Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn. (= Benincasa cerifera Savi)

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 57-58

Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn. (= Benincasa cerifera Savi)

Names.

Myanmar: kyauk-pha-yon, lun-tha, pora-mat. English: ash pumpkin, wax gourd, white gourd.

Range.

Tropical Asia. Cultivated all over Myanmar up to altitudes of 1220 m.

Uses.

Known for a sweet and slightly salty taste, giving strength and controlling bile, the flowers, seeds, roots and especially the fruits are used in medicinal preparations. Flower: Crushed and ingested as a cure for cholera. Fruit: Has restorative properties important in the treatment of weaknesses from lung disease. The ripe fruit promotes bowel movements, cleanses the bladder, and alleviates diseases of the blood. The juice is used to stop bleeding, vomiting of blood, and otherwise excreting blood, and it is given for epilepsy, strokes, and in the treatment of insanity. It is also given, together with a small amount of shein-kho ( Gardenia resinifera ) and wheat ash (obtained from burning grains in closed receptacles so more of the structure is retained), to alleviate bladder inflammation and dissolve kidney stones. Seed: Used for deworming. Root: A mixture of root powder and hot water is taken for coughing, bronchitis, and asthma.

Notes.

The medicinal uses of this species in India are discussed in Jain and DeFilipps (1991). Medicinal uses of this species in China are discussed in Duke and Ayensu (1985). The medicinal uses of the species in China, Indonesia, and the Philippines are discussed in Perry (1980).

Reported constituents include fixed oil, starch, the alkaloid cucurbitine, an acid resin, proteins (myosin and vitellin), and sugar ( Perry 1980).

Reference.

Agricultural Corporation (1980).