Citrullus colocynthis - Indravaruni

Indravaruni, Citrullus colocynthis

Indravaruni is a perennial plant with a woody, tuberous rootstock from which grow long trailing or climbing stems. The plant has long been valued for its medicinal uses and is cultivated in some regions for this purpose.

Uses

Hypoglycemic, Constipation, Antifungal and antibacterial, Inflammation, Larvicidal, Cold and cough

Parts Used

Roots, Fruits

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada	balibandrakshi, daasamekke, hara mekke kaayi, kaada kavade, kakkavade kaayi
Hindi	badi indrayan, chota tarbooj, indrayan
Malayalam	kattuvellari, paikummatti
Tamil	antimarittan, paitummatti, intiravallarai, intiravaruni
Telugu	chedu putcha kaaya, chittipaapara, paaparabudama, erri puchcha
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit	aindri, atmaraksha, brihadvaruni, brihatphala, chitrala, chitrapala, indravaruni, mrgabojani, mahendravaruni
English	colocynth

Properties

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

Rasa

Tikta (Bitter)

Guna

Laghu (Light), Rooksha (Dry), Teekshna (Sharp) ===Veerya=Hot)

Vipaka

Katu (Pungent)

Karma

Pitta, Kapha

Habit

Climber

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
Simple	alternate	Tendrils simple, rarely bifid, slender, glabrous. Leaves alternate, elongate-ovate in outline, 10-60 (-110) mm long, 8-55 (-66) mm broad, distinctly scabrid-hairy beneath, smooth except on the nerves above, palmately deeply 3-5-lobed, ultimate lobes pinnately lobulate with central lobe longest, long-ovate in outline; petiole rather densely rough-hairy

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Unisexual	axillary	yellow		Male flowers on long pedicels; calyx campanulate, c. 9 (4-8) mm long, lobes c. 5 mm broad; corolla pale yellow, ovate-acute, c. 8 mm long and c. 5 mm broad. Female flowers on longer pedicels than male, receptacle-tube short, lobes lanceolate, c. 5 mm long; ovary hairy, subglobose or obovate.

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
Pepo	5 cm across	globose, smooth, longitudinally green striped, 5-7 cm in diameter, eipcarp thin, filled with a dry spongy very bitter pulp		seeds numerous, ovate-oblong, yellowish brown, not margined, c. 6 mm long and c. 3 mm broad.	{{{6}}}

Mode of Propagation

Seeds

Commonly seen growing in areas

Tropical area

Photo Gallery

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External Links

• https://easyayurveda.com/2013/01/17/colocynth-citrullus-colocynthis-uses-dosage-side-effects/
• http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Citrullus+colocynthis