Botanical name : Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standley (L. vulgaris Ser, L. leucanth Rusby, Cucurbita siceraria Mol.)
Family : Cucurbitaceae
SANSKRIT SYNONYMS
Katu-tumbi, Tumbini, Ikshavaaku. Tiktaalaabu, Pindaphalaa.
AYURVEDIC PROPERTIES
Rasa : Tikta, Katu
Guna : Lakhu, Rooksha, Teekshna
Virya : Seeta.
Vipaka: Katu
PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
English : Bitter bottle gaurd, Bitter calbash gourd
Hindi : Titaloki, Kadviloki
Malayalam : Kaipan chura, Churakka, Kattuchura, Pechura
Unani : Kaddu-e-talkh
Distribution – Throughout India, growing wild or cultivated
PLANT DESCRIPTION
An extensively spreading pubescent, climbing or trailing herb with 5-angled hispid stems and long tendrils. Leaves simple, 5-lobed, cordate, long petioled, dentate, hairy on both surfaces: flowers large, white, solitary, monecious, with long stalked male and short peduncled female flowers. Fruits large, various shaped, like bottle, dumbbell, rind woody when ripe enclosing soft juicy flesh; seeds many, white, compressed smooth with a marginal groove.
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Root pacifies vitiated kapha, constipation and inflammations. Leaves cure vitiated conditions of pitta, cough, bronchitis, asthma, fever, inflammations, leprosy, skin diseases, jaundice, dental caries, headache, constipation, and flatulence. Fruits cure vitiated pitta, burning of the feet, cough, bronchitis, inflammation, skin diseases, fainting and fever. The seeds are purgative, diuretic, cooling and brain tonic, and are useful in couch, fever, inflammation and dropsy.
Useful part : Whole plant.
CHEMICAL CONTENTS
Cucurbita lagenariaLinn. is equated with Lauki or SweetBottle-Guard, used all over India as a vegetable. Cucurbita siceraria Mol. is equated with Titalauki or the Bitter Bottle- Gourd. Bitter fruits yield 0.013% of a solid foam containing cucurbitacin B,D,G and H, mainly cucurbitacin B. These bitter principles are present in the fruit as aglycones. Leaves contain
cucurbitacinB, and roots cucurbitacins B,Dand traces of E.Thefruit juice contains beta-glycosidase (elaterase). Plants which yield non-bitter fruits contain no bitter principles or elaterase; their roots are not bitter.
Photo taken by : Dr. Nand kumar Sahni MD (Ay)
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