Pointed Gourd

Scientific Name(s): Trichosanthes dioica Roxb.
Common Name(s): Kovakkai, Parol, Paror, Parora, Parwal, Pointed gourd, Potol, Thonde kayi

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Aug 22, 2024.

Clinical Overview

Use

Juice of the leaves of T. dioica has been traditionally used as a tonic, febrifuge, and for treatment of enlargement of the liver and spleen. T. dioica leaves and fruits have traditionally been used for treating alcoholism and jaundice, and the leaves have been used in edema and alopecia. The plant has also been used as an antipyretic, diuretic, cardiotonic, and laxative. However, clinical data are lacking to support any of these uses.

Dosing

Clinical data are lacking to provide T. dioica dosing recommendations.

Contraindications

Contraindications have not been identified.

Pregnancy/Lactation

Avoid use. Information regarding safety and efficacy in pregnancy and lactation is lacking.

Interactions

None well documented.

Adverse Reactions

None well documented.

Toxicology

No data.

Scientific Family

• Cucurbitaceae (cucumber)

Botany

T. dioica is a perennial and dioecious herbaceous plant that grows as a vine with slender, angled, and hispid stems. The vines are approximately the thickness of a pencil, with dark green, cordate, ovate, oblong, unlobed, and rigid leaves. The tendrils are usually forked. The tuberous roots have a taproot system. The white flowers are tubular and dioecious. The male peduncles are paired, and the female flowers are solitary. The fruits grow to 5 to 10 cm in length and are oblong, globose, smooth, striped, and orange-red when ripe, and the seeds are globose.(Gohil 2012, Kumar 2012, Lavekar 2008)

History

The pointed gourd crop is of Indo-Malayan origin, with extensive distribution in eastern India and, to a lesser extent, in other parts of South Asia. Pointed gourd fruits has been used as a vegetable in the Indian traditional food system.(Gohil 2012, Kumar 2012, Lavekar 2008) The fruits, leaves, and tender shoots of the plant have been used in traditional and Ayurvedic medicinal systems.(Kumar 2012, Lavekar 2008)

Edible T. dioica fruits and leaves are consumed alone or in combination with other fruits or vegetables. The fruits are easily digestible and diuretic in nature. Juice from the leaves has been used traditionally as a tonic and febrifuge, and for treatment of enlargement of the liver and spleen. In the Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhitha, leaves and fruits are recommended for treating alcoholism and jaundice. The leaves have been used in edema and alopecia. The plant, a rich source of vitamins, has also been used as an antipyretic, diuretic, cardiotonic, and laxative, as well as for its hypocholesterolemic, hypoglyceridemic, and hypophospholipemic properties.(Gohil 2012, Kumar 2012, Lavekar 2008)

Chemistry

Cucurbitacins, taxonomic members of the Cucurbitaceae family, are highly oxygenated tetracyclic compounds with a unique carbon skeleton and, sometimes, a carbonyl carbon in ring C. T. dioica has a number of tetra and pentacyclic triterpenes.(Gohil 2012) T. dioica is rich in vitamins and minerals (eg, sodium, potassium, copper, selenium).(Alom 2013) The seeds contain a large amount of peptides, which are uniquely resistant to the action of silver nitrate.(Kabir 2000) Other constituents are tannins, saponins, and phytosterols.(Chopra 2002, Ghaisas 2008, Toshihiro 1997) The seeds also contain lectin, a carbohydrate-binding protein similar to type-2 ribosome inhibitory proteins.(Ali 2004) The plant contains fatty acids such as linoleic, oleic, and stearic acids. Other constituents include colocynthin, essential oils, starch, and reducing sugars.(Chopra 2002, Ghaisas 2008, Toshihiro 1997)

Uses and Pharmacology

T. dioica is of considerable importance, as it possesses a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties such as antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic, antitumor, cytotoxic, arsenic poisoning ameliorating, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibacterial, dermatological, and antidiarrheal activities.(Hariti 1995, Khandaker 2018, Rai 2010) Adequate well-defined clinical trials with large patient groups are required to substantiate the therapeutic roles of this edible species.

Analgesic effects

Animal data

In analgesic activity tests in mice with acetic acid–induced pain, a methanolic extract of T. dioica fruits dose dependently reduced abdominal constrictions by 18.5%, 33.3%, 37%, and 40.7% with doses of 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, and 400 mg/kg, respectively; reductions obtained with the standard analgesic drug aspirin administered at doses of 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg were 48.1% and 63%, respectively.(Labib 2015)

Anthelmintic activity

In vitro data

T. dioica seed extracts have demonstrated anthelmintic activity against Pheretima posthuma and Ascaridia galli; ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts were comparable to the anthelmintic agent piperazine citrate. Further studies are suggested to isolate the active principles responsible for the anthelmintic activity.(Bhattacharya 2010, Kumar 2016)

Antidiabetic activity

Animal data

According to reviews of the pharmacological properties of T. dioica, the seeds and leaves have antidiabetic properties, demonstrated particularly in rat models of streptozotocin-induced diabetes.(Gohil 2012, Kumar 2012, Lavekar 2008)

Various doses of an aqueous T. dioica leaf extract (250, 500, and 750 mg/kg of body weight) were administered orally in normal and streptozotocin-induced subdiabetic and mild diabetic rat models in order to define the extract's glycemic potential. Results indicated that the aqueous extract of T. dioica leaves has hypoglycemic and antidiabetic potential.(Rai 2008b) In a study of rats with streptozotocin-induced severe diabetes mellitus, an aqueous extract of T. dioica fruits at a dosage of 1,000 mg/kg of body weight once daily for 28 days reduced fasting blood glucose, postprandial glucose, AST, ALT, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatinine, urine sugar, and urine protein; however, total protein and body weight were increased. In a median lethal dose (LD₅₀) experiment, no toxic effect was observed at 10 and 15 times the effective aqueous extract dose.(Rai 2008a, Rai 2008b) In glucose-loaded mice, a methanolic extract of T. dioica fruits at a dose of 400 mg/kg reduced blood glucose concentrations by 46.4%, compared with a 47.4% reduction with glibenclamide 10 mg/kg.(Labib 2015)

In an additional study in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes, an aqueous T. dioica extract of 1,000 mg/kg/day demonstrated benefit in metabolic parameters, as well as protection against diabetic complications, such as cognitive and memory deterioration and neuropathy.(Shahana 2018)

Antioxidant activity

Animal data

The antioxidant (ie, free radical scavenging) and wound healing properties of T. dioica have been evaluated.(Kumar 2012) Methanolic extracts of the fruits and roots have demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic activity in rats. This activity may be related to the presence of phenolic and flavonoid compounds.(Alam 2011, Bhattacharya 2012) In Wistar rats, oral administration of a hydroalcoholic root extract was protective against arsenic-associated myocardial toxicity by increasing antioxidant defense mechanisms.(Bhattacharya 2013)

Cholesterol-lowering activity

Animal data

In a study of normal and diabetic (streptozotocin induced) rats, a 50 mL/kg dose of pointed gourd aqueous fruit extract administered orally for 15 days reduced plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels and caused weight loss. The weight loss may be related to the extract's lipid-lowering effect or to its influence on appetite.(Sharmila 2007)

Clinical data

In a small study (N=40) in which use of T. dioicaseed powder (at a dosage of 7 g/day) for 2 weeks was compared in men with mild diabetes (n=20) and nondiabetic patients (n=20), treatment decreased serum cholesterol and triglycerides and increased phospholipid levels in the patients with diabetes. An increase of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was also observed. All parameters were also improved in the nondiabetic group compared with parameters prior to T. dioica treatment.(Khandaker 2018)

GI activity

Clinical data

The efficacy of T. dioica alone for duodenal ulcer was studied in 20 patients. The herb was associated with a 45% "excellent" response rate. However, dosing for this study was not provided, and study details are lacking.(Kumar 2012)

Hepatoprotective activity

Animal data

Hepatoprotective activity of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of T. dioica (whole plant) was demonstrated in rats with ferrous sulphate–induced liver injury; rats received ethanolic and aqueous T. dioica extracts at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg and silymarin 100 mg/kg administered orally for 10 days. The groups treated with the 400 mg/kg aqueous and ethanolic extract showed reductions in AST, ALT, and ALP levels. Pretreatment with T. dioica extracts showed histopathological protection of liver cells, as evidenced by histopathological studies.(Ghaisas 2008) Research in ovariectomized rats showed that T. dioica peel extract is capable of protecting the liver from carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)–induced damage through preventing oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation.(Khan 2020)