ABSTRACT
This chapter provides information on the uses, folk medicine, chemistry, germplasm, distribution, ecology, cultivation, harvesting, yields, energy, and biotic factors of Doum Palm. Unripe kernels are edible, but the ripe kernels are hard as a marble, and even strung together to make a weapon. The part of the germinating seedling just ground is edible, as is the cabbage or palm heart. In Bornu Africa, the nuts are pounded to make a meal sold instead of millet. The rind of the fruits is dry and sweet, edible in some, inedible in others. In parts of the Sahara desert, the spongy internal parts of the fruit are an important dietary element. Mixed with date infusion, the doum nut constitutes a cooling drink much valued medicinally. Mixed with date infusion, the doum is recommended for febrile conditions on the Sahara.
