Bamboo

You might be more familiar with it as a versatile fibrous material or the staple food of giant pandas, but bamboo has entered the health-food realm thanks to the first review into its benefits. They include aiding blood sugar regulation and gut health.

Built to be carnivorous, giant pandas spend up to 16 hours a day on their backsides eating bamboo. But contrary to all the panda jokes, it's not because they're lazy or too dumb to know better. It's far more fascinating – and it may help humans, too.

Bogobrush is a new "100 percent biodegradable" toothbrush made from bamboo and nylon.

The Flow vertical turbine concept features bamboo blades with an LED at each tip to provide light whenever the wind blows.

TreeFrog copier paper is made entirely from sugar cane waste and salvaged bamboo.