A nearly 2-hour drive from my house that I had rented this year on Henza Island, I found the Fukugi Tree promenade in Bise Village to have been well worth the time and gas to get there. In the late 17th century, someone in the village of Bise got the idea to plant some fukugi trees that provided charm, shade and protection from devastating winds that swept over the area from frequent typhoons. Little could they have known what would evolve from their toil to be enjoyed by those of us now in 2023! I think that my first encounter with the fukugi tree was several years ago when I was admiring the tall stately trees that adorn the grounds around Kin Kannon-ji in Kin Town. Beyond the tree's ornamental beauty and protective functionality, its bark has been used for dyeing fabrics. It forms part of the food chain for mammals and insects and serves as nesting sites for birds. Endowed with bioactive compounds of benzophenones, xanthones, biflavonoids, and triterpenoids, the tree possesses anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-tyrosinase, trypanocidal, antibacterial, DNA topoisomerase inhibitory, DNA strand scission, choline acetyltransferase enhancing, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 inhibitory, and antiandrogenic activities. Fukugetin and fukugiside are two novel biflavonoids named after the species. Other videos from my 2023 trip to Okinawa are here See lots more about my Previous Okinawa trips - 2019 2017 2015 2014 You can read extensive details of many other Okinawa visits in my book, "NATSUKASHII: Uchinaa nu Umui" Learn Okinawa's history with my book, "Timeline: OKINAWA" Back to ClickOkinawa.com © 1996-2024 Posted Dec 23, 2023. Contact: ClickOkinawa.com