bottle gourd
Lagenaria siceraria · Accepted scientific name
Scientific literature: Very Extensive (578 studies) · ★★★★★
Bottle gourd, scientifically known as Lagenaria siceraria, is a versatile medicinal plant prized for its cooling properties. Rich in vitamins and minerals, it aids digestion, supports hydration, and manages blood pressure. Traditionally used in holistic healing, its nutritional density makes it a vital superfood for promoting overall wellness.
Names
Common Names
- White-flowered Gourd
- bottle gourd
- calabash
- calabash gourd
- white-flower gourd
- Flask Calabash
- Large African Calabash
- New Guinea bean
- Pipe Calabash
- South African Pipe Calabash
- Trumpet Calabash
Regional and Traditional Names
Spanish:
- acocote
- cajombre
- calabaza
- guiro amargo
- Calabaza mate
German:
- Flaschenkürbis
- Kalebasse
- gewöhnlicher Flaschenkürbis
French:
- gourde
- cougourde
- cougourdon
- calebassier
- gourde bouteille
- Calebasse
- gourde
Scientific Names
Accepted name
Lagenaria sicerariaSynonyms
- Lagenaria vulgaris
- Lagenaria leucantha var. gourda
- Lagenaria vulgaris f. gourda
- Lagenaria idolatrica
- Lagenaria vulgaris var. microcarpa
- Lagenaria siceraria var. clavata
- Lagenaria vittata
- Pepo lagenarius
- Cucumis mairei
- Cucumis lagenaria
- Lagenaria siceraria f. depressa
- Cucurbita vittata
- Lagenaria verrucosa
- Cucurbita siceraria
- Cucurbita pyriformis
- Lagenaria bicornuta
- Cucurbita idololatrica
- Lagenaria hispida
- Cucurbita lagenaria
- Cucumis bicirrha
- Lagenaria cochinchinensis
- Lagenaria vulgaris var. viscosa
- Trochomeria rehmannii
- Lagenaria siceraria var. laevisperma
- Lagenaria vulgaris var. elongata
- Lagenaria vulgaris var. pyriformis
- Lagenaria siceraria var. gourda
- Lagenaria leucantha var. makinoi
- Lagenaria leucantha var. microcarpa
- Lagenaria vulgaris var. cougourda
- Lagenaria siceraria var. depressa
- Lagenaria leucantha var. cougourda
- Lagenaria siceraria var. microcarpa
- Lagenaria siceraria var. cougourda
- Cucurbita lagenaria var. villosa
- Lagenaria vulgaris subsp. afrikana
- Lagenaria siceraria var. turbinata
- Lagenaria vulgaris subsp. asiatica
- Lagenaria leucantha var. turbinata
- Lagenaria vulgaris var. depressa
- Lagenaria leucantha var. depressa
- Lagenaria vulgaris var. turbinata
- Cucurbita lagenaria var. oblonga
- Lagenaria vulgaris f. clavata
- Cucurbita longa
- Lagenaria virginalis
- Adenopus abyssinicus var. somaliensis
- Lagenaria vulgaris var. clavata
- Lagenaria vulgaris var. gourda
Taxonomical Classification
This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae within the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. It is further classified under the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Cucurbitales. Finally, it resides in the family Cucurbitaceae under the genus Lagenaria.
| Rank | Classification | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae | WCVP |
| Phylum | Streptophyta | WCVP |
| Class | Equisetopsida | WCVP |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | WCVP |
| Order | Cucurbitales | WCVP |
| Family | Cucurbitaceae | WCVP |
| Genus | Lagenaria | WCVP |
Distribution
This plant exhibits a broad geographical distribution across several diverse regions of the European continent. In Northern Europe, its presence can be documented within the borders of Great Britain. Moving toward Middle Europe, the species is found growing in Germany. The plant also extends into Southeastern Europe, specifically inhabiting the territories of Albania and Romania. Finally, its range reaches into Eastern Europe, where it is located in East European Russia.
| Region | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Europe | Great Britain | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Germany | WCVP |
| Southeastern Europe | Albania | WCVP |
| Southeastern Europe | Romania | WCVP |
| Eastern Europe | East European Russia | WCVP |
| Macaronesia | Azores | WCVP |
| Macaronesia | Canary Is. | WCVP |
| West Tropical Africa | Benin | WCVP |
| West Tropical Africa | Burkina | WCVP |
| West Tropical Africa | Gambia | WCVP |
Plant Parts
This plant, Lagenaria siceraria, commonly known as the bottle gourd, utilizes various anatomical structures for its growth and medicinal properties. The shoots consist of vigorous, climbing vines that extend across the landscape to capture sunlight. From these vines, a large fruit develops, often growing to a significant size; these individual fruits can be harvested for both nutritional and medicinal use. Within each fruit, the seed serves as the primary unit for reproduction and contains concentrated bioactive compounds. Furthermore, the root system anchors the plant firmly into the soil, absorbing the essential nutrients and water required to sustain its rapid development.| Plant Part | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| fruit | Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| fruits | Plants (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| root | Applied biochemistry and biotechnology (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| seed | Applied biochemistry and biotechnology (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Fruit | Applied biochemistry and biotechnology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Ripe fruit | Heliyon (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| flowers | Current topics in medicinal chemistry (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| fruit pedicles | Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| leaf | Applied biochemistry and biotechnology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| leaves | Current topics in medicinal chemistry (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Chemicals
Lagenaria siceraria has 73 reported phytochemicals identified across 20 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Flavonoids, Sterols, FAT, Saponins, Terpenoids.
Most Reported Compounds
| Compound | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Flavonoids | Current topics in medicinal chemistry (and other 5 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| Sterols | Current topics in medicinal chemistry (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| FAT | Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Saponins | Frontiers in nutrition (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Terpenoids | Current topics in medicinal chemistry (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| choline | Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Ash | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Cucurbitacins | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| ascorbic acid | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| beta-carotene | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Activities
Lagenaria siceraria has 370 reported activities identified across 20 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Diuretic, Hepatoprotective, Analgesic, Antioxidant, Anthelmintic.
Most Reported Activities
| Activity | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Diuretic | Dr. Duke (and other 6 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| Hepatoprotective | Dr. Duke (and other 6 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| Analgesic | Dr. Duke (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Antioxidant | Dr. Duke (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Anthelmintic | Current topics in medicinal chemistry (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Antibacterial | Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Cardioprotective | Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Emetic | Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Purgative | Ayu (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Antianxiety | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Medicinal Uses
Lagenaria siceraria has 23 reported medicinal uses identified across 20 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include diuretic, hypertension, Alzheimer's disease, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, analgesic.
Most Reported Uses
| Use | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| diuretic | Applied microbiology and biotechnology (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| hypertension | Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Alzheimer's disease | Toxicology reports (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder | Current drug discovery technologies (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| analgesic | Current topics in medicinal chemistry (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| anemia | Heliyon (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| anthelmintic | Current topics in medicinal chemistry (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| antihyperlipidemic | Current topics in medicinal chemistry (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| antioxidant | Current topics in medicinal chemistry (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| colitis | Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Preparations
| Preparations | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| 80% methanolic crude fruit extract | Heliyon (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Chloroform fraction | Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Cucurbitaceae seeds | BMC complementary and alternative medicine (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Ethyl acetate fraction | Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Hydroalcohol extract | Journal of dietary supplements (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| aqueous | Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| chloroform and n-butanolic fractions | Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| dried | Journal of comparative pathology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| ethanolic extract | Chinese journal of natural medicines (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| ethanolic extract of fruits | Chinese journal of natural medicines (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |