Pea pumpkin – Nutritional Value, Health Benefits, Recipes

Pea pumpkin/Mukia maderaspatana is a species of plant in the family Cucurbitaceae. The species is found throughout Indomalaya and Meganesia. It is also known as Cucumis maderaspatanus.^[rx]s

Pea pumpkin is an annual scandent or trailing herb that grows upto 4 m long of not forested, localities throughout the West African region and is widely spread in tropical Africa, Australia, and Asia. It is common in village hedges and other open habitats as well as disturbed sites of semi-evergreen and deciduous forests. It is administered throughout the tropics and subtropics of the Old World where various parts of plants are used for the health care needs of human beings. Tender shoots and leaves are used as part of South Indian cuisine.

Animal experiments have shown various traditional or folkloric medicinal claims that include hypolipidemic, hypotensive, hypoglycaemic, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, antiulcer, antimicrobial, local anesthetic and anxiolytic characteristics of plant extracts.

Plant

Pea pumpkin is a prostate or climing scabrid herbs. Stems are branched, robust and sulcate. Leaves are ovate-deltoid measuring 4-8 x 3-7 cm, angular or shallowly 3-5 lobed, margin denticulate, base cordate, apex acuminate, scabrid on both sides. Petioles are 6 cm. Flowers (male) are in axillary and sessile clusters. Calyx tube is villous about 2 mm and lobes are erect and subulate. Petals are 3 mm long which is obtuse, ovate to oblong and yellow. Female flowers are solitary and in clusters. Berries are red, globose about 1.2 cm across. Seeds are rugose and lenticular.

Traditional uses

• In Nigeria, the decoction of young shoots and leaves is used as an aperient for children.
• In India, bitter leaves and tender shoots are used for vertigo? and biliousness.
• Leaf sap is used in Tanganyika as a dressing for wounds, amoebiasis and leaves are used as a poultice for burns.
• In Nigeria, seeds are chewed or used in decoction to induce perspiration.
• In Senegal, fruits are used as a vermifuge.
• In Nigeria, roots are used to provide relief from toothache and facial neuralgia.
• Mix a small quantity of pointed gourd with a pinch of turmeric with 4/5 garlic added to water in form of a concoction. It is helpful for sore throat due to cold.
• Use the leaves for maintaining a normal glycemic index.
• The daily intake of Nugu dasari provides relief from cough.
• Add ground fenugreek seeds with Patol to promote strength and stamina in both genders.
• Add dry grapes to musumusukai for controlling vomiting?.
• To treat bile-related diseases, grinded amla fruit with the plant for healing bile problems.
• For asthma, soak musumusukai juice with long pepper for a few hours. Dry it in the sun and powder it. Take two grams of this powder with honey on betal leaf.
• In Siddha, leaf, and roots are used for treating dyspnea?, fever?, hepatic disorders, abdominal disorders, vomiting? and cough.
• Leaf decoction is used for treating hypertension? and nasobronchial diseases.
• The herb is useful in treating allergic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, bronchiectasis, chronic? bronchitis, cold, productive cough, upper or lower respiratory tract infections, and difficulty in breathing.
• It controls endless cough, wheezing, cold, dry cough, allergic, tuberculosis and asthma.

References