Kushmand – Medicinal Benefits

In winter, the fruits of the Kushmnd mature. The ripe fruits are sweet, balsamic, cold, Tridoshahar (especially Pitashamkara), which makes the bud meritorious, beneficial for the heart, enhancing, fortifying and poisonous.

The kushmand gives strength and peace to the brain. It is sleepy. Therefore, many psychics like schizophrenia, epilepsy, memory loss, insomnia, anger, confusion, anxiety, mental depression, and imbalance and brain weakness are extremely beneficial. It stabilizes the intellect by increasing perception. This increases the ability of the intellect to hold knowledge (accumulate knowledge). The mind becomes calm by eliminating lightheadedness, irritability, insomnia etc.

The kushmand makes the blood vessels and heart muscles strong. Performs blood prasadana (creation of superior blood). Eliminates air and feces and relieves constipation. It helps in stopping the bleeding caused by nose, vulva, anus, urine, etc. with its cool (Kaphapradhan) and hemostatic properties Pomegranate juice, vegetable, avaleh (Kushmandavaleh) are useful in gall bladder diseases like internal burning, excessive thirst, acidity, Hemorrhoids, chronic fever etc.

In tuberculosis (TB), the use of a kushmand fills the wounds of the lungs and stops bleeding with cough. The fever and burning sensation are calmed, the strength increases.

Scientific Classification

The botanical name of Petha/Kushmanda is Benincasa hispida (Benincasa= of Benin;hispida= hispid= thickly covered with long stiff bristly hairs). Its synonyms are B. cerifera Savi. Cucurbita hispada Thunb. It belongs to plant family Cucurbitaceae. Below is given taxonomical classification of the plant.

1. Kingdom: Plantae – Plants

2. Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants

3. Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants

4. Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants

5. Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons

6. Subclass: Dilleniidae

7. Order: Violales

8. Family: Cucurbitaceae – Cucumber family

9. Genus: Benincasa Savi – benincasa

10. Species: Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn. – waxgourd

Native:South-east Asia

Part(s) used for medicinal purpose: Leaves, fruit, seeds, roots.

Plant type: Climber.

Distribution: In warmer parts of India.

Habitat: Cultivated largely in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Bihar.

Kushmanda(White Gourd) Medicinal Uses

Know about ash gourd botanical description, medicinal properties, medicinal uses in Ayurveda, It’s health benefits, dosage, contraindications. This is very effective for mental disorders.

Ash Gourd is a medicinal plant and used in Ayurveda from ancient times to treat variety of disorders. It is known by many common names such as Petha, Kaddu, Ash Gourd, Hairy Melon, Wax Gourd, Winter Melon, Ash Pumpkin and White Pumpkin. Its botanical name is Benincasa hispida. Big, cylindrical-spheroidal Kushmanda fruits or White-Pumpkins are commonly seen in market as vegetable.

A very famous sweet preparation, Petha is made from its fruit pulp. Petha sweet gives relief in dyspepsia and hyperacidity. It is nutritious and cool in potency.

Charak and Sushruta prescribed the cooked vegetable for its laxative and diuretic action. The juice of fruit is prescribed by Sushruta for mental disorders, insanity and other nervous diseases.

Kushmanda is especially useful in the treatment of pitta-vikar, bleeding disorders, epilepsy, insanity and nervous disorders.

The fruits of the plant (White pumpkin) are considered aphrodisiac. Their intake decreases vata and Pitta inside the body. They are laxative, diuretic, nutritious and styptic (stops bleeding). The decoction of fruit is given for internal hemorrhages and diseases of the respiratory tract. The juice of fruit is also used for treating mental disorders such as insanity, epilepsy, etc.

The leaves are cooling in action. The seeds are used to treat intestinal worms.

General Information

Ash gourd or White gourd melon is widely cultivated for its fruits in tropical Asia.

It is a large trailing gourd climbing by means of tendrils;Leaves are large and hispid beneath;Flowers are yellow, unisexual with male peduncle 7.5-10cm long and female peduncle shorter;Fruits are broadly cylindric, 30-45cm long, hairy throughout and ultimately covered with a waxy bloom;

Vernacular names/Synonyms

1. Ayurvedic: Kushmanda, Kushmandaka, Kushmaandanadi, kooshmanda

2. Unani: Pethaa, Mahdabaa, Kaddue-Roomi, Maghz Tukhm Paith (Benincasa hispida seed kernel)

3. Siddha: Ven-poosani, Sambalpushani

4. English: Ash Gourd, White Gourd, Wax Gourd, White Pumpkin

5. Sanskrit: Pushpaphalam, Briihatphalam

6. Assamese: Kumra

7. Bengali: Chal Kumra, Kumra

8. English: White guard melon

9. Gujrati: Safed Kohalu, Bhuru, Kohalu, Bhuru Kolu

10. Hindi: Kushmand, Petha, Raksa

11. Kannada: Boodi Humbala

12. Malayalam: Kumbalanga

13. Marathi: Kohala

14. Oriya: Kakharu, Panikakharu

15. Punjabi: Petha

16. Tamil: Pooshanikkai

17. Telugu: Boodida Gummadi

18. Urdu: Petha

Ayurvedic Properties and Action of Kushmanda fruit

Kushmanda is Laghu and Snigdha, sweet, cold in potency. It enhances the Medhya (intellect) and subdues Vata and Pitta.

• Rasa (taste on the tongue): Madhura (Sweet), Amla (Sour)

• Guna (Pharmacological Action): Laghu (Light), Snigdha

• Virya: Sita (Cooling)

• Vipaka (transformed state after digestion): Madhura (Sweet)

Action: Balya, Dipana, Hridya, Vrishya, Basti-shodhaka, Mehana, Tridosha-hara, Jeerna-anga Pushti Prada, Basti shodhaka, shramsana, Arocakahara, Vata-pitta-jit.

Drug use

(1) In psyche, mix 1 gram of Yashtimadhu powder in the juice of the kushmand.

(2) Drink old jaggery in kushmand juice for poisoning.

(3) In gallstones, take sugar-rich kushmand juice juice.

(4) If you have stones, then take 1 to 1 pinch of asafoetida and kushmand juice.

(5) In tuberculosis and drink juice mixed with waxy and peeled juice.

(6) To increase strength and intelligence, boil a potter and make pudding in ghee. Add kushmand seeds to it and eat it.

(7) The potency made in the curd of the kushmand generates interest in food.

(8) When tired, mix sugar candy and rock salt in the lime juice and drink immediately brings freshness.

Caution

Raw kushmand is Tridosha-outbreak. The old potter is full of digestion, its thick fibers remain in the intestines. Therefore, one should not eat raw and old potter. People of cold nature should not eat more kushmand. If you want to reduce the coolness of the kushmand, then sprinkle fenugreek in it.

* Nowadays, oxytocin injections are used to increase the weight and size of the kushmand. This kushmand does harm instead of profit.

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