The lung tonic – Kusmanda (Ash gourd)
Kushmanda (white gourd) belongs to gourd family of vegetables. It is a store house of Phytonutrients and medicinal values.
- Mainly used in weight gain therapy,to improve intelligence and so on.
- In India Petha (agra petha etc) sweet dish which is very popular made from pulp of white gourd and sugar syrup.
Botanical Name – Benincasa hispida
Family– Cucurbitaceae
Vernacular Names of Ash Gourd
- English – Winter melon ,white gourd melon, ash gourd
- Hindi – Petha, Raksa
- Kannada – Budi kumbala ,kayi
- Tamil – Pusanikkai
- Malayalam – Kumpalam
- Telugu – Budidagummadi
- Arabian – Mahadab
- Sanskrit – Kusmanda,pushpaphala (fruits and flowers are present in the creeper wine at the same time), Valliphala (fruit yeilding creeper)
Classical Categorisation – All text books have categorized it under phala varga.
Properties
- Rasa – Madhura (sweet)
- Guna – Laghu (light to digest), Snigdha(unctous,oily)
- Vipaka- Madhura (sweet)
- Virya- Sheeta (cold)
- Effect – Pacifies pitta and vata dosa
- Prabhava-Medhya (improves intelligence)
Parts Used – fruit,seed,seed oil
Chemical Constituents – Amino acids, mucins, mineral salts, starch, calcium, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, Vitamin B, Vitamin C.
Medicinal Uses of White Gourd/Kushmanda
- Epilepsy in children -White gourd seed powder (churna) is taken along with brahmi (Bacopa monneiri)
- Tuberculosis and lung diseases-Intake of ash gourd fruit (or kushmanda avaleham) helps in cleaning the lungs and increases the immunity of the body.It acts as a lung tonic.
- Burning sensation (skin) – Pulp and paste of leaves can be used externally to reduce burning sensation of skin.
- Peptic ulcer- Ash gourd juice (swarasa) should be taken in morning along with water in empty stomach. (Do not eat anything for 2 to 3 hours after drinking this).
- Mouth Ulcer – Gargle (gandoosha) using ash gourd juice regularly.
- Urinary Dysfunction- Intake of ash gourd pulp (kalka). Also used in kidney stones.
- To treat tape worm and intestinal worm- Seed powder (bija churna) is taken 3-6 gm before sleeping.
- Schizophrenia, senility and memory loss – White gourd is used as it act as a tranquilizer. It also act as a brain tonic.
- For enhancing sperm count and libido – Intake of seed ( 5 -6 gm) boiled in milk.
Quantity
- Juice (swarasa)- 10 -15 ml
- Fruit – 10-20 gram
- Seed powder – 3-6 gram
Formulations-
Kushmanda ghrita – Indicated in mental illness.
Kushmanda rasayana – Indicated in bleeding disorders,to improve body weight and to relieve emaciation..