Sacharum Officinale

L.

Sugarcane (E); Cai (Cu); Cana de Azucar (S); Cha (Ch); Kaya (Cu) . Sugarcane may be eaten out of hand or converted into molasses, syrup, soft drinks, rum, or distilled alcohol. Those who tire of these may find the seeds a source of food, although under plantation circumstances, the cane rarely sets seeds. Molasses and rum are often used to flavor tobacco. To make sugar in the bush, crush the canes, neutralize with crushed sea shells, strain, and boil down, skimming off the scum on top occasionally. Among the Bayano Cuna, cane is squeezed in a press and the juice consumed daily. These and the lowland Cuna probably have a higher cacne consumption than other ethnic groups. Along the Rio Sabana, above Sante Fe, it is illegal to make guarapo fuerte without permission from La Palma, but many Choco and Cuna houses have their own cane mills . From the expressed juices they make a host of beverages. Choco sometimes feed the grist to the hogs. Around Ocu, it is used as a fish poison. Cune sometimes use it for fuel. The root is considered demulcent and diuretic. Sugar has been successfully used as an antidote in case of poisoning by arsenic, copper, or corrosive sublimate. Fibers obtained from the plant have been used to lash logs together and the grass itself is used as a thatching material.