Trichosanthes kirilowi - Chinese cucumber

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Trichosanthes kirilowii

Trichosanthes kirilowii is a flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae found particularly in Henan, Shandong, Hebei, Shanxi, and Shaanxi. It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it shares the name guālóu (Chinese: 栝楼) with the related T. rosthornii. It is known as Chinese cucumber in English. And Chinese snake gourd.

Uses

colds, HIV, high cholesterol, psoriasis, digestion, constipation

Parts Used

Leaves, Whole herb.

Chemical Composition

The plant is a source of the ricin-like protein trichosanthin

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada
Hindi	Khira / Kheera / Kakdi
Malayalam	Vellarikka
Tamil	Vellarikka
Telugu
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit
English	Cucumber

Properties

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

Dravya

Rasa

Guna

Veerya

Vipaka

Karma

Prabhava

Habit

Shrub

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
Simple	large	lThe Leaves (10-20 cm in the regular cucumber, 20-40 cm in the seedless cucumber) are each borne on long (7-20 cm) petioles

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Unisexual	2-4cm long	Yellow	5-20	The flowers which are mostly either male or female. The female flowers are recognized by the swollen ovary at the base, which will become the edible fruit

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
triangular	5-20cm	In the immature fruit, chlorophyll in the cells under the epidermis causes the rind to be green, but, upon maturity, it turns yellow-whit	the fruit is a false berry or pepo	many seeds	{{{6}}}

Other features

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

• Vishatinduka Taila as root juice extract

Mode of Propagation

Seeds.

How to plant/cultivate

Cucumbers are tender annuals that grow best in temperatures ranging from 60° to 90°F. Sow cucumbers in the garden after the soil has warmed, 3 to 4 weeks after the average last frost date in spring.

Commonly seen growing in areas

semitropical plant, high temperature, humidity.

Photo Gallery

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External Links

• Trichosanthes kirilowii on haifa pioneering the future
• Trichosanthes kirilowii on johnny seeds
• The origin of cucumbers
• Trichosanthes kirilowii on specialty produce