ABSTRACT
This chapter provides information on uses, folk medicine, chemistry, germplasm, distribution, ecology, cultivation, harvesting, yields, energy, and biotic factors of Cycas Rumphii Miq. A well-known oriental ornamental, Cycas rumphii fern-like tree is often planted, e.g., in cemeteries. The young shoots, shortly before unfolding, are cooked as a potherb, often with fish. Eating too much is said to cause rheumatism. The poisonous nuts are rendered edible by various types of elaborate processing. Steeping in water seems to be one of the most common methods of preparation. In the Moluccas, a delicacy is made by cutting the kernels into bars, putting them in a porous bag, and steeping in sea-water for a few days. In Cambodia, the leafless bulb is brayed in water, rice-water, or water holding fine particles of clay in suspension, and applied to ulcerated wounds, swollen glands, and boils.
