Have you ever heard of the snake gourd before? It is not surprising that you might not hear this vegetable because of the reason that it is not one of the most popular vegetables in the world. Even though it is not that popular, there are cultures that know about this vegetable and consider it as one of the healthiest vegetables a person can eat. In fact, the health benefits of snake gourd are so many and are all beneficial for the betterment of the health.
It has many health benefits like it combats several digestion problems, helps in lowering the fever, helps in improving the respiratory system, helps in curing constipation, helps in improving the hair health and also helps in reducing the risk of cancer.
In this article, we will talk more about this vegetable.
Snake Gourd: What is this?
Snake gourd has the scientific name Tricosanthes cucumerina and a member of the Cucurbitaceae family. It is also commonly popular as Gudda bean, serpent cucumber, chines cucumber, club gourd, viper’s gourd, snake tomato, Padwal, and chichinda.
This vegetable is found wild in the Southeast and South Asia which includes India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Southern China and Myanmar. It is also inherent to Northern Australia and got naturalized in the islands of Indian and Pacific oceans, parts of Africa and in Florida.
It is also a vine plant which climbs up the tree and unfurls the fruits and flower of it to hang down to the ground. Some of the largest types of this can grow up to five feet in length. The name may come from the unusual shape of it which has the length that ranges from 40 to 120 cm. This vegetable has a waxy exterior and is striped with a shade of white and green. It is mostly eaten by many in the raw form in which the rip one’s color turns to orange and the mature one is red. There are many edible parts in this plant which includes the leaves, shoots, and tendrils aside from the vegetable.
Nutritional Facts
This vegetable gives several nutrients that our body needed. Below is the table that contains the nutrient content of one serving of this vegetable.
| Principle | Nutrient Value | % of the Recommended Dietary Allowance |
| Energy | 86.2 Kcal | n/d |
| Protein | 2 grams | 4% |
| Carbohydrate | 12.5 grams | 9.62% |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.6 grams | 1.58% |
| Vitamin A | 9.8 µg | 1.40% |
| Vitamin C | 30.5 milligrams | 33.89% |
| Thiamin | 5.2 milligrams | 433.33% |
| Riboflavin | 2.7 milligrams | 207.69% |
| Niacin | 3.8 milligrams | 23.75% |
| Vitamin B6 | 11.3 milligrams | 869.23% |
| Calcium | 5.1 milligrams | 0.51% |
| Iron | 5.7 milligrams | 71.25% |
| Magnesium | 6.7 milligrams | 1.60% |
| Phosphorus | 5 milligrams | 0.71% |
| Potassium | 359.1 milligrams | 7.64% |
| Sodium | 33 milligrams | 2.2% |
| Zinc | 7.2 milligrams | 65.45% |
| Copper | 4.4 milligrams | 488.89% |
| Manganese | 12.5 milligrams | 543.48% |
Uses
This vegetable is popular because it has many uses. Below is the list of the traditional uses of this vegetable:
- The roots are beneficial in eliminating intestinal worms.
- In China, the roots are useful in treating diabetes and some skin problems.
- In Konkan, the juice of the leaf is beneficial in treating liver congestion.
- The juice which extracted from the leaves helps in eliminating constipation by cleansing the bowels.
- In Ayurveda, this vegetable is useful in treating various liver disorders.
Health Benefits of Snake Gourd
This vegetable is a good source of several vitamins and minerals. That is why this vegetable also gives many health benefits to our own benefits. Below is the list of the health benefits of snake gourd one can get by eating this vegetable:
- Helps in improving hair health. Alopecia, an autoimmune disease, is one of the scalp problems because this causes the loss of hair in patches. This vegetable helps in solving the problem by providing the nourishment to the follicles and also strengthens it. It contains also a large number of carotenes which is helpful in skin and hair health.
- Helps in lowering the fever. You can turn this vegetable into a decoction in order to relieve fever. It helps especially in the tropical countries that consider the fever as a major danger to public health.
- Helps in curing constipation. This vegetable contains dietary fiber which is one of the best cure in order to soften stools. Furthermore, it also helps reduce the effects of constipation and bloating. This is one of the best health benefits of snake gourd.
- Helps in improving the respiratory system. This vegetable helps in loosening the pus and the phlegm in the respiratory tract to get rid of them. It is also beneficial for the immunity due to the toxins and other foreign agents that often get caught in mucus and phlegm. Which can cause more serious conditions?
- Helps in reducing the risk of cancer. This vegetable contains a large number of antioxidants that prevent the damage that is due to the free radicals. It binds and neutralizes the free radicals. The free radicals are what cause cancer because it attacks the body’s healthy cell.
