Bamboo has been traditionally used to make summer pillows, mats and baskets for daily use and as decorative goods. But certain species of bamboo also have many highly sought-after properties.

A special species of bamboo is used as a source of charcoal. In the process of making bamboo charcoal, a medicinal liquid that is highly praised is formed. The liquid can be used as a healing medicine for early stages of stroke. It is also good for hemorrhoids when applied to the inflamed area.

The water that gathers inside the hollow of the bamboo between the joints after rain at noontime on May 5 in the lunar calendar is called ``divine water,'' and used as a medicinal ingredient for treating apprehension and worm infection.

The roots of bamboo are very firmly planted in the soil and there is an old saying that if there is an earthquake, hide inside a bamboo thicket. A popular medical remedy is salt baked in bamboo. Bay salt is poured into the hollow of a bamboo tube, crushed pine leaves are placed on top and the tube blocked with a lump of loess clay. The preparation is baked at over 800 degrees Celsius. Pine resin powder is used as the fuel needed to achieve the high heat. This also allows the medicinal properties of pine leaves to seep into the salt. Gray or purple bamboo salt is formed in the baking process of salt about nine times. An excellent bamboo salt manufacturer works in Chonghaktong, Hadong-gun, Kyongsang-namdo, and can be reached at (0595)883-6088.

Bamboo salt is traditionally used in making soy sauce, bean paste and red pepper paste and brushing your teeth with it prevents tooth decay and cures allergies that cause runny noses. Soap made with bamboo salt blocks cosmetics poisoning and softens the skin. Bamboo soap is also very popular among Korean and Japanese women as it gets rid of dead skin cells that collect at the heels of your feet while bathing.

Recently, the local bay salt made from drying sea water with sunlight is being widely replaced by imported chemically made salt. Chemical salt is very bad for high blood pressure and heart disease. Bay salt on the other hand includes various minerals from the sea and is needed by the body for general good health. The best tasting and most nutritious kimchi is made by using bay salt, which is used for bamboo salt.

Bamboo shoots were fed to young crown princes in old Korean courts as a brain food to sharpen their minds. Students studying for college entrance exams should adopt the wisdom of the old royalty and consume more bamboo shoots. Bamboo leaves of the shorter species have preservative properties and food wrapped in them preserve well for a long time. Drinking tea made out of boiled bamboo leaves is also very good for recovering from the exhaustion that follows giving birth to a child.

Some farmers even plant bamboo trees in wheat paddies as the trees are believed to prevent pest infection and improve the quality of the rice or wheat being cultivated. They believe that the trees act as antennae that collect the pure life force or ``ki'' in Korean.

Bamboo charcoal, made by baking trees aged three to four years in a semi vacuum state, is capable of curing insomnia when the afflicted person sleeps on a pillow containing bamboo charcoal wrapped in absorbent cotton.

Five to eight kilograms of the charcoal in a short jug whose mouth is covered with a cotton cloth cures minor bodily illnesses by purifying the air when placed in the room.

Bamboo charcoal in the room heightens the immune system of the body and protects a person from various illnesses. White blood cells become more active thanks to bamboo charcoal and works as a stimulant to ward off many diseases.

Particularly noteworthy in the age of the computer, bamboo charcoal absorbs harmful electromagnetic waves produced by televisions, microwave ovens and computer monitors, and works as a fine complement to a healthy home and work environment.

Bamboo grows over one meter a day after a rainfall, but the nutrients sucked up by the roots are not enough. Hence, the stem and the leaves also absorb oxygen and hydrogen in the air and produce plant fiber and protein. Chinese Panda bears eat bamboo leaves as a staple food.