KUSHMAAND

 BOTANICAL NAME: Benincasa hispida

 SYNONYMS:
1. Cucurbita hispida (Thunb.)
2. Benincasa cerifera
 FAMILY: Cucurbitaceae
 COMMON NAME: Wax gourd, Chinese
watermelon ,white gourd, ash gourd,
fuzzy melon.
 SANSKRIT NAME: kushmaand
 ORIGIN AND HISTORY :
1. Wax gourd is a cultigens probably
originating from Indo-china. It is not found
in the wild and no related species are
known.
 2. It has been grown since ancient times in
Southern China, Japan and Southern and
south –eastern Asia.
3. Wax gourd is now widely cultivated
throughout tropical Asia and is also rather
popular in the Caribbean and the United
states.
4. In Madagascar and Mauritius, it was
formerly cultivated, but it seems to have
vanished at present.
 BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION
1. KINGDOM-Plantae
2. DIVISION – Spermatophyte
3. CLASS-Angiosperms
4. SUBCLASS-Dicotyledon
5. FAMILY-Cucurbitaceae
6. GENUS-Benincasa
 7. SPECIES-hispida
 VARIETIES
Developing Institution Variety
 Kerala agriculture KAU local
University, thrissur.
 Kerala agriculture Indu
University, thrissur.
 Tamil Nadu AU C.O 1
 Tamil Nadu AU C.O 2
 APAU ,Hyderabad APAU Shakthi
 UAS ,Bangalore Karikumbhala
 IIVR ,Varanasi IVAG.502
 MORPHOLOGY
1.Usually monoecious,annual herb
climbing by 2-3 ft tendrils up to 35cm
long, stem up to 5cm long, thick, terete,
 longitudinally forrowed, whitish-green
with scattered rough hairs.
2. Leaves distichously alternate, simple,
stipules absent, petiole 5-20cm long.
3. Flowers solitary in leaf axils, unisexual,
regular, pentamerous, densely silky,
yellow, calyx campanulate.
4. Fruit an ovoid oblong, ellipsoid or
globose berry 20-60cm*10-25cm, dark
green to speckled pale green or glaucous.
5. Seeds ovate-elliptical, flattened 1-1.5cm
long, yellow brown, sometimes
prominently ridged.
 ECOLOGY/DISTRIBUTION
1. Wax gourd is best suited for moderate.
lt dry areas in the tropics. It is relatively
drought tolerant.
 2. It is suited to tropical lowland
conditions and elevations up to 1000m
altitude.
 PARTS USED
1. The fruits are valued for their medicinal
properties. In India and China they are
used as antihelmentic, antiperiodic, and
aphrodisiac, for lowering B.P., against
epilepsy insanity and other nervous
diseases, haemophysis and hemorrhage
and as a diuretic, laxative and bitter tonic.
2. The seeds are used as a vermifuge.
3. Young shoots, leaves and flowers are
occasionally eaten too.
 COLLECTION
1. This annual vine can easily be grown
from seed. It is best grown in fertile,
 organically rich, medium moisture, well-
drained loams in full sun.
2. Seeds may be planted outdoors when
soil temperatures have risen to at least 65
degree farenhiet, typically around the
date of last spring fast.
3. Immature fruits can be picked up
anytime for immediate use.
4. Mature fruits need a good wax coating
to ensure long storage time.
 CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS
 RAJALAKSHMI C
Msc ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
ST.THOMAS COLLEGE, KERALA.
 GC MS analysis was carried out in
methanolic acid extract of B.hispida.18
phytochemicals were detected.
1. Bicyclo (3.1.1)heptanes,2,6,6-
trimethyl - (1.alpha,2.beta.,5.alpha)
2. 1,2 diethyl cyclohexdecane
3. 1,4 eicosadiene
4. Ethynyl cyclohexanol
5. n – hexadeconic acid
6. phytol
7. Oleic acid
8. Hexanedioic
acid,bis(2ethylhexyl)ester
9. Cis – vaccenic acid
10. 1 – nonadecene
11. Estra -1,3,5(10)triene17betaol
12. 1 pentadecene
13. Octadecadienol
14. Didydroxypropyl ester
15. Dibromopentacosane
 16. Eicosane
17. Octatriacontyl
pentafluoropropionate
18. Octasane
 PHARMACOLOGICAL EFFECT OF
B.HISPIDA ON
DEPRESSION,ANXIETY AND
PSCYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS

 Dinesh Dhingra and Paul Joshi

Department of pharmaceutical sciences,
Guru Jamnheshwar University of science
and technology, Hisar, Haryana, India.
1. The methanolic extract of
B.hispida show significant anti-
depressant like activity probably by
inhibiting Mao-A, and through
interaction with, dopaminergic,
alpha-adrenergic, serotonergic and
GABAergic systems. The particular
active components responsible for its
antidepressant like activity is to be
further studied.
2. Methanolic extract of benincasa
hispida fruit has been demonstrated
to possess anti-depressant and
anxiolytic effect, which suggests that
benincasa hispida, influences various
neurotransmitter systems including
serotonergic system.
3. Obsessive compulsive disorder is
characterized by persistent thoughts,
which are ego-dystonic and
associated with seemingly purposeful
behaviors.
4. Its co-morbidity with major
depression is often evident, and it is
considered as an anxiety disorder.
Only potent serotonin reuptake
inhibitors are consistently effective in
patients of OCD which indicates that
serotonin dysfunction is the
underlying cause in OCD.
5. An outgrowing research has been
done in pharmacotherapy of OCD but
research into herbal treatments for
OCD has just started.
6. These plants which are used to
treat anxiety and depression can be a
potential therapeutic strategy for
treatment of OCD. The evidences
suggest that B.hispida may be useful
in treatment of OCD.
7. Therefore, the influence of
methanolic extract of benincasa
hispida fruit was investigated on the
marble burying behavior of mice-a
well accepted behavior of model of
OCD behavior, due to its high face
and predictive validity.
8. Further, the effect of methanolic
extract of benincasa hispida fruit was
compared with the effect of
fluoxetine a standard anti-OCD
agent.
9. To understand the involvement of
serotonergic system, the effect of
 methanolic extract of B.hispida fruit
was further studied in mice, pre-
treated with either sub-effective dose
of fluoxetine – or p-
chlorophenylamine (PCPA) – a
serotonin depleting agent.
10. The results of the present
investigation revealed that
methanolic extract of B.hispida fruit
exhibited anti-compulsive effect by
inhibiting marble burying behavior
and it was comparable to that of
fluoxetine.

11. The methanolic extract of fruit

caused reduction in spontaneous
 Motor activity with no muscle relaxant
activity. It also significantly
potentiated the barbiturate induced
hypnosis, and showed significant
antihistaminic activity.
12. The anticonvulsant properties of
alcoholic extract of Benincasa hispida
was studied on maximal electroshock
test, pentylenetrazole and strychnine
seizures model in mice. The alcoholic
extract protected animals against
maximal electroshock-induced
convulsion and reduced the mean
recovery time from convulsion. It also
showed anticonvulsant activity against
penylenetrazole induced convulsion
and protected mice against strychnine
induced convulsions.
13. The juice of Benincasa hispida
showed significant activity against
symptoms of morphine withdrawal.
The results showed that Benincasa
hispida was active in preventing the
development of morphine addiction
and suppression of opioid withdrawal
in animals.
14. The chronic treatment with the
aqueous extract of Benincasa hispida
pulp(4000mg/kg bw) appeared
beneficial in the management of
colchines-induced rat model of
Alzheimer’s disease .It was also
increased antioxidants in different
 brain areas and increased the number
of correct choices out of 10 daily and
decreased latency time dose
dependently.
AYURVEDIC CONCEPTS
PROPERTIES AND ACTIONS
 Samhitas seldom describes the
properties of individual drugs. Instead
they give the representation of
individual drugs in different formulations
and yogas.
 Table: properties and actions of
kushmand in classical texts of ayurveda
STHANEEYA
Text RAS GUNA VEERYA VIPAK DOSHKARMA PRABHAV
KARMA
Madhur, Laghu, shrista mutra,
CHARAK _____ ______ tridoshhara ________
Amla ksharyukt purish
laghu, deepan,
S.S Madhur _______ _____ sarvdoshhar bastishodhan
ushna hrridya

A.H Madhur laghu _____ madhur vatapittakar vastishuddhikara ______

 Madhur, Kinchit-
B.P laghu madhur sarvdoshhar vastishuddhikara deepan
kshar sheeta
mutaghathara,
R.N Madhur ______ ______ _______ pittahara _______
ashmaribhedan
vrishya,
D.N _____ ______ ______ _______ vatapittahara hrridya
chittovikarhara
guru,
K.N Madhur sheeta madhur vatapittahara vrishya hrridya
ruksha
guru, bhedya,
Sh.N Madhur ______ madhur vatapittahara _______
ruksha vastishuddhikara
medhya,
P.N Madhur sheeta ______ _______ pittahara mutral
brinhan,vrishya
shofhara,
Madhur, laghu,
K.N ushna madhur tridoshhara daahnashak, hrridya
kshar snigdha
vrishya
balya,
laghu,
Ni.A Madhur sheeta madhur tridoshhara aruchi, _______
ushna
unmaad

 It can be seen that regarding the

pharmacodynamic properties of the
plant varies from text to texts.it may
be a result of plant’s identity
question in different parts of
country.inspite of this range of
opinions regarding properties of
kushmaand,there is overwhelming
consenses on its medhya
 prabhar.thus kushmaand may be
considered as having madhur
rasa,sheetvirya,madhurvipak,laghu,s
nigdha guna.
 A probable mechanism of
doshkarma is given as follows:
 RASA-1. Madhur-vatashaman,pittashaman
2. kshaar-kaphashamn
 GUNA-1.Laghu-kaphashaman
2. snigdha-vatashaman
 VIRYA-1.sheeta-pittashaman
 VEERYA-1.Madhur-
vatashaman,pittashaman

 It may be inferred than kushmaand

is of tridoshaman property because
of madhur rasa , snigdha
 guna&madhur vipak.It is vata
shamak, it is kapha shamak due to
kshara rasa,laghu guna .So it works
for the shaman of tridosha. It is
medhya by effect which has been of
interest in management of mental
disorders. It is also useful in anxiety,
psychological disorders as well.

THERAPEUTIC USES
 TABLE 2: SINGLE DRUG USES OF
KUSHMAAND
Dosage
S.No. Admn Uses/Action Text Context
Form

1 Ghrita Int. shwaas,kaas,apasmar B.P Rasayana

2 Awleha Int. Medhya,mutrakriccha B.R _____
3 Swaras Int. Mutaghat,mutrasharkara B.R _______
  TABLE 3: KUSHMAND IN
COMPOUND FORMULATIONS

S.No. Name of yog Dosage form Admn. Text Context

kushmand
1 vati paan B.R Rasayana
kalyanak

Most of the formulations of kushmaand is based

on shwaas, kasa, apasmar, medhya,
mutrakrichha, mutrasharkara.almost all
classical preparations are meant for internal
administration. It is employed in a variety of
dosage like swaras, awleha, ghritta, vati
preparation. They contain either water soluble
constituents at varying degrees. It has
antihypertensive property; it is also useful in
anxiety & psychosomatic disorder.