Nutritional benefits

March 4 2024

Matira

hello Blog Citrullus lanatus, Cucurbitaceae family, Drought-tolerant, Edible fruit, Fruit cultivation, Hydrating fruit, Medicinal properties, Nutritional benefits, Traditional medicine, Watermelon 0

A climbing or trailing hispid annual cultivated in the warmer parts of the area. Stern densely hairy with bifid tendrils. Leaves triangular lobed and densely hairy. Male flowers in the axil of spoon shaped bracts and greenish
yellow in colour. Female flowers on long peduncles and also yellow in colour. Fruit globose to ellipsoid, smooth, with dark green irregular bands or lines. Seed numerous, compressed, dark brown, black and white. Flowering
and fruiting in August to December.

Part used: Fruit and Seed

Usage: Pulp is sweet, appetizer and refreshing with cooling effect. Fruit juice stored for one year is used as an antidote in snakebite. Seeds are diuretic. Seed powder is used during famine for preparation of bread.

Agrotechniques : Cultivated through seeds. Direct sowing of seed done in the field during rainy season. Irrigation not required. Ripe fruits are collected and used as such. Seeds also collected from the ripe fruits and
dried in the sun light.

March 4 2024

Tumbo

hello Blog Climbing vine, Edible fruit, Exotic fruit, Fruit cultivation, Giant granadilla, Medicinal uses, Nutritional benefits, Passiflora quadrangularis, Passionfruit family, Tropical plant 0

Common on sandy tracts in the desertic zone, it is a perennial, tender climbing monoecious plant with 2-3 fid tendrils. Leaves are deeply 3-5 lobed and both male and female flowers are yellow. Fruit globular variegated dark
green with yellowish blotches. When ripe it is filled with a dry spongy very bitter pulp. Seed compressed, pale brown and smooth. Flowering and fruiting throughout the year but maximum in rainy season.

Part used: Fruit and Root

Usage: The fruit is bitter, pungent, cooling, purgative, antipyretic, anthelmintic and used for gaseous problem. In large doses it is toxic. 2-3 drops of root extract in the ear cures earache. Root powder is effective in jaundice, urinary diseases and rheumatism. Root extract is an antidote to scorpion bite. The commercial drug “colocynth” from dry pulp of fruit is cathartic. The inhalation of smoke of fruit kills the germs found in tooth. Poultice of fruit is applied on tumour and boils.

Agrotechniques : Sandy soil is suitable for cultivation. Sowing of seed should be done after first rain of June I July. Plants should be transplanted after one month of sowing. The distance amongst plants is kept I m and row to row 5 m. It is rainfed crop which should be weeded regularly. Crop matures after 90-150 days. After 20-25 days of harvesting, seeds should be separated from fruits.