Ridge gourd/Turai - Health benefits, application, chemical constituents, side effects and many more

 

 Ridge gourd/Turai

Luffa acutangula (Cucurbitaceae), a perennial plant grows mainly in India, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Egypt, and other parts of Africa, it is widely used in the traditional Indian medicinal system to treat various health conditions. Propagation of this plant is done through seeds and are sown in February–March or June–July

It shows antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, antiulcer, anticancer, immunomodulatory, antiproliferative, antihyperlipidemic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, CNS depressant, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory.

             Click here to explore more about Antioxidant and Free radicals

It has different names in different languages such as Hindi name(Taroi, Kharro, Nenua, Chikni Turai, Kalitori Tharoayi),  English name(Ridge gourd, Ribbed gourd, angled luffa),  Marati Name(Shirola, Do..........................read more



Two types of Ridge gourd

  1. Bitter/Wild variety : used for medicinal purpose
  2. Non-Bitter variety : used as vegetable




Vitamins and minerals content

Luffa acutangula fruit include carbohydrates, carotene, fat, protein, phytin, amino acids, alanine, arginine, cystine, glutamic acid, glycine, hydroxyproline, leucine, serine, tryptophan and pipecolic acid. Its leaves and flowers contain flavonoids and herb contains saponins and acutosides. The seeds contain a fixed oil which consists of glycerides of palmitic, stearic and myristic acids

More than 50 chemical compounds have been isolated from a plant which mainly comprises flavonoids, anthraquinones, proteins, fatty acids, saponin triterpene, volatile components, and other phytoconstituents. 

Seed oil showed the presence of total saturated (32.1%) and unsaturated (67.9%) fatty acids which were recognized as myristic (0.45%), palmitic (20.9%), stea..........................read more



Properties and Benefits 

  • Rasa (Taste) – Tikta (Bitter)
  • Guna (Qualities) – Laghu (Light for digestion), Ruksha (Dry), Tikshna (Pungent)
  • Vipaka- Katu (Undergoes to pungent taste conversion after digestion)
  • Veerya (Potency) – Ushna (Hot)
  • Effects on Tridosha – Pacifies kapha and pitta dosha 
  •            Click here to explore more information about Tridosha (vata-Kapha-Pitta)
  • Vamaka – Induces emesis & purgation
  • Deepana – induces appetite

Benefits

  • Pakvashaya shodhini – cleanses large intestine
  • Amashaya shodhini – cleanses stomach and small intestines
  • Used in –
  • Kasa – cough, cold
  • Garavisha – chronic poisoning
  • Udara – ascites, enlargement of the abdomen
  • Pandu – anemia
  • Shopha  – inflammation
  • Pleeha – Disease of the spleen, Splenomegaly
  • Gulma – Tumors of the abdomen
  • Arsha – haemorrhoids
  • Kushta – skin diseases
  • Kamala – Jaundice, Liver diseases

Ridge gourd fruit –




Uses, Remedies Benefits and Application

1) The juice of the fruit of koshataki is given for the purpose of emesis & purgation, done as poorvakarma in panchakarma therapy.


2) Ridge gourd has high nutritive value and is often called a nutrition powerhouse because of its rich and varied nutrient content. It has vitamin C, riboflavin, niacin, and essential amino acids.


3) The decoction of ridge gourd is given in a dose of 10-20ml to treat various skin diseases.


4) In Maharashtra and the tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh, leaves and fruit powder are used for the treatment of jaundice.


5) The most common use of the ridge gourd fruit is cooked as a vegetable. It has a sweet taste, cooling in nature and easy to digest. They form a low-calorie diet, which is considered good for diabetes. It is an ideal diet for those who are looking for weight loss.


6) The charantin and peptide which are present in this vegetable have insulin regulatory properties and thus helps in lowering blood sugar levels as well as urine sugar levels.


7) The pulp of the ridge gourd is ground andapplied on the wound to stop the bleeding.


8) The juice of the fruit of koshataki plant is given in a dose of 10-20 ml to treat hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and inflammation of the gastric mucosa.


9) The young fruit of some Luffa cultivars are used as cooked vegetables or pickled or eaten raw, and the shoots and flowers are sometimes also used.


10) The fruit juice is given in a dose of 10-15ml to induce emesis and reduce the symptoms of asthma.


11) It helps in cooling down the body to a large extent, is a natural detoxifier, thus helps in purifying the blood and it also helps in building immune system.


12) The juice of the fruit is given in a dose of 10 ml to treat cond..........................read more





Side effects

  • No adverse effect is seen.



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Reference

  1. Charaka Samhita
  2. Front Pharmacol. 2018; 9: 1177.  PMCID: PMC6232903
  3. J Food Sci Technol. 2016 Jul; 53(7): 3122–3128.   PMCID: PMC5052181
  4. Scholars Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science. 2016; 3(5):397-401
  5. Sushruta Samhita
  6. International Journal of Current Pharmaceutical Review and Research; 7(3); 151-155ISS
  7. Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals in Metabolic and Non-Communicable Diseases,  2022, Pages 61-77
  8. Kaiyyadeva Nighantu
  9. Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 2019; 12(5):2553-2558.
  10. Bhavaprakasha Nighantu
  11. Dhanvantari Nighantu
  12. Local tradition and knowledge

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