Ash Gourd
Scientific name of Ash Gourd: Benincasa Hispida
Name in Ash Gourd in different languages:-
English- Wax Gourd, Winter Melon, White Gourd, Winter Gourd, Tallow Gourd
Sanscrit: Kushmanda
Hindi: पेठा-Peda , कुष्माण्ड-Kushmand
Tamil: நீர்ப் பூசணிக்காய்
Malayalam: Kumbalam കുമ്പളം
Plant description of Ash Gourd
Ash Gourd - Benincasa hispida is an annual vine, grow up to 20 m length. It can't grow in the shade better in moist soil and it has the ability to tolerate the drought. Leaf and stem are white hairy and young fruits too, flowering starting from July to September, and the fruit ripen from August to December. The flowers are both male and female in the same plant, deep yellow in colour with five petals, matured fruits covered with a powdery white waxy green peripheral and fleshy inside contain lots of seeds, which are white and sharp in both end with size 1 cm. Fruits weighing 2.5 to 4 Kg. approximately.
Leaf Arrangement
| Shape-heart shaped | Margin-Doubly-serrated | Venation-Palmate |
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Useful plant parts:
Seed, Leaf, fruit
Medicinal uses:
Wax gourd’s juice of the fruit can reduce overweight, it is used in the treatments of dandruff, blood purification, bronchial diseases, increases memory power, tapeworms.
Chemical content:
Alunsenol and Mutiflorenol.
Medicinal properties:
Anti-microbial, anti-coagulant
How to prepare medicines:
Crushed leaf juice can apply on head to stop bleeding due to wound, piles etc (it is an anti-coagulant).
Cut to piece of ash gourd is kept over eyes to get cooling.
Drink the fruit juice with little salt is capable to reduce over weight.
Eating of fresh fruit is beneficial to cure intestinal parasites, acidity and ulcers.
Ash gourd is used as an ingredient to prepare the Ayurveda medicines like:-
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