The Folklore of Plants: Sugarcane

Lisa Karen Miller

Filipino folklore tells us that the first sugarcane tree was actually a bamboo, shorter than its cousins who towered to the skies.  It longed to be as grand, and as useful.  People often used bamboo wood to make a wide range of domestic items.

As the little bamboo was wishing this one day, a storm came up, and it was struck by lightning.  Now, it was not only short, but darker than the others! One day a man was idling in the forest and scratched his name in its dark bark.  A sticky substance flowed out. On tasting it, he discovered it was sweet.

The sugarcane had been born.

The sweet juice is extracted by rolling the thick rigid stems. The by-products are made into rum, syrup, and molasses.

On January 15, 1919 in Boston, Massachusetts, a flood of fiery hot molasses flowed down the streets, killing 21 people and injuring many more. The molasses had burst from a colossal tank at the United States Industrial Alcohol Company building, located in the heart of the city on Commercial Street.

The bolts holding the bottom of the 2.5 million-gallon tank suddenly exploded, shooting out like bullets. An eight-foot-tall wave of hot molasses demolished freight cars and caved in the building’s doors and windows. The workers in the cellar had no chance to escape as the hot sticky liquid cascaded over them.

The deadly wave actually knocked down the nearby firehouse and pushed out the support beams of the elevated train line.

It took weeks to clean the sticky residue from the streets, and an avalanche of lawsuits ensued. After a six-year investigation, the company was found at fault because the tank had not been strong enough to hold that quantity of molasses.

The juice of Saccharum officinarum is used in Asia as an expectorant and can ease asthma. It is applied to wounds and boils, and has diuretic properties.

Sugar not only tastes good, it makes us feel good. In addition, the more we eat, the more we crave.

That’s a drug.

This cannot be called anything other than addiction.  My recent weight-loss journey has proven this to me.  By reducing the sugar in my diet (and therefore sugar cravings) and increasing the protein, I have lost over 50 pounds – and counting.

That Sugar Film is a documentary made by a young Australian film maker.  He undertakes to eat what are commonly perceived to be healthy foods (that actually contain a great deal of sugar) for thirty days. 

The results will astound you.

He and his family have gone on to make a website called That Sugar Movement with recipes, tips, and information on how to reduce your sugar and improve your health: thatsugarmovement.com.  The most important thing I have learned from them is READ THE LABEL.  Sugar, in its various forms, lurks in a plethora of processed foods.

Sugar should be kept as a special treat, as it was in the days before it became a common additive to foods that should not be sweetened.  The manufacturers are adding taste, not nutrition.

© Copyright 2024 Lisa Karen Miller