Medicinal Values of Trichosanthus Cucumerina L. (Snake Gourd) - a Review
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British Journal of Pharmaceutical Research 16(5): 1-10, 2017; Article no.BJPR.33575 ISSN: 2231-2919, NLM ID: 101631759 Medicinal Values of Trichosanthus cucumerina L. (Snake Gourd) - A Review N. Deepa Devi 1* 1#Department of Vegetable Crops, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore-641003, India. Author’s contribution The sole author designed, analyzed and interpreted and prepared the manuscript. Article Information DOI: 10.9734/BJPR/2017/33575 Editor(s): (1) Shanfa Lu, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, China. (2) Rafik Karaman, Bioorganic Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Al-Quds University, USA. Reviewers: (1) João Carlos da Silva Dias, University of Lisbon, Portugal. (2) Viduranga Waisundara, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka. Complete Peer review History: http://www.sciencedomain.org/review-history/19159 Received 21 st April 2017 th Review Article Accepted 15 May 2017 Published 22 nd May 2017 ABSTRACT Snake gourd is an annual climber and it’s commonly called as snake gourd, viper gourd, snake tomato or long tomato. The fruit is usually consumed as a vegetable due to it is good nutritional value. The fruit is a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin B and Vitamin C. It improves the appetite and acts as a tonic and stomachic and cures biliousness. This is one of the most genetically diverse groups of food plant in the plant kingdom and every part of this plant is used to treat various diseases. It is used in the treatment of head ache, alopecia, fever, abdominal tumors, bilious, boils, acute colic, diarrohea, haematuria and skin allergy. T. curcumineria is used as an abortifacient, vermifuge, stomachic, refrigerant, purgative, malaria, laxative, hydragogue, hemagglutinant, emetic, cathartic, bronchitis and anthelmintic. This review paper completed focus on the biosystematics, nutritional, chemical constituents and scientific medicinal uses of the plant. Keywords: Snake gourd; Trichosanthes cucumerina L; Phytochemicals; chemical substance; medicinal uses. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]; #Post Doctoral Fellow (UGC - India) Devi; BJPR, 16(5): 1-10, 2017; Article no.BJPR.33575 1. INTRODUCTION (syn. Trichosanthes multiloba Clarke ), Trichosanthes nervifolia L., Trichosanthes Snake gourd is scientifically called as cordata Roxb., Trichosanthes japonica and Tricosanthes cucumerina is a well known plant, Trichosanthes shikokiana . The botanical name of the fruit of which is mainly consumed as a snake gourd is sometimes known as vegetable. It is an annual climber belonging to Trichosanthes cucumerina L. but the most the family Cucurbitaceae. It is commonly called common is Trichosanthes anguina L. the species as snake gourd, viper gourd, snake tomato or Trichosanthes celebica , Trichosanthes ovigera long tomato [1,2]. The fruit is usually consumed and Trichosanthes villosa are minor vegetables. as a vegetable due to it is good nutritional value. Trichosanthes cucumeroides , commonly known The fruit is a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin B as the Japanese snake gourd is grown in Japan and Vitamin C. It improves the appetite and acts and China. The species Trichosanthes bracteata as a tonic and stomachic and cures biliousness. (Lam.) Voigt. var. tomentosa (Heyne ex Clarke) The wild bitter forms are used in many ayurvedic Chak. occurs in India in the peninsular region preparations. The fruits of cultivated forms also and north eastern zone. Trichosanthes bracteata have medicinal uses and are useful for people var. bracteata is distributed all over the country suffering from blood pressure, heart diseases, but largely in eastern India, the Himalayas up to rheumatism and psoriasis. The plant is richly an elevation of 1500 m and extending constituted with a series of chemical constituents southwards to the Andaman Islands. like flavonoids, carotenoids, phenolic acids which Trichosanthes cucumerina (L), perhaps a wild makes the plant pharmacologically and form of Trichosanthes anguina occurs almost therapeutically active. It has a prominent place in throughout India and Trichosanthes cordata alternative systems of medicine like Ayurveda (Roxb.) grows wild in peninsular India and North- and Siddha due to it is various pharmacological Eastern plains and hills [6]. activities like antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, larvicidal effects 4. CYTOLOGY [3,4]. All species of Trichosanthes have chromosomes, 2. TAXONOMY n=11 and 2n=22 except Trichosanthes bracteata and Trichosanthes cucumeroides in which n=22 Cucurbitaceae is a plant family commonly known and 2n=44. Tetraploids (2n=44) and hexaploids as melons, gourds or cucurbits and includes (2n=66) have been reported in Trichosanthes crops like cucumbers, squashes (including palmate . Induced polyploids in Trichosanthes pumpkins), luffas, melons (including anguina showed quadrivalents, trivalents, watermelons). The family is predominantly bivalents and univalents. Only two species, distributed around the tropics, where those with Trichosanthes anguina and Trichosanthes edible fruits were amongst the earliest cultivated cucumerina are monoecious while all others are plants in both the old and new world. Major dioecious. The species with 2n-=22 genera under this family are Trichosanthes (100 chromosomes had metacentric to submetacentric species), Cayaponia (60 species), Momordica medium – sized (5.74 mm to 1.48 mm) (47 species), Gurania (40 species), Sicyos (40 chromosomes. There were only three pairs of species) and Cucumis (34species). This is one of chromosomes with secondary constriction in the most genetically diverse groups of food plant Trichosanthes anguina and Trichosanthes in the plant kingdom [5,6]. cucumerina. The presence of XY sex chromosomes were recorded in Trichosanthes 3. BIOSYSTEMATICS cucumeriodes and Trichosanthes japonica at meiosis and in Trichosanthes multiloba at metaphase. The species, Trichosanthes anguina, The genus Trichosanthes has two cultivated Trichosanthes cucumerina and Trichosanthes species Trichosanthes anguina L. and lobata are crossable among themselves with Trichosanthes dioica Roxb. And several fertile hybrids indicating their close relationship wild species. The important wild species [6]. are Trichosanthes bracteata (Lam.) Voigt. (Syn. Trichosanthes palmata Roxb. ), which is most 5. REGIONAL NAME widely distributed in India, Trichosanthes cucumerina L. having a large variability, The genus Trichosanthes has two cultivated Trichosanthes lobata, Trichosanthes wallichiana species Trichosanthes cucumerina L. 2 Devi; BJPR, 16(5): 1-10, 2017; Article no.BJPR.33575 (synonyms: Trichosanthes anguina L.) and 7. MORPHOLOGY Trichosanthes dioica Roxb. The regional names of snake gourd or snake tomato is The plant of Tricosanthes cucumerina is a Chichinga/Chichinge (Bengali), Potlakaaya monoecious annual herb climbing by 2–3- (Telugu), Pudalankaai (Tamil), Aduvalakaayi branched tendrils upto 5 to 6 meters high or less. (Kannada), Padavalanga (Malayalam), Galartori The stems are slender, green, 4-angled, (Punjabi), Padavali (Gujarathi), Schlangen – somewhat hairy, and faintly disagreeable in odor. Haargurke and Chichinda (Hindi), Wang Gua The roots are somewhat tuberous and whitish. (China), Trikosantes, Lang Tomat (Dan), The leaves are alternate, simple with no stipules. Haarbloem (Dut), Courge Serpent, Serpent Leaves are scabrid hairy on both surfaces, Vegetal, Serpent Japonais (France), rounded in outline, 7 to 14 centimeters long and Schlangengurke, Uri (Germany), Petola Ular broad, and 3 or 5-lobed, the lobes being broad, (Mal), Karasu-uri-zoku, Hebi-Uri (Japan), Patola rounded or obtuse, and the sinuses broad or (Srilanka), Serpentona, Zucchetta cinese (Italy), narrow and rounded. The base is broadly heart- Abóbora-Serpente, Patola (Portugal), shaped. The staminate inflorescences are long- Käärmekurkku (Finland), Buap Nguu Ma Noi peduncled and axillary, with six to fifteen flowers. (Thailand), Yilan Kabagi (Turkey), Anguina, Flowers are unisexual, regular, and white in Calabaza De Culebra, Culebrina, Serpiente colour with green and hairy calyx. Corolla is Vegetal, Calabaza, Anguina (Spain) and tubular in with lobes fringed and hair like Pakupis, Tabubok (Tal) [7]. outgrowths. The male flowers are many-flowered with axillary racemes on 10–30 cm long 6. ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION peduncles. They are with 3 stamens but the female flowers are solitary and sessile with Snake gourd is originated in India or in the Indian inferior, single celled ovary, long and with hairy Archipelago. The genus Trichosanthes is native stigmas [9]. Fruits are very slender, long and to Southern and Eastern Asia, Australia and cylindrical berry, often twisted, greenish-white Islands of the western Pacific. Trichosanthes when immature, dark red when mature. The cucumerina is found wild throughout these areas. seeds are half-ellipsoid, somewhat compressed, It was probably domesticated in ancient times in undulate, hard, rugose, nearly one centimeter India. It is grown as a minor vegetable in many long, greyish-brown, sculptured, margin undulate countries of tropical Asia. It is locally grown as a and imbedded in a soft foetid with red pulp [10]. vegetable in home gardens in Africa. Commercial growers around big cities in East Africa 8. PHYTOCHEMICALS occasionally grow cultivars of snake gourd imported from India