Benefits of Rattan Furniture

Rattan (also known as Rotan) is the name for more than 500 species of palms found in the tropics. Australasia is the region where these palms are found in abundance. Some of the largest producers of rattan furniture are, therefore, found in the tropical countries of the world, predominant among them being Indonesia (more than 70% of the world’s production), Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Singapore.

Furniture should, ideally, be light, durable and weather proof. Rattan furniture meets with all three specifications, and is therefore widely used all over the world. Although rattan plantations are only found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia and northern parts of Australia, the rattan stems can be easily cut into planks and transported to other countries where it is not grown. This is why you will find manufacturers of rattan furniture in the UK, Western Europe and North America.

The stem of the rattan plant (it is not a tree but more like a creeper) is quite slender and it has the unique quality of being strong yet light in weight. This is why rattan is used for making furniture as well as various kinds of implements. It can be used as a stick to give corporal punishment to kids and also to make self defense equipment for martial arts. Another use is in percussion instruments such as the xylophone.

Rattan furniture is available in a choice of colours, since the stem can be painted. The original rattan stem is found in different shades of yellow, but paints of all colors can be applied without any problem. Once painted, the color stays for a long time, which also helps in maintaining the furniture and giving it a longer life.

Wherever rattan is grown, its economic value helps in protecting the forest land. The loggers forego timber logging and focus on harvesting the rattan plants instead.

However, this too is a dangerous trend, because there are instances of over harvesting and premature harvesting of rattan, which raises environmental issues. Governments and ecology protection agencies step in to keep matters under control.

A couple of years ago, Italian scientists discovered a new and unique use of the rattan plant. A red resin is found in the fruit of certain rattans. The color of this resin prompted the scientists to refer to it as “dragon’s blood”. It was found to have medicinal qualities, and was used in the production of artificial bones. This shows that rattan is a multi use product.

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