Peel a banana, sink your teeth into the soft flesh, treat your taste buds to the sweetness, and then, what do you do? Throw the peel? Don’t! You will be surprised to know that even the peel of a banana has many uses.
I thought I was being clever by using banana peels along with other vegetable wastes as compost. My use for banana peels stopped with that. Until my friend, who has a banana farm back in her village, listed out a host of uses this wonderful fruit peel gives. 
According to her, the banana peel is beneficial to many body parts and for some daily hacks. Here’s the list she produced:
- To whiten teeth: Rub the inside of a banana peel on your teeth for at least two minutes, leave it for about ten and then brush your teeth with paste. You will notice shinier and whiter teeth. This is because the manganese, potassium and magnesium in the peel is good for the enamel of the teeth.
- To remove warts: Warts can be removed with the help of banana peels. Cut a piece of the peel that is sufficient to cover the area. Place the inside of the peel on it and secure with medical tape. Continue this practice until the wart is gone.
- To cure pimples and acne: Massage the banana peels on the face and body every day for five minutes to cure and keep away pimples. Repeat this exercise till the pimples or acne disappear. The results can be noticed in a week’s time.
- To relieve pain: Place a banana peel securely on the painful area. Leave it on for about half an hour or till the pain goes. You can even add a few drops of vegetable oil to the peel before placing it. The same can be done to heal bruises or grazed knees.
- To reduces wrinkles: Since banana peels help the skin stay hydrated, it keeps wrinkles away. The vitamin C and antioxidants in the peel increase collagen production and improve circulation. This helps in reducing wrinkles and preventing them. Use face packs with banana peels regularly. To a mashed banana peel, you can add an egg yolk. Apply the mixture and wash after about five minutes to get a healthy glow.
- To heal psoriasis: The peel of the banana has moisturizing properties that help to reduce itchiness. So, when a banana peel is applied on the area affected with psoriasis, it soothes the skin and helps it to heal quickly.
- To remove splinters: The enzymes present in banana peel help to soften the skin. So when you get stuck with a tiresome splinter, all you have to do is wrap a banana peel over it and leave it for a few hours. The soft skin will evict the splinter.
- To protect eyes: Banana peels also help in protecting the eyes from UV rays. All you have to do is leave the peel in the sun for some time and then rub it on your eyes. It also reduces the risk of getting cataracts.
- To counter depression: Studies have shown that boiling banana peels and drinking the water helps to counter depression. Drinking juice made form banana peels is also helpful.
- To relieve mosquito bites: Rubbing a banana peel on mosquito bites helps relieve the discomfiture and itchiness caused by the bites. It is believed that the peel draws out the fluid from the bite and hence eases it.
- To polish shoes: Shoe polish contains potassium which is also found abundantly in banana peel. Added to this, the peels have natural oils which soak into the leather and remain. This means that switching shoe polish with banana peel will give your shoes a good shine as well as help them to last longer. Merely rub shoes with the peel and wipe off with a cloth.
- To control aphids: Aphids detest the smell of bananas. So to prevent them from attacking your favorite rose bushes or other plants, bury some banana peels in your garden or tear them into shreds before scattering them around the plants. Banana peels are also a great food for plants like roses.
- To polish silver: Banana peels blended with water can be used as silver polish. Rub it on slightly tarnished silver, then wash and dry. The shine can be reclaimed.
- To cook: Surprisingly there are many Indian recipes using banana peels as an ingredient. The peels can also be used to keep meat from drying while it is being cooked by adding a ripe banana peel to the pan. It helps to keep the meat juicy too.
- To make compost: Last but not the least, banana peels, as I mentioned earlier, can be used as an organic compost for your garden.
I am certainly wiser to the uses of banana peels now. Are you?
