Scientific Name: Colocasia esculenta Linn.

Description: A long-stalked herbaceous plant with huge leaves., growing to a height of 30 to 150 cms. Rootstock is tuberous, up to 10 cm in diameter. The leaves in groups of two or three are long petioled, ovate, 20 to 50 cm long, glaucous, with entire margins, with a broad triangular basal sinus extending a third or halfway to the insertion of the petiole, with broad and rounded basal lobes. Petioles are green or purplish, 0.2 to 1 m long. Spathe is variable in length, about 20 cm long. Spadix is cylindric, half as long as the spathe, green below and yellowish above.

Traditional Uses:

• Juice of petioles sometimes used for earache and otorrhea.
• Juice of the corm used in alopecia.
• Internally, a good laxative. Also, used for piles.
• Also, used as antidote for wasp and insect stings.
• Heated tubers are applied locally to painful rheumatic joints.
• Ash of the tubers, mixed with honey, is used for buccal aphthous stomatitis.
• Raw juice of gabi, mixed with sugar, used as febrifuge.

Excerpts from: "An illustrated compilation of Philippine medicinal plants by Godofredo Stuart"