Pointed gourd

Scientific name of Pointed gourd: Trichosanthes dioica

Name of Pointed gourd in different languages:-

Sanskrit: Patola, Tikta, Rajiphala

Hindi: Paraval

Malayalam: Kattu Padavalam കാട്ടുപടവലം

Plant description:

The Pointed gourd plant is a perennial herb as a vine, commonly found in waste land, roadsides, abandoned places etc., stem are dark green and thin, round, which spread over trees walls with the help of tendrils, leaves are ovate, oblong, not lobed. Flowers are white, small and tubular, fruits are round, dark green with white stripe length up to 8 cm. Roots are tuberous with long tap root system.

Leaf Arrangement

Shape-Cordate	Margin-Entire	Venation-palmate

Useful plant parts: 

Whole plant, including flower, seeds, leaf.

Medicinal uses:

Fruit juice is used as a Virechana medicine, decoction of stem used to treat kapaha (Expectorant) and also used to treat leprosy, small pox.

Chemical contents:

Tannins, saponins, alkaloids

How to prepare medicines:

Pointed gourd is the one of the ingredient in the Ayurveda medicines like-

• Patoladikashayam
• Aragwadharishtam
• Aravindasavam
• Chavikasavam
• Nimbamrithasavam
• Aragwadhadi Ghrita
• Patoladi Ghrita
• Tikta Ghrita
• Vajraka Ghrita
• Siva Gulika
• Jeevanthyadi Kashayam
• Khadiradi Kashayam 
• Mahatiktam kashayam
• Phalatrikadi Kashaya
• Patoladi Kashayam
• Punarvadi Kashayam
• Tiktakam Kashayam
• Triyiandyadi Kashayam
• Vajrakam Kashayam 
• Astapatra Tailam