The bottle gourd is one of the most popular and most commonly consumed vegetables in India. What makes it more popular is the fact that it is easily digestible and is extremely good for your health. Read this article to find out more about the health benefits of bottle gourd and its juice.
The Wonderful Benefits of Lauki
The bottle gourd is a very popular Indian vegetable mostly grown in the hot summer months. Known in India as lauki, doodhi, or ghia, its botanical name is Lageneria vulgaris. The bottle gourd is really good for your health. It is not only nutritious, but is also a wonderful cooling vegetable that can really help you fight the hot summer months. And that’s not all. Bottle gourd juice has been traditionally used for many years for treating many bodily disorders.
A Brief History and Description
Also known as the calabash and long melon, this vegetable is one of the earliest vegetables cultivated by man. The bottle gourd seems to have originated in India and Africa. It easily grows in warm and humid climate and, therefore, the tropics are the perfect place for their growth. The vegetable itself is yellowish green in color and is shaped like a bottle. It has a white pulp with white seeds embedded in them.
The Many Health Benefits
Although it is quite bland and tasteless, the bottle gourd has many health benefits. The cooked vegetable has a cooling, diuretic, relaxing, and anti-bilious effect on the body. It contains almost 96% moisture and is rich in calcium , phosphorous, iron, and dietary fibers. It also contains vitamin C.
The dietary fiber present in the bottle gourd makes it a very useful vegetable in preventing digestive disorders such as constipation, flatulence, and piles. Since it is easily digestible, the cooked vegetable eaten at meals is highly recommended for people with digestive problems and diabetes. The bottle gourd juice is also used in traditional medicine for treating acidity, indigestion, and ulcers.
If you are on a low calorie diet and are trying to lose weight, a glass of bottle gourd juice can help control the hunger pangs.
Bottle gourd juice has been found to be effective in treating urinary disorders. A glass of fresh juice taken daily with lime juice helps in treating the burning sensation in the urinary passage.
If you are suffering from excessive diarrhea or diabetes, or are fond of consuming fatty and fried foods, the juice of this wonderful Indian summer vegetable can serve as an effective thirst quencher. A glass of bottle gourd juice taken early in the morning in the hot summer months helps quench thirst, prevents fatigue, and keeps you feeling refreshed and cool.
In recent times, the vegetable has attracted a lot of attention since it has been considered by some Ayurveda practitioners to be very effective in controlling and treating high blood pressure and heart ailments.
Bottle gourd juice is also considered to be beneficial in insanity, epilepsy, and other nervous diseases. A glass of this juice taken daily is also considered to prevent premature graying of hair.
How to Include the Bottle Gourd in Your Diet
There are various ways in which this vegetable can be included as part of your diet.
Julienne the vegetable and steam it lightly. Once it is done, it can be added to a bowl of curd with a pinch of salt. The combination of the bottle gourd and the curd makes it an ideal recipe for dealing with the hot and humid weather.
Enjoy the benefits of lauki juice by peeling the vegetable, chopping it into small pieces and, putting it into the juicer. You can also add a pinch of salt for taste. You can also grate the vegetable, put it in a clean piece of cloth and just squeeze out the juice. One glass of this juice taken early in the morning will keep you energized and will also help you lose weight.
Of course, there are many other ways to prepare and consume the healthy calabash. Although traditional healers have used the bottle gourd and its juice for treating many diseases, it is only recently that people have actually come to accept its many health benefits. So, if you are looking to add a vegetable belonging to the gourd family in your regular diet, why not choose the bottle gourd.
References
Ayurveda For You: Bottle Gourd, https://ayurveda-foryou.com/ayurveda _herb/bottle_gourd.html
Hungryzone: Benefits of Bottle Gourd, https://hungryzone.com/articles/vegetables/benefits-of-bottle-gourd/view/107
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