Botanical Name

Coccinia grandis (L.) Voig t.

Family

Cucurbitaceae.

Synonyms

Coccinia indica Wight & Arn, Bryonia grandis L. Cephalandra grandis Kurz

Regional Name

English : Ivy-Gourd, Hindi : Kundaruki-Bel, Sanskrit : Tundika, Tundikeri, Urdu : Kunduru, Punjabi : Kanduri, Assamese : Kawabhaturi, Bengali : Bimbu, Telakucha, Gujrati : Kadavighilodi, Ghilodi, Kannada : Tonde-Balli, Malayalam : Kova, Nallakova, Marathi : Tondale, Oriya : Pitakundii, Kainchikakudi, Tamil : Kovai, Telugu : Donda Tiga.

Part Used

Seed.

Description

Bimbi is found in warm and humid climate. In general it is found in Southern Asian islands and West Indies. It is found wild in all over t India. Bimbi is a climbing or prostrate, much branched, perennial herb. Fruits are pepo, ovoid, glabrous, 3.5 - 4.5 cm long and 1.5-2 cm thick, greenish-brown to yellowish-brown with white linings; no odour and taste. Seeds are obovoid, 0.7 cm long and 0.2-0.3 cm wide rounded at apex, much compressed, yellowish-grey coloured.

Phytoconstituents

The main chemical constituents of Bimbi -contains resins, alkaloids, fatty acids, flavonoids and proteins as chief chemical constituents. It is also contains Aspartic acid, Glutamic Acid, Asparagine, Tyrosine, Histidine, Phenylalanine And Threonine,Valine, Arginine. The fruits also contains alkaloids, steroids, tannins, saponins, ellagic acid, phenols, glycosides, lignans and triterpenoids. Roots also contains- Triterpenoid, saponincoccinioside, Flavonoid glycoside ombuin 3-o- arabinofuranoside, Lupeol, β-amyrin, and β- sitosterol and Stigmast -7- en-3-one.

Ayurvedic Properties

Rasa : Madhura, Tikta, Guna : Guru, Ruksa, Vipaka : Katu, Virya : Sita, Karma : Atirucya, Chardikara, Lekhhana, Stambhana,Pittahara, Vatakara, Vibandhadhmanakara,

Ayurvedic Applications

Doha, Kasa, Svasa, Jvara, Raktavikara, Sopha, Pandu.

Medicinal Uses

It is used in the gastrointestinal disturbances, liver weakness, mouth ulcers and stomatitis, dysentery, vomiting, chronic cough, cold, painful conditions and injuries, urinary tract infections and diabetic conditions.