Family: Cucurbitaceae
Synonyms: Benincasa cerifera Savi, Benincasa cylindrica Ser, Benincasa hispida var. chieh-qua F.C.How, Benincasa hispida var. hispida, Benincasa pruriens (Parkinson) W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes , Benincasa pruriens f. hispida (Thunb.) W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes, Benincasa vacua (F.Muell.) F.Muell., Cucurbita alba Roxb. ex Wight & Arn., Cucurbita farinosa Blume, Cucurbita hispida Thunb., Cucurbita littoralis Hassk., Cucurbita pruriens Parkinson , Cucurbita pruriens Seem., Cucurbita vacua F.Muell., Cucurbita villosa Blume, Gymnopetalum septemlobum Miq., Lagenaria dasystemon Miq., Lagenaria leucantha var. clavata Makino, Lagenaria leucantha var. hispida (Thunb.) Nakai, Lagenaria sicerariawar. hispida (Thunb.) H.Hara, Lagenaria vulgaris var. hispida (Thunb.) Nakai
Common name: White Gourd, Ash Gourd, Wax Gourd, Winter Melon
Assamese: Komora, তোৰোবোত Torobot (Manipuri).
Bengali: kumra, chalkumra
Burmese : Kyauk-hpayon.
Chinese : 冬 瓜 Dong gua (Cantonese Tung kwa), Bai dong gua, Yin dong gua.
Danish : Voksagurk, Voksgræskar.
Dutch : Waskalebas.
preserving melon, Tallow gourd.
French : Courge à cire, Courge à la cire, Courge cireuse, Pastèque de Chine.
German: Wachskürbis, Prügelkürbis.
Hindi : पेठा Pethaa (Petha), पेठाकद्दू Pethaa kaddu, Safed kaddu .
Italian : Zucca della cera.
Japanese : ド ングワ Don guwa (translit. Mand.), ト ンクワ Ton kuwa (translit. Cant.), ト ウガン Tougan, 冬瓜 Tougan, とう がん Tougan.
Kannada : Boodagumbala, Boodu gumbala, Budekumbalakayi.
Korean : 동 아 Donga, 동과 Donggwa.
Malay : Kundor, Kundur (Indonesia).
Malayalam: കുമ്പളങ്ങ Kumbalanga
Manipuri: তোৰোবোত Torobot
Marathi: कोहळा Kohla
Nepali: Kubiindo (Kubindo), Pethaa (Petha).
Portuguese : Abóbora d'água, Calabaza branca.
Russian : Восковая тыква Voskovaya tykva.
Sanskrit : Kushmanda. brihatphala, ghrinavasa, gramyakarkati, karkaru
Sinhalese : පුහුල් Puhul.
Spanish : Calabaza blanca, Calabaza china.
Swedish : Vaxpumpa.
Tagalog : Kandol.
Tamil : Neer poosanikai, Pooshnikai.
Telugu: బూడిద గుమ్మడికాయ Boodida gummadikaaya, Budida gummadikaya.
Thai : Faeng, ฟัก Fak, Mafak khom, Mafak mon, Mafak mon khom.
Turkish : Mom kabagi.
Urdu : پیٹھہ
Vietnamese : Bí đao, Cây bí đao, Quả bí đao, Trái bí đao.
Description: It is a climber native to tropical Asia which is cultivated mainly in warm countries. The plant has a musky smell. The stems are angular, 3 mm–4 mm in diameter and hispid. Leaves: simple, alternate and without stipules. The petiole is 6 cm–8 cm × 2 mm and hispid. The blade is palmately 5-lobed, very thin, and hispid underneath. The blade is serrate, and shows 5–6 pairs of secondary nerves. The flowers are simple, axillary and showy. The flower pedicels are 5 cm–10 cm long and hispid. The calyx consists of 5 linear, 8 mm long hispid sepals. The corolla consists of 5 yellow, orbicular, very thin and showily nerved petals. The fruits are massive, 40 cm long, ovate berries covered with a dense chalky white powder Ayurvedic uses: Mutraghata, Mutrakruchha, Prameha, Trishna, Asmari, Manasa vikara, Malabandha [API, Vol-4]
The fruits are useful in asthma, cough, diabetes, haemoptysis, hemorrhages from internal organs, epilepsy, fever and vitiated conditions of pitta. The seeds are useful in dry cough, fever, urethrorrhea, syphilis, hyperdipsia and vitiated conditions of pitta (Warrier et al,1993). It is a rejuvenative drug capable of improving intellect and physical strength. In Ayurveda, the fresh juice of the fruit is administered as a specific in haemoptysis and other haemorrhages from internal organs. The fruit is useful in insanity, epilepsy and other nervous diseases, burning sensation, diabetes, piles and dyspepsia. It is a good antidote for many kinds of vegetable, mercurial and alcoholic poisoning. It is also administered in cough, asthma or respiratory diseases, heart diseases and catarrah. Seeds are useful in expelling tapeworms and curing difficult urination and bladder stones. [Medicinal Plants]
Leaves—cooling, juice rubbed on bruises. Fruit decoc tion—laxative, diuretic, nutritious, styptic (given for internal haem orrhages and diseases of the respiratory tract.) Juice of fruit— used for treating epilepsy, insanity and other nervous diseases. The ash of fruit rind—applied on painful swellings. Seeds—anthelmintic. [Indian Medicinal Plants An Illustrated Dictionary]
In China, the fruits of Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn. are eaten to treat diabetes, dropsy and kidney diseases. The seeds are eaten to promote urination, relieve the bowels of costiveness, treat fever, heal hemorrhoids, and soothe inflamed intestines. The rind is eaten to promote urination and to invigorate the spleen. The pulp is used to promote urination, treat fever and as a demulcent. In India, the fruits are eaten to relieve the bowels of costiveness, promote urination and libido, check hemorrhages, treat strangury and expel urinary stones. The oil expressed from the seeds is soporific. In Indonesia, the fruits are eaten to invigorate health and to check hemorrhages. In Malaysia, the leaves are applied to bruises and a decoction of the fruit is drunk to combat hystero-epilepsy. In the Philippines, the fruits are eaten to treat disorders of the respiratory organs and applied to inflamed eyes. [Medicinal Plants of the Asia-Pacific: Drugs For The Future?]
282 Published articles of Benincasa hispida
