Melanie Arcudi
Doutora em Medicina Oriental
Diretora da International Bamboo Foundation
julho de 2000

BB - Where have you born? And where do you teach?
MA - I was born in California, educated in Switzerland and teach Oriental Medicine in Hawaii.

BB - When did IBF been created? By who? Which are the main goals of IBF? Which are the countries that IBF focalizes its activities?
MA - Please refer to our website: http://bamboocentral.org

BB - How important bamboo is to the oriental medicine?
MA - The main species used in Chinese medicine is Phylostachys Nigra. If you go to http://bamboocentral.org/pharmacopoeia.htm you will see that Indonnesia has many uses also.

BB - Could you list two or three medicinal uses of bamboo?
MA - Yes, Kidney infections, internal bleeding, lung congestion.

BB - Which advantages one gains eating bamboo shoots regularly?
MA - Good for the hair and nails as itis high in silica.

BB - Can bamboo helps substitute halopatic medicines, for its good medicinal uses combined with fast growing rate and peripherical uses?
MA - Pharmaceutical drugs often have harmfull side effects whereas naturally occuring herbal preparations do not.

BB - Can acumpuntural neddles be made of bamboo?
MA - The earliest known acupuncture needles were made of bamboo !!

BB - Which bamboo species and genus are more common in Hawaii ?
MA - Bambusa Vulgaris Vittata is seen more often growing wild here on Maui, the yellow with green stripes. Bamboo is not native to the Hawaiian islands. Many ornamentals are being grown in Hawaii presently. We have plans to develop a bamboo plantation to introduce the main constuction species, espcially Guadua, Dendrocalamus Asper and Phyllostachys Bambusoides.