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Difference between revisions of "Benincasa hispida - Kushmanda, Winter melon"

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[[File:Benincasa hispida compose.jpg|thumb|right|''Winter melon'']]
 
[[File:Benincasa hispida compose.jpg|thumb|right|''Winter melon'']]
  
The '''winter melon''', also called '''ash gourd, white gourd, winter gourd, tallow gourd'''  '''Chinese preserving melon''' is a vine grown for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable when mature. It is the only member of the genus Benincasa. The fruit is fuzzy when young. The immature melon has thick white flesh that is sweet when eaten. By maturity, the fruit loses its hairs and develops a waxy coating, giving rise to the name wax gourd, and providing a long shelf life. The melon may grow as large as 80 cm in length. Although the fruit is referred to as a "melon," the fully grown crop is not sweet. Native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, the winter melon is widely grown throughout Asia.
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The '''winter melon''' is a vine grown for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable when mature. It is the only member of the genus Benincasa. Native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, the winter melon is widely grown throughout Asia.
  
 
==Uses==
 
==Uses==

Revision as of 17:49, 4 July 2018

Winter melon

The winter melon is a vine grown for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable when mature. It is the only member of the genus Benincasa. Native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, the winter melon is widely grown throughout Asia.

Uses

summer fevers, painful wounds, vaginal discharges, coughs, intestinal abscesses, excessive thirst, epilepsy, gonorrhoea, nervous diseases

Parts Used

Flowers, fruits, Leaves, Seeds.

Chemical Composition

Vitamins - A: 0mg; Thiamine (B1): 4mg; Riboflavin (B2): 0.11mg; Niacin: 0.4mg; B6: 0mg; C: 13mg;[1]

Common names

Language Common name
Kannada Boodagumbala, Boodu gumbala
Hindi Pethaa
Malayalam Kumbalanga
Tamil Neer poosanikai, Pooshnikai
Telugu
Marathi NA
Gujarathi NA
Punjabi NA
Kashmiri NA
Sanskrit Kushmanda
English Ash gourd, Ash pumpkin


Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Dravya

Rasa

Madhura (Sweet)

Guna

Laghu (Light), Snigda (Unctuous)

Veerya

Sheeta (Cold)

Vipaka

Madhura (Sweet)

Karma

Kpha, Pitta

Prabhava

Habit

Annual Climber

Identification

Leaf

Kind Shape Feature
Simple roundish White gourd is a vine grown for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable

[2]

Flower

Type Size Color and composition Stamen More information
Unisexual 5-15 cm long Yellow 5-20 densely hairy, lobes lanceolate, acute, 6-12 mm long. Petals spreading, blunt, but ending in a short point

Fruit

Type Size Mass Appearance Seeds More information
fuzzy 7–10 mm (0.28–0.4 in.) long pome the fruit loses its hairs and develops a waxy coating its very large fruitWith hooked hairs many {{{6}}}

Other features

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

Where to get the saplings

Mode of Propagation

Seeds, Cuttings.

How to plant/cultivate

Benincasa hispida is a plant of the tropics, and is also cultivated in the subtropics.[3]

Commonly seen growing in areas

Tall grasslands, meadows, Borders of forests and fields.

Photo Gallery

References

External Links