Amazing Health Benefits of Bottle Gourd

Bottle Gourd Health Benefits, Uses in various Health Conditions, Nutritional Value and Side Effects, FAQ

Introduction

Green vegetables play an important role in keeping us healthy. Regular consumption of these green vegetables rich in different nutrients protects our body from various diseases and helps in curing diseases. One such nutrition rich veggie is ‘Bottle Gourd’.

Bottle gourd

Bottle gourd is a nutritious vegetable that offers many health benefits. The bottle gourd tree is native to tropical Africa but is grown in warm weather around the world due to its ornamental and useful solid shell fruits. Bottle gourd vegetable softens the body with a cooling effect and is also very beneficial for the heart and even helps in reducing sleep disorders. The vegetable can grow over a meter.

Benefits and Uses of Bottle Gourd

Plant Details 

Bottle gourd plant is an annual, powerful, exclusive, fast-growing annual herb grown in an often hot climate. The size of the vines, leaves and flowers of the bottle gourd tree, as well as the size and shape of the fruits, varies greatly. It grows as a vine with an optional, wide, deep green leaf 400mm long and 400mm wide. The stem is often thick, angular, ribbed, and brittle and dyed which is about 5 m long. Plants produce flowers in summer that are exclusive, white, obvert; 15 cm long and 10-15 mm long. Some cultivated varieties of fruit can be more than 1 meter (about 3 feet) long. When the fruit is fresh the fruit has a thin green smooth skin and white meat. It contains brown seeds that are rectangular, and 2 cm long. Plants can be grown easily from seeds but require long warm weather to mature.

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Nutritional Value of per 100 g of Bottle Gourd 

  • Energy: 63 kJ (15 kcal)
  • Carbohydrates: 3.69 g
  • Dietary fiber: 1.2 g
  • Fat: 0.02 g
  • Protein: 0.6 g
  • Vitamins
    • Thiamine (B1): 0.029 mg
    • Riboflavin (B2): 0.022 mg
    • Niacin (B3): 0.39 mg
    • Pantothenic acid (B5): 0.144 mg
    • Vitamin B6: 0.038 mg
    • Folate (B9): 4 μg
    • Vitamin C: 8.5 mg
  • Minerals
    • Calcium: 24 mg
    • Iron: 0.25 mg
    • Magnesium: 11 mg
    • Manganese: 0.066 mg
    • Phosphorus: 13 mg
    • Potassium: 170 mg
    • Sodium: 2 mg
    • Zinc: 0.7 mg

Different Regional Names of Bottle gourd 

  • Assamese: Lau
  • Hindi: Ghia / Lauki
  • Tamil: Sorekai / Chorakkai
  • Malayalam: Chorakaa
  • Telugu: Sorakaya / Anapakaya
  • Bengali: Lau
  • Gujarati: Dudhi
  • Marathi: Pandhara Bhopla / Duniya Bhopal
  • Odia: Lau
  • Punjabi: Ghia Da Saag
  • Tulu: Turae
  • Kashmiri: Zeeth

Scientific Classification of Bottle gourd 

  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Clade: Tracheophytes
  • Clade: Angiosperms
  • Clade: Eudicots
  • Clade: Rosids
  • Order: Cucurbitales
  • Family: Cucurbitaceae
  • Genus: Lagenaria
  • Species: L. siceraria
  • Scientific Name: Lagenaria siceraria

Benefits of Bottle gourd

  1. Rich in Nutrition

Include bottle gourd in your diet to make the body eat essential nutrients and fiber. It is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and rich in nutrients such as riboflavin, zinc, iron, magnesium, vitamin C etc. 

  1. Keeps your body Hydrated

Summer can reduce the amount of water in the body and cause dehydration. Sodium loss causes migraine, restlessness and life-threatening heat stroke. Bottle gourd, which contains 96 percent water content, contains sodium and potassium and replenishes the body, which helps you to reduce the heat.

  1. Protects and Cares for your skin

Bottle gourd cleanses the skin from the inside and controls the release of oil in the mouth, thus controlling the breakout of acne caused by excessive sweating and oil production in the summer. It regulates and soothes other skin disorders.

  1. Helps to treat Constipation

Loss of water in summer can lead to indigestion and constipation. The bottle gourd contains soluble and insoluble fiber and water content that increases the digestive system, relieves constipation, and reduces acidity and bloating.

  1. Helps regulate Blood Pressure

Blood pressure usually decreases during summer and there is a risk of further reduction for patients with low blood pressure. Bottle gourd can control blood pressure and keep the heart healthy.

  1. May relieve SAD

Summer often brings with it seasonal affective disorders (SAD), causing depression for a hot and long day. Bottle gourd soothes the body and mind, and has anti-urethra, curing and anti-belies properties that reduce stress.

  1. Helps in Weight loss

Summer is a weight loss season and bottle gourd is one of the top foods that can help you lose weight in summer. With just 12 calories per 100 grams and water and rich in fiber, this vegetable is essential for anyone who wants to lose weight.

  1. Urinary Tract Infection

Bottle gourd is a natural disinfectant, bottle gourd juice will help in extracting excess water from the body, thus effectively helps in treating Urinary Tract Infection.

  1. Provides good Sleep

Summer can lead to insomnia, unpleasant sleep cycles, and insomnia for hot and short nights. Among its other benefits, bottle gourd helps treat sleep disorders. Eat bottle gourd juice for good sleep. 

  1. Provides Cooling Effect

Another extended therapeutic feature is that bottle gourd is an essential mixture of fiber and water that can cool body temperature. Your internal system will calm down after you eat this vegetable.

  1. Reduces Stress

Eating bottle gourd can help reduce stress. Its water content has a cooling effect on the body. It also has healing properties and relaxes the body.

  1. Benefits for the heart

Bottle gourd is extremely beneficial for the heart. Eating its juice at least three times a week will help you maintain a healthy heart as well as keep your blood pressure under control.

  1. Prevents premature graying of hair

Due to pollution, premature graying of hair has emerged as a problem all over the world. Eating a glass of bottle gourd juice every day can help you maintain natural hair color and texture.

  1. Helps Indigestion

Bottle gourd also helps indigestion. Rich in fiber and alkaline, it helps in treating acidity.

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  1. Cures Stomach Problems

Bottle gourd helps in curing constipation and also treats diarrhea. This is because vegetables contain plenty of water and fiber which helps in cleaning your digestive tract and smoothes bowel movement. One of the best home remedies for treating diarrhea is to eat bottle gourd juice with a pinch of salt. It helps to maintain your body’s electrolyte balance.

Benefits of Bottle Gourd Juice

  • Drinking a glass of bottle gourd juice in the morning helps in treating graying hair.
  • Mixing bottle gourd juice with sesame oil provides an effective medicine for insomnia. Massage the scalp with this preparation every night.
  • Bottle gourd juice is very helpful in treating epilepsy, stomach acidity, indigestion, ulcers and other neuropathy.
  • Bottle gourd juice is considered as a tonic for heart, anti-aching and tonic to eliminate bronchitis, cough, asthma and biligenic infections.
  • A glass of bottle gourd juice, mixed with a little salt, helps prevent excessive sodium loss from the body.
  • Bottle gourd juice acts as an alkaline mixture that relieves irritation in the urine.
  • Juices derived from bottle gourd leaves are beneficial in jaundice.

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Uses of Bottle Gourd

Almost every portion of bottle gourd plant is used for consumption purposes. Fresh bottle gourd is used in a variety of stew, curry, meat dishes and sweet dishes all over the world. Bottle gourd is used in making sambar, chutney, soup, raita etc. Bottle gourd juice is consumed for various health benefits. Its leaves are also considered as a delicious and healthy part of local cuisines of some parts of Asian countries.  

Side Effects of Bottle Gourd

Bottle gourd contains many important minerals. Therefore, excessive use is harmful, as it can lead to accumulation of toxic levels of these metallic elements in the body. Patients with high fever and high body temperature variations must avoid consuming bottle gourd, due to its more cooling effect on the body, which can slow down healing processes.

Excessive bottle gourd juice can lead to adverse health problems like stomach bleeding, nausea, ulcers, vomiting blood, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and kidney problems. To limit the risk, only properly cooked juice should be consumed.

Note: It should be used in the right quantity keeping in view the benefits and disadvantages of bottle gourd as excessive use of any product can harm our health. The above mentioned information is provided only for general knowledge based on the information. It is advisable to consult a doctor before using bottle gourd in the medicinal field in curing the disease.

Conclusion

The above article included the benefits of Bottle gourd along with other related information. This information may benefit you in various ways to treat many health conditions. Thank You!

FAQ

Q. What are the common names of bottle gourd?

Ans: The common names of bottle gourd are- ‘white-flowered gourd’, ‘long melon’, ‘birdhouse gourd’, ‘New Guinea bean’ and ‘Tasmania bean’.

Q: Bottle gourd does not help in blood pressure control?

Ans: Blood pressure usually decreases in summer and there is a risk of further reduction for patients with low blood pressure. Bottle gourd can control blood pressure and keep the heart healthy.

Q: Is bottle gourd good for skin?

Ans: Bottle gourd cleanses the skin from the inside and controls the release of oil in the mouth, thus controlling the breakout of acne caused by excessive sweating and oil production in the summer. It regulates and soothes other skin disorders.

Q: Bottle gourd tree is a plant belonging to the family?

Ans: Bottle gourd belongs to the ‘Cucurbitaceae’ family.

Q. What is the scientific name of bottle gourd?

Ans: Bottle gourd’s scientific name is ‘Lagenaria siceraria’.

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