is folded and rubbed across the eyes of people suffering from glaucoma[311 ]. The bark of the plant, together with that of Cordyline terminalis, is thought to prolong life[311 ]. Sugar cane and annatto are employed in an antidote to ingested water which has been poisoned by the soaking roots of this plant[348 ]

Known Hazards

The leaves contain the harmful glucoside linamarin, which can release the toxic hydrocyanic acid in the presence of the enzyme linase[298 , 300 ]. This can be destroyed by heat[298 ] (Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested)