Common Name
English :Ash gourd
Hindi :Petha
Manipuri :Torbot
Scientific Name
Group :Angiosperm (Dicotyledon)
Family :Cucurbitaceae
Genus :Benincasa
Species :hispida (Thunb.) Cogn.
Habit :Robust climber
Parts Used :Seed and Fruit
Mode of Preparation :Fruit is boiled for extract. Fruit is boiled for consumption. Fresh fruit pulp crushed for consumption & paste. Seeds roasted and crushed for consumption. Fruit is boiled for consumption. Fruits used as vegetable.
Mode of use :Decoction and Fresh
Ingredients :Seeds yield a type of fatty oil. Seeds also contain pure protein and arginine, histidine, lysine, tryptophane, phenylalanin and cystine.
Ailment Treated:Boiled fruit is used in stomach ulcers and jaundice. Cooked fruit is eaten for stomach & liver problems. Fresh fruit paste is good for local application on eyes against blackening of skin and eye-itching. Seed oil is anthelmintic. Fruit is good for diabetes and diuretic.
Source:Extensively cultivated in valley areas.