Cucurbitaceae Genus: Cucumis Species: C. sativus Originated in Nepal, where a great many varieties have been observe

1. Cucurbitaceae Genus: Cucumis Species: C. sativus • Originated in Nepal, where a great many varieties have been observed, from  Cucumishystrix. • Has beencultivatedfor at least 3,000 years. • Listedamongthefoods of ancient Ur, andthelegend of Gilgameshdescribespeopleeatingcucumbers.

2. Pliny:many varieties (26 wild & 5 cultivated) of cucumber+cultivated cucumber -remedies for different types of diseases and disorders. • Wives wishing for children wore them around their waists. • Carried by midwives, thrown away when the child was born. • Romans -used to treat scorpion bites, bad eyesight, & to scare away mice.

3. A YELLOW INDIAN CUCUMBER

4. Armenian cucumbers Cucumis melo var. flexuosus -very long, ribbed fruit with thin skin, does not require peeling, actually an immature melon. • Not the same species as common cucumber (Cucumis sativus) but closely related.

6. Gourd -- Cucurbitaceae • Gourd - specifically refers to genera Lagenaria & Cucurbitaalso includes crops like pumpkins, luffa, cucumbers, squash, etc. • One of theearliestcropsto be domesticated, grownfor at least 10,000 years as ornamentationorformakingmusicalinstruments& utensils (suctioncupsbyHippocratesaround 3rd century BC). • Gourds of the Lagenaria genus favor a subtropical or tropical climate and grow poorly in cooler regions, Cucurbita in other climates.

9. 1. OrnamentalGourds (Cucurbitapepo). 2. White Bush Scallop (C. pepo). 3. SummerCrookneck (C. pepo). 4. Coyote Melon (C. foetidissima). 5. WildCucumber (Marahmacrocarpus). 6. HornedCucumber (Cucumismetuliferus). 7. TeaselGourd (Cucumisdipsaceus). 8. VegetableSponge (Luffaacutangula). • Teasle gourd -Momordica dioica=Cucumis dipsaceus • Spine gourd  -M. subangulata • Sweet gourd  -M. cochinchinensis • balsam apple -M. balsamina • VaikaM. sahyadrica( Kerala) • athalakka’iM. cymbalaria  (Tamil). (crossbread 6)

10. Tropical/Subtropical vine-Cucurbitaceae, grown in Asia,  Africa, & the Caribbean. • Momordicacharantia-bitter melon, bitter gourd or bitter squash;Goyafrom the indigenous Okinawaand  karavella from Sanskrit, bitter melon, bitter gourd, balsam pear, karela, and pare. KUDRET NARI • Edible fruit-extremely bitter. • OriginIndian subcontinent-14th century Bitter melon has been used in various Asian & African herbal medicine systems for a long time. 

12. Turkey-used as a folk remedy for a variety of ailments, particularly stomach complaints. • Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center-number of uses. • Some potential clinical activity reported "further studies required to recommend its use". • Pakistan / Bangladesh-bitter melon cooked with spices • Pakistan-unpeeled bitter melon boiled, stuffed with cooked minced beef, served with either hottandoori bread, naan, chappati, or with khichri (a mixture of lentils and rice).

13. ActiveConstituents • Not definitively determined, primary constituents responsibleforhypoglycemic propertiesof Momordica are charantin, insulin-like peptide (plant (p)-insulin), cucurbutanoids,momordicin, oleanolic acids. • Rich invitamins A &C + beta-carotene, minerals like iron, phosphorus, potassium. • MC-numerous other constituents includingproteins glycosides, saponins. • Momordin, may have anticancer properties.

14. Best-researched use of bitter melon-lower blood sugar levels in diabetics. • Alcoholextractedcharantin from M.charantiahas mixed steroids, improves glucose tolerance to a degree similar to oral hypoglycemic agent, tolbutamide (in animal model of diabetes). • Oral bitter melon preparations effective in clinical trials of type 2 diabetes. • Statisticallysignificantimprovement in glucosetolerance in type 2 diabetics.

15. Dyslipidemia • Several animal studies on the effect of bitter melon extractson abnormal lipid parameters. • Significant decreases intriglycerides and LDL cholesterol and increases in HDLcholesterol were noted in all studies. Cancer • No clinical trials conductedusing MC extracts, in vitro studiesindicate fruit + seed extracts inhibit thegrowth of several cancer cell lines, including prostateadenocarcinoma, human colon cancer (Caco-2 cells),and the highly metastatic breast cancer cell line MDAMB 231.

16. Drug-BotanicalInteractions • Due to hypoglycemic effects, MC extractsmay potentiate the effects of insulin & oral hypoglycemicmedications. • Patients should be advised to closelymonitor blood sugar when adding this botanical to atreatmentregimen. Side EffectsandToxicity • Oral ingestion of bitter melon fruit is safe asdemonstrated by long-term consumption of the fruitin Asian cultures. • Subcutaneous injection of p-insulinextracted from MC appears to be safe; however,intravenousinjection of MC extracts is significantly more toxicand not recommended.

17. Seeds containmomorcharin, has antifertility effects infemale mice, seed consumption not recommended in pregnancy. Dosage • Dose of fresh juice: 50-100 mL , extremely bitter & difficult todrink. • Encapsulated dry powder easier toingest, standard dose is 3-15 g daily-a large dose incapsule form. • Standardized, encapsulated extract dosageranges from 100-200 mg 3 times daily.

18. Cucurbitagenus -importantsource of humanfoodusedforbeverages, medicine, oil, anddetergent. • 13–30 species 13 speciesgroups (27 species total). • 5domesticated species: Cucurbita argyrosperma, C. ficifolia, C. maxima, C. moschata,  C. pepo. 

20. Medicinaluses • Cucurbita-used in cosmeticsfordry & sensitive skin + in treatingschistosomiasis.  • Flesh of C. argyrospermausedfortreatingburns & skin conditions, seedstreatedwithwaterareused as an anesthetic +promotelactation in nursingwomen. • C. ficifolia-usedtomakeflavoringsforsoft & mildlyalcoholicdrinks & highdoses of C. ficifolia -successful in reducingbloodsugarlevels. • Fruits of somespecies (C. foetidissima) used as soaps & detergents. 

21. Cucurbita fruits-important source of carotenoids,  vitamin A, + rhodopsin.  • Cucurbitin an amino acid,a carboxypyrrolidine - in seeds -eliminates parasitic worms. • Phytochemical constituents are alkaloids, flavonoids,palmitic, plus oleic  &  linoleic acids. • Anti-diabetic, Antioxidant, Anticarcinogen,  Anti-inflammatory.

22. Pumpkins & pumpkinseedshavehighlevels of crude protein, calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium,  zinc + beta-carotene.  • Good sources of vitamin A, vitamin C,  dietary fiber, niacin, folic acid + iron, free of  fat  & cholesterol. • Cucurmosin  a ribosome inactivating protein  in the sarcocarp (flesh) & seed of Cucurbita, notably Cucurbitamoschata.

23. Toxins • Cucurmosin - toxic to cancer cells. • Cucurbitacin - plantsteroidpoisonoustomammalsfound in wildCucurbita in quantitiessufficienttodiscourageherbivores. • Bitter taste, ingesting too much can cause stomach cramps, diarrhea & even collapse. • Domestication has largelyremovedthebitternessfromcultivatedvarieties, occasionalreports of cucurbitacingettingintothehumanfoodsupply & causingillnesses. • WildCucurbita & mostornamentalgourds, withtheexception of an occasionalC. fraternaandC. sororia, bitter totaste.

24. Cotton • Used in theOldWorld at least 7,000 yearsago (5th millennium BC), Mexico ± 5000 to 3000 BC,Tehuacán-Mexicocave: around 5800 BC. • Evidence of usefound at the site of Mehrgarh, whereearlycottonthreadshavebeenpreserved in copperbeads. • Widespread during the Indus ValleyCivilization.

26. Gossypium-Malvaceae, 40 species, nativetotropics / subtropics. • GossypiumstocksiiMast., a westAsianspecies. • CultivatedcottonsGossypiumbarbadense L., (fromwestIndies), Gossypiumhirsutum L., (fromCentralAmerica), Gossypiumarboreum L., (thetreecottonfromAfrica), GossypiumherbaceumL., (fromAsia).

28. Reference to the 'tree cotton',  Gossypium arboretum, -a native of the Indian subcontinent. • Planting of cottonwascommon in Merv (Turkmenistan) ,  Ray & Parsof Iran. • Ferdowsi's Shahname-refers to cotton ("panbe" in Persian).  • Unknown to Greeks & Arabs until the Wars ofAlexander the Great, when they wrote "there being trees on which wool grows" in "Indica".

29. Peru-cultivation of the indigenous cotton Gossypium barbadense -backbone ofcoastal culture development, like Norte Chico,Moche & Nazca. • Cotton-grown upriver, made into nets, traded with fishing villages along the coast for large supplies of fish.

30. Herodotus -in his Histories, says in India trees grew in the wild producing wool, plant was assumed as tree, rather than a shrub (German Baumwolle-"treewool). • Mandevillein 1350, stated : "There grew [India] a wonderful tree which bore tiny lambs on the ends of its branches. • Branches bent down to allow the lambs to feed when they are hungry.

31. A transgeniccotton, withgenesforpestresistancefromthebacteriumBacillusthuringiensis (theBtcotton) has beendevelopedand is now in extensivecultivation in differentparts of theworld. • Gossypium - severalmedicinaluses.

32. Root of G. arboreum  used in fever, seeds in gonorrhoea, gleet, chronic cystitis, catarrah. • Seeds of G.barbadense  used in dysentery, seed oil to clear freckles & spots from the skin.

33. Seeds of G. herbaceum  used as demulcent, laxative, expectorant, galactagogue, aphrodisiac, procure abortion, as nervine tonic given in headache; root & bark emmenagogue&galactagogue, juice of the leaves used against scorpion sting&snakebite. • Leaves + seeds of G. hirsustum  used in Guinea as an emollient & emmenagogue.

34. Cold infusion of cotton leaves with lime juice - given in dysentery; root bark is an emmenagogue + oxytocic; leaves & crushed seed kernels used as a poultice on sores bruises & swellings. • Most widespread use of cotton is in surgical bandages, for which no substitute has been found.

35. Nigeria-root considered as an emmenagogue. • Black Americans use root bark to induce abortion. • Root decoction given in amenorrhoea. • South American Africans use decoction of root as a contraceptive.

36. Cotton seed oil used to manufacture hydrogenated fats, seed cake is fodder, seed husk used as fuel. • Kerneloilcomposed of 47 % linoleicacid, 23 % palmiticacd & 23 % oleicacid, withsmallamounts of myristicandmyristoleicacids. • Residualcake is 97 % protein.

37. Root bark also contains vitamin E & gossypol, pigmented glands of the seeds also contain gossypol, a toxic orange red polyphenol- insoluble in water & thermolabile. • Gossypol is antiviral, influenza virus is inactivated by it. • Heating makes the oil suitable for consumption.

38. Gosssypol is effectiveagainstherpes. • Roots of Gossypium barbadense& G. hisrsutum contain 6-methoxygossypol & 6,6’-dimethoxygossypol- an antifungal agent. • Gossypol-a nerve & cellular poison, causing liver congestion , oedema of the lung.

39. Horse weighing 450 kg cannot tolerate more than 450 g of the oil cake / day. • Gossypol causeshaemorrhage, inflammation, haematuria, muscular weakness, respiratory difficulties ,paralysis, & abortion- blindness. • Gossypol is spermicidal.

40. Jute plants (Corchorus olitorius  -C.capsularis) • Earlier - Tiliaceae, now- Malvaceae. • Integral part of the culture of Bangladesh. • Initially processed only by hand due to its texture, but by treating it with whale oil, it is treated by machine.

42. Juteleaf: • Vegetable for nutrition & medicine for human health, beauty. • Leafy vegetable rich in beta-carotene for good eyesight, iron for healthy red blood cells, calcium for strong bones and teeth, vitamin C for smooth, clear skin, strong immune cells, fast wound-healing. • Vitamins A, C, E present in jute leaf “spongeup”  free radicals, scooping them up before they can commit cellular sabotage.

43. Jute  leaf vegetable contains abundant antioxidants -associated  with protection from chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, &  hypertension + other medical conditions. • Due to better performance in respect of yield and quality the mutant CM-18 has been registered as the first jute variety in Bangladesh for vegetable purpose in the name of Binapatshak-1 in 2003.

44. Fresh jute leaf has higher demand. • Ayurvedics use the leaves for pain,piles, & tumors. • Elsewhere the leaves are used for cystitis, dysuria, fever, and gonorrhea. • Cold infusion restores appetite & strength.

45. Tea-Camellia sinensis an aromatic beverage (no: 2 after water) • Originated in China as a medicinaldrink. • Longbeenpromotedforhaving a variety of positivehealthbenefits. BUT: Additionalresearchneededto "fullyunderstanditscontributionstohumanhealth, andadviseitsregularconsumption.

46. Green tea reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease ,some forms of cancer, promotesoral health, reducesblood pressure, helps with weight control,improves antibacterial & antivirasic activity, providesprotection from solar UV light,  increases bone mineral density, "anti-fibrotic properties &neuroprotective power.

47. Tea catechins have known anti-inflammatory & neuroprotective properties, help regulate food intake, have affinity for cannabinoid receptors, which may suppress pain & nausea, provide calming effects. • Consumption of green tea associated with a lower risk of diseases that cause functional disability, such as “stroke, cognitive impairment,+ osteoporosis” in the elderly.

48. Tea contains L-theanine, an amino acid whose consumption is strongly associated with a calm but alert & focused, relatively productive (alpha wave-dominant) mental state in humans. • Thismentalstate is alsocommontomeditativepractice.

49. Statisticalclusteranalysis, chromosomenumber, easyhybridization, & varioustypes of intermediatehybrids& spontaneouspolyploids  indicate-single place of origin for Camellia sinensis,-the northern part of Burma & Yunnan - Sichuan provinces of China.  • People began to boil tea leaves for consumption into a concentrated liquid without the addition of other leaves or herbs, using it as a bitter yet stimulating drink, rather than as a medicinal concoction."

50. Credible record of tea drinking dates to the 3rd century AD, in a medical text by Hua T'o, who stated that "to drink bitter t'u constantly makes one think better." • India-Drunk for medicinal purposes for a long but uncertain period. • Tea contains large number of possibly bioactive chemicals, including flavinoids,amino acids, vitamins, caffeine+several polysaccharides, a variety of health effects have been proposed & investigated.