Cucumis melo Health Dictionary

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Cucumis Melo: From 1 Different Sources

Linn. var. utilissimus Duth. & Fuller.

Synonym: C. utilissimus Roxb.

Family: Cucurbitaceae.

Habitat: Cultivated in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

English: Snake Cucumber.

Ayurvedic: Ervaaru, Ervaaruka, Urvaaru, Bahukanda, Karkati.

Unani: Kakari.

Siddha/Tamil: Kakkarikkay, Vellarikkai.

Action: Seeds—cooling, diuretic; used in painful micturition and suppression of urine.

The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India recommends the seed in dysuria and lithiasis.

Dosage: Seed—3-6 g. (API Vol. II.)
Health Source: Indian Medicinal Plants
Author: Health Dictionary

Bitter Melon

See Cundeamor.... bitter melon

Cucumis Prophetarum

Linn.

Synonym: C. myriocarpus Naud.

Family: Cucurbitaceae.

Habitat: Wild on wastelands of Sindh, Baluchistan, Rajasthan; in dry districts of Bellary in the South.

English: Wild Cucumber.

Ayurvedic: Indravarruni (var.).

Folk: Khar-indraayana.

Action: Emetic, purgative. Toxic.

Fruit pulp—a bitter resinous body, myriocarpin, produces nausea and is slightly purgative.

The fruit contain cucurbitacin B,C,D and Q1, and propheterosterol and its acetate. Cucurbitacin Q1 is an anti- tumour agent. Amino acids from the fruits are leucine, iso-leucine, pheny- lalanine, valine, tryptophan, tyrosine, proline, alanine threonine, glycine, arginine, crystine and aspartic acid.... cucumis prophetarum

Cucumis Sativus

Linn.

Family: Cucurbitaceae.

Habitat: Cultivated for its edible fruits which are usually used as salad vegetable.

English: Cucumber.

Ayurvedic: Trapusha, Traapusha, Trapushi, Tiktakarkatikaa (bitter var.).

Unani: Khiyaar, Khiraa.

Siddha/Tamil: Vellarikkai.

Folk: Khiraa.

Action: Seed—used in dysuria, irritation of the urinary tract, cystitis. Reduces specific gravity of urine. Also used for tapeworms.

Cucumber contains rutin; seeds glu- cosides including cucurbitaside; leaves free cucurbitasides B & C, ferredox- in, alpha-spinasterol. Free and bound sterols are found in seedlings and in male and female flowers.

Presence of proteolytic enzymes, ascorbic acid oxidase and succinic and malic dehydrogenases has been reported.

Dosage: Seed—3-6 g powder; fruit juice—25-50 ml. (CCRAS.)... cucumis sativus

Cucumis Trigonus

Roxb.

Synonym: C. pseudo-colocynthis Royle.

C.callosus (Rottl.) Congn. Bryonia callosa Rottl.

Habitat: Wild throughout the drier upland tracts of India. Ayurvedic: Indravaaruni (var.). Siddha/Tamil: Kattutumatti. Folk: Vishlumbha, Bhakuraa.

Action: Pulp of fruit—drastic purgative. Decoction of roots— milder in purgative action. Seeds— cooling, astringent; useful in bilious disorders. The fruit is used as a substitute for Colocynth.

The fruits contain steroid and tri- terpenoid compounds, cucurbitacin B and proteolytic enzymes. EtOH extract exhibits analgesic and anti- inflammatory activity; stimulates isolated uterus of guinea pigs.... cucumis trigonus

Melochia Corchorifolia

Linn.

Family: Sterculiaceae.

Habitat: Kumaon to Sikkim, Gujarat and Peninsular India.

Siddha/Tamil: Pinnakkuppundu.

Folk: Chunch, Bilpat.

Action: Leaf and root—antidysen- teric. Leaf—applied as poultice for swellings of abdomen and sores.

The leaves gave flavonol glycosides, cyclopeptide alkaloids. The triter- penoids and steroids, isolated from the aerial parts, are friedelin, beta- sitosterol and its beta-D-glucoside and stearate.... melochia corchorifolia

Melody

(Greek) A beautiful song Melodee, Melodey, Melodi, Melodia, Melodie, Melodea... melody

Melora

(Greek) Resembling the golden apple

Melorah, Melorra, Melorrah... melora

Melomelus

n. a fetus with one or more pairs of supernumerary limbs.... melomelus

Melothria Maderaspatana

(L.) Cogn.

Synonym: Cucumis maderaspatana Linn.

Bryonia scabrella Linn. f. Mukia scabrella (Linn. f.) Arn.

Family: Cucurbitaceae.

Habitat: Throughout India, ascending up to 1,800 m in the hills.

Ayurvedic: Ahilekhana, Trikoshaki.

Siddha/Tamil: Musumsukkai.

Folk: Agmaki.

Action: Tender shoots—gentle aperient, diuretic, stomachic; decoction used in biliousness and flatulence.

The root contains columbin; seed oil gave linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids. Fresh aerial parts exhibit potent anti- hepatotoxic activity.

In carbon tetrachloride-induced liver dysfunction in albino rats, the recovery of liver, treated with the extract from aerial parts, was significant and there was marked decrease in serum levels of the enzymes, alanine, aminotransferase, aspartate amino- transferase and alkaline phosphatase.

Kuruvikizhangu of Siddha medicine, used for acute diarrhoea and fever, is equated with Malothria per- pusilla (Blume) Cogn. Zehneria hook- eriana Arn., found in upper Gangetic plain from Nepal to Assam and in Peninsular India.... melothria maderaspatana

Solanum Melongena

Linn.

Family: Solanaceae.

Habitat: Native to India; cultivated throughout India.

English: Eggplant, Brinjal.

Ayurvedic: Bhantaki, Bhantaa, Vaartaaka, Vaartaaku, Vaartaakini, Vrintaaka.

Unani: Baingan.

Siddha/Tamil: Kathirikai.

Folk: Baingan, Bhantaa.

Action: Fruit—recommended in liver complaints and for amenorrhoea. The fruit is reported to stimulate the intrahepatic metabolism of cholesterol, produces a marked drop in blood cholesterol level. Aqueous extract of fruit is reported to inhibit choline esterase activity of human plasma. Root—anti- asthmatic. Leaves—toxic; used mostly externally for the treatment of burns, cold sores and abscesses. Seeds—anticholesterolemic.

Steroidal saponins, melongosides were isolated from seeds; tigogenin, diosgenin were also obtained. Querce- tin, 3-O-rhamnoside and kaempferol- 3-O-rutinoside have been isolated from the leaves. The ethanol extract (80%) showed anti-inflammatory activity in paw oedema and cotton pellet method in rats. Crude extract of fruits showed diuresis and dose-dependent hypotensive response in normotensive rats. Ether-soluble methanolic extract exhibited strong inhibitory activity on lipoxygenase, involved in atherosclerotic processes and platelet aggregation in rats.

Solanum melongena Linn. var. incanum Kuntze, synonym S. coagulans Forsk. is known as Bana-bhantaa (also a synonym of Solanum ferox) and is used as Brihati in Kerala. Air-dried fruits and leaves from coimbatore contain 1.05 and 0.97% of alkaloids respectively. The fruits contain solaso- dine, campesterol and beta-sitosterol. Solamargine, solasodine, ursolic acid and its derivatives exhibited significant cytotoxic effects against human P2C/PRF/5 cells in vitro.... solanum melongena

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