Snake Gourd (Paraval)
Also known as
Latin : Trichosanthescucumerina
English : Snake Gourd
Sanskrit : Svadupatolah
Hindi : Paraval
Marathi : Palasa
Tamil : Putaval
Telugu : Potlakaya
Malayalam : Patavalam
Kannada : Bettadapadavala
How it looks�It is an annual slender - stemmed climber with large heart-shaped leaves and white flowers. The fruits are green and white striped, changing to orange when ripe and
twisted many times. Seeds are many in the fleshy pulp and are hard and yellowish brown.
What we use�Whole plant
What it does�It is cooling, anthelmentic, purgative, vermifuge, febrifuge, digestive, carminative and tonic.
How we use it�
In
vomiting�Take the juice of the snake gourd with a tsp of honey to mitigate vomiting sensation.
In
burning urination�Soak the whole plant in water overnight after cutting it into pieces and drink this water in the morning. This is excellent in relieving urethral inflammation
and in such conditions as gonorrhoea.
In
fever�It is the most recommended diet during fever owing to its cooling, digestive and febrifuge properties.
Make a decoction of equal quantities of snake gourd and fresh coriander leaves and drink an ounce or two of this mixture three times a day to reduce high temperature.
In
fungal infections�Make a paste of snake ground and gramflour and apply it to the infected skin. Wait for the application to dry and wash off with warm water. Pat dry. A few days
of this treatment is usually sufficient for cure.
