Banana

:For other meanings, see banana (disambiguation)

Urban legends

In the 1940s and 1950s, an urban legend involved tarantulas hidden among bunches of bananas. It should be noted that, while tarantulas do not hide in bananas, certain other large exotic spiders have been known to do so (see Brazilian wandering spider). These spiders are quite venomous and highly aggressive.

Related Topics:
1940s - 1950s - Urban legend - Tarantula - Spider - Brazilian wandering spider - Venom

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It is also an urban legend that the dried skin of banana fruit is hallucinogenic when smoked. Unlike many urban legends, the origin of this one has been traced. It dates back to an article in the student newspaper Berkeley Barb in March 1967, which got the story from the singer Country Joe McDonald. This was brought to attention once more in the late 1980s, when the satiric punk group The Dead Milkmen released a song concerning the effects of smoking banana peels. Even the FDA investigated.

Related Topics:
Hallucinogen - 1967 - Country Joe McDonald - 1980s - The Dead Milkmen - FDA

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As with the spider legend, this legend is also not entirely without merit. The darkening of ripening bananas, proceeding from yellow, to brown, to black, is mainly due to large amounts of serotonin (an important human neurotransmitter), which is produced from tryptophan in banana peels. While this property would seem to implicate bananas as a natural antidepressant, such is not the case.

Related Topics:
Ripening - Yellow - Brown - Black - Serotonin - Human - Neurotransmitter - Tryptophan - Antidepressant

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Upon ingestion, serotonin is immediately broken down by enzymes in the stomach (particularly monoamine oxidase). Due to its high melting point (213° C), serotonin is unsuitable for smoking and decomposes into toxic gases (carbon and nitrogen oxides) during combustion. Additionally, it cannot cross the blood-brain barrier.

Related Topics:
Enzyme - Stomach - Monoamine oxidase - Melting point - Toxic - Gas - Carbon - Nitrogen - Oxide - Blood-brain barrier

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The inner surface of a banana peel may be rubbed on a poison ivy rash to abate symptoms. Also, banana skins have been used as a traditional medicine to treat psoriasis. The banana peel may also be used to remedy facial blemishes, simply cut the banana peel in half and rub the juice that flows form the banana peel on the aflicted area.-->

Related Topics:
Poison ivy - Psoriasis

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