Chinese snake gourd

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Chinese snake gourd
• Chinese-cucumber
• Chinese cucumber

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Trichosanthes japonica
• Trichosanthes kirilowii var. japonica
• Eopepon aurantiacus
• Trichosanthes quadricirrha
• Trichosanthes obtusiloba
• Gymnopetalum japonicum
• Eopepon vitifolius
• Trichosanthes vitifolia
• Anguina japonica
• Anguina kirilowii

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Cucurbitales and the family Cucurbitaceae, it is classified under the genus Trichosanthes. Specifically, the species is identified as Trichosanthes kirilowii.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a broad geographical distribution across several distinct regions of Asia and Europe. In the Caucasus, its presence is specifically noted within the North Caucasus region. Its range extends significantly into China, where it can be found in Inner Mongolia, China North-Central, and China Southeast. Furthermore, the species is also established within Eastern Asia, specifically in Japan. Consequently, these locations highlight the diverse environmental settings where the plant thrives.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Morphology

The morphology of Trichosanthes kirilowii is characterized by its growth form as a herb, exhibiting a non-woody structure throughout its vegetative organs. It functions as an obligatory climber, utilizing specialized structures to ascend and navigate its environment.

Climber :

obligatory

Growth form :

herb

Woodiness :

non-woody

Reproduction

The reproduction of Trichosanthes kirilowii is characterized by the production of fleshy fruits, which serve as the primary vessel for its reproductive components. Within these fruits, the seeds exhibit highly consistent physical dimensions, maintaining a uniform seed volume of exactly 150 mm³. The mass of these seeds is equally standardized, with a measured mean, minimum, and maximum mass all recorded at 0.13925 g. This consistency in both volume and mass suggests a highly regulated developmental process during the maturation of the seeds within the fleshy fruit structure.

Fruit dryness :

fleshy

Seed mass mean:

0.13925 g

Seed volume max:

150 mm³

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Trichosanthes kirilowii has 4 reported plant parts identified across 19 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include root, leaf, seed, fruit.

Root

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Transplantation proceedings
3. Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology
4. Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin
5. International journal of biological macromolecules

Leaf

1. Sheng wu gong cheng xue bao = Chinese journal of biotechnology
2. Journal of biotechnology

Seed

1. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences
2. Journal of natural products

Fruit

1. The American journal of Chinese medicine

Chemicals

Trichosanthes kirilowii has 61 reported phytochemicals identified across 19 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Cucurbitacin B, Bryonolic acid, Flavonoids, Saponins, galactose.

Cucurbitacin B

1. PloS one
2. Frontiers in plant science
3. Journal of natural products
4. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Bryonolic acid

1. Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin
2. Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France)

Flavonoids

1. Frontiers in plant science
2. Natural product research

Saponins

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology

galactose

1. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences
2. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

glucose

1. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

glutamine

1. PloS one
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology

linoleic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences

oleic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences

palmitic acid

1. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences
2. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Activities

Trichosanthes kirilowii has 89 reported activities identified across 19 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Abortifacient, Antitumor, 5-Alpha-Reductase-Inhibitor, Allergenic, Alpha-Reductase-Inhibitor.

Abortifacient

1. Dr. Duke
2. Transplantation proceedings
3. Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology
4. International journal of peptide and protein research
5. Scientia Sinica

Antitumor

1. Dr. Duke
2. Frontiers in plant science
3. Current medicinal chemistry
4. General pharmacology

5-Alpha-Reductase-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Allergenic

1. Dr. Duke

Alpha-Reductase-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Androgenic

1. Dr. Duke

Anemiagenic

1. Dr. Duke

Angiogenic

1. Dr. Duke

Anorexic

1. Dr. Duke

AntiAIDS

1. Dr. Duke

Conditions

Trichosanthes kirilowii has 30 reported investigations on conditions identified across 19 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include choriocarcinoma, HIV, heat, hydatidiform mole, inflammation.

Choriocarcinoma

1. Plant cell reports
2. Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology
3. Scientia Sinica

Hiv

1. Current HIV research
2. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Heat

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Fitoterapia

Hydatidiform mole

1. Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology
2. Scientia Sinica

Inflammation

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Fitoterapia

Invasive mole

1. Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology
2. Scientia Sinica

Aids

1. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Breast tumor

1. Biomedical chromatography : BMC

Cancer

1. Fitoterapia

Cardiac failure

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Preparations

Trichosanthes kirilowii has 14 reported preparations identified across 19 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include root tubers, Chinese folk medicine, Isolated compounds like bryonolic acid, Tianhuafen, aqueous extracts.

Root tubers

1. Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology
2. Immunopharmacology and immunotoxicology

Chinese folk medicine

1. Life sciences

Isolated compounds like bryonolic acid

1. Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France)

Tianhuafen

1. Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part B, Biochemistry & molecular biology

Aqueous extracts

1. Life sciences

Dried root

1. Analytical biochemistry

Dried root tuber

1. Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin

Ethanol extracts

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Extract

1. Transplantation proceedings

Methanol extracts

1. Genes & nutrition