The banana may be the joker of the fruit bowl, but beneath its bright, jolly exterior lies a health food packed with invaluable vitamins and minerals

Feel down? Constipated? Hung-over? Stressed? If only there was a medicine that could cure all your ills. Well, there is one thing that could help, and it doesn't come in a little white bottle or cost an arm and a leg. It's the humble banana, the exotic fruit that's equally at home in an English tea bread as it is in a Caribbean cocktail.

Bananas are one of Mother Nature's success stories. Forget the proverbial apple a day – compared with an apple, a banana has three times the phosphorus, four times the protein and five times the vitamin A and iron. Unlike most fruits, they're available fresh all year round, and their natural, environmentally friendly (if slippy) packaging protects them from the long journey from the Tropics to Tesco.

And to top it all, worldwide research into fragrances and perfumes identified the banana as the planet's most popular smell.

So to celebrate the joys of our yellow friend, we've dedicated a month to all things yellow and bendy:

A–Z of bananas
The top banana top ten recipes
Banana drinks
iVillagers' recipes
Take the banana quiz
Tell us your favourite banana ideas
Win membership of the International Banana Club

The top banana top ten recipes

Rhubarb and Banana Flapjack Crumble
Fudge Pancake and Banana Blowout
Banana Flambé
Yummy Banana Loaf
Quick Banoffi Pie
Champagne Chocolate Mousse

Banana drinks

After Workout Smoothie
Banana Milkshake
Health-kick Punch
Dessert Smoothie
Tropical Blast Smoothie
Breakfast Smoothie
Creamy Fruit Smoothie

iVillager's recipes

Black-bottomed Banana Bars
Banana Caramel Fluff
Banana Bread Cookies
Banana Bran Muffins
Banana Blast
Banana Berry Smoothie
Banana Colada
Banana Tarte Tatin
Banana and Almond Muffins