![]() ![]() siceraria is cultivated as a vegetable crop across Southeast Asia, and in Japan, where it is still used by traditional practitioners to treat ailments ranging from asthma to inflammation, and to support heart health and immune function. siceraria has been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine’s Panchakarma cleanse, which makes the most of the toxin’s purgative qualities. In India, where it is known as dudhi, or lauki, L. siceraria are edible, it’s crucial to understand that this plant contains a toxic chemical compound called tetracyclic triterpenoid cucurbitacin that is known to cause severe and potentially lethal GI distress.įolks who consume it say not to eat any part or drink the extracted juice if it tastes “bitter,” but at least one documented hospitalization for GI bleeding indicates that this is a dangerous game to play. ![]() Mature hard-shelled gourds have been used for millennia as food containers, water jugs, floats for fishing nets, and even body armor.Įarly Native Americans used them as musical instruments in religious ceremonies, as well as birdhouses to attract insect-eating purple martins.Īnd while the tender immature fruits, shoots, leaves, and seeds of L. Lagenaria is the Latin word for bottle, or flask. Two subspecies have been identified, the African L. The bottle gourd has an honored place in history as one of our earliest domesticated crops.ĭating back 10,000 years to prehistoric days in the Americas, and 7,000 years to Asia, it is believed that the species is native to Africa. Some may twist like a gooseneck and others may sport a double bulge like a weightlifter’s dumbbell. There are both male and female flowers, and only the females produce fruit.īottle gourds may have an elongated or rounded shape. The foliage consists of fuzzy green leaves and white blossoms. Its vines may reach lengths of 16 feet or more, and can grow on the ground, along fences, over arbors and pergolas, or up teepees and trellises. ![]() siceraria has a long growing season of up to 180 days. ![]()
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