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Trichosanthes anguina Linn.
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English Name |
Snake Gourd, Serpentgourd, Serpent Gourd, Edible Snakegourd, Club Gourd |
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Latin name |
Trichosanthes anguina Linn. |
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Family & Genus |
Cucurbitaceae, Trichosanthes |
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Description |
Annual climbing plant, transverse section of stem quinquangular, slim, branches plentiful, covered with hairs. Leaf round or kidney shaped round, membranous, densely grown with tomentums, palmately 3-7 lobed, lobe polytropic, generally invert ovate, asymmetric between both sides, with thin crena on the margin, upper surface green, lower surface light green, main vein 5-7, thin vein reticular. Tendrils 2-3 branched, covered with short soft hairs, with longitudinal grain. Monoecious; male flower in raceme, usually adnate with a solitary female flower, peduncle covered with short soft hairs and long hard hairs, calyx nearly cylindrical, covered with short soft hairs and long hard hairs, petals white, 5 or 6 lobed, lobe long circular, tassel equal to corolla lobe in length; filament slim, pistillode with 3 pieces slim and separated style. Female flower solitary, calyx and corolla the same as that of male flower, receptacle large; ovary rodlike, covered with short soft hairs and long hard hairs. Fruit cylindrical, 30-160cm long, both ends gradually pointed, generally twisted, green before maturity, with white stripes, orange when mature, seeds more than 10, long circular, greyish brown, hilum end narrowed, both sides with wrinkles, margin with shallowly sinuate crenations. Flowering and fruiting: late summer and autumn. |
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Distribution |
Cultivated in the southern and northern parts of China. Distributed in South Yunnan, Guangdong and Hainan Island. The medicinal materials are mainly produced in South Yunnan, Guangdong and Hainan Island. |
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Part Used |
Medical part: fruits, roots and seeds. Chinese name: Shegua. |
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Harvest & Processing |
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Chemistry |
Flowers contain various amino acids. Fruits contain glycoprotein, etc. |
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Properties & Actions |
sweet, bitter, cold.Clearing heat for engendering liquid, clearing damp-heat and killing parasites. |
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Indications & Usage |
Mainly indicated for impairment of body fluids due to febrile disease and evil, dry mouth and tongue, dipsesis, polydipsia, urorrhagia, diabetes, jaundice.Oral administration: decocting 3-9g. |
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