CUCURBITS
Cucurbitaceae
The family Cucurbitaceae includes a large group of plants which are medicinally
valuable. The important genera belonging to the family are Trichosanthes, Lagenaria, Luffa,
Benincasa, Momordica, Cucumis, Citrullus, Cucurbita, Bryonopsis and Corallocarpus.
The medicinally valuable species of these genera are discussed below.
1. Trichosanthes dioica Roxb.
Eng: Wild Snake-gourd; San: Meki,Pargavi, Parvara, Patola; Hin: Palval, Parvar
Ben: Potol; Mal: Kattupatavalam, Patolam; Tam: Kombuppudalai; Tel: Kommupotta
Wild snake-gourd is a slender-stemmed, extensively climbing, more or less scabrous
and woolly herb found throughout the plains of N. India, extending to Assam and W. Bengal.
Tendrils are 2-4 fid. Leaves are 7.5x5cm in size, ovate-oblong, cordate, acute, sinuate-
dentate, not lobed, rigid, rough on both surface and with a petiole of 2cm. Flowers are
unisexual. Male flowers are not racemed but woolly outside. Calyx tube is 4.5cm long,
narrow, teeth linear and erect. Anthers are free. Fruit is 5.9cm long, oblong or nearly
spherical, acute, smooth and orange-red when ripe. Seeds are half-ellipsoid, compressed and
corrugated on the margin (Kirtikar and Basu, 1988). The unripe fruit of this is generally used
as a culinary vegetable and is considered very wholesome and specially suited for the
convalescent. The tender shoots are given in decoction with sugar to assist digestion. The
seeds are useful for disorders of the stomach. The leaf juice is rubbed over the chest in liver
congestion and over the whole body in intermittent fevers (Nadkarni, 1998). The fruit is used
as a remedy for spermatorrhoea. The fresh juice of the unripe fruit is often used as a cooling
and laxative adjunct to some alterative medicines. In bilious fever, a decoction of patola
leaves and coriander in equal parts is given. The fruit in combination with other drugs is
prescribed in snakebite and scorpion sting (Kirtikar and Basu, 1988).
Fruits contain free amino acids and 5-hydroxy tryptamine. Fatty acids from seeds
comprise elaeostearic, linoelic, oleic and saturated acids. The aerial part is hypoglycaemic.
Leaf and root is febrifuge. Root is hydragogue, cathartic and tonic. Unripe leaf and fruit is
laxative (Husain et al, 1992). The plant is alterative and tonic. Leaves are anthelmintic.
Flower is tonic and aphrodisiac. The ripe fruit is sour to sweet, tonic, aphrodisiac,
expectorant and removes blood impurities.
The other important species belonging to the genus Trichosanthes are as follows.
T. palmata Roxb.
T. cordata Roxb.
T. nervifolia Linn.
T. cucumerina Linn.
T. anguina Linn.
T. wallichiana Wight. syn. T. multiloba Clarke
2. Lagenaria vulgaris Ser. syn. Cucurbita Lagenaria Linn. ; Roxb.
Eng: Bottle gourd San: Alabu Hin: Lauki, Jangli-khaddu Ben: Lau, Kodu
Mal: Katuchuram, Churakka Tam: Soriai-kay Tel: Surakkaya
Bottle gourd is a large softly pubescent climbing or trailing herb which is said to be
indigenous in India, the Molucas and in Abyssinia. It has stout 5-angled stems with bifid
tendrils. Leaves are ovate or orbiculate, cordate, dentate, 5 - angular or 5-lobed, hairy on both
surfaces. Flowers are large, white, solitary, unisexual or bisexual, the males long and