| PlantID | 0040 |
| Botanical Name | Citrullus colocynthis |
| Common Name | Indrayan |
| Classification | | Kingdom: | Plantae | | Subkingdom: | Tracheobionta | | Division: | Magnoliophyta | | Class: | Magnoliopsida | | Subclass: | Dilleniidae | | Order: | Violales | | Family: | Cucurbitaceae | | Genus: | Citrullus | | Species: | colocynthis |
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| Part used | Roots, fruits and dried pulp. |
| Medicinal Properties | Roots: purgative. Fruits: bitter, acrid, cooling, carminative, purgative, antipyretic and anthelmintic.
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| Medicinal Use | Roots: useful in treatment of uteralgia, mammillitis, rheumatalgia, visceromegaly in children, ophthalmia, ascites, jaundice and uropathy. Fruits: used for tumours, ascites, leucoderma, ulcers, asthma, bronchitis, urethrorrhea, jaundice, dyspepsia, constipation, elephantiasis, tubercular glands of the neck and splenomegaly.
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| Chemistry | Fruit-juice: alpha-elaterin, citrulluin, citrulluene and citrulluic acid. Dried pulp & unripe fruit: dihydric alcohol, citrullol, p-hydroxybenzyl and methylether. The peel-free flesh of ripe fruits contains a yellow, bitter oil, citbittol.
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| Cultivation | By seeds and vegetative method. |
| Regional Habitat | Wildly found in warm areas of Rajasthan. |
| Description | An annual herb with bifid tendrils, angular branching stems and woolly tender shoots. Leaves: deeply divided, lobes narrow, thick, glabrous or somewhat hairy. Flowers; monoecious, yellow, both males and females solitary, corolla pale-yellow. Fruits: globose or oblong fleshy indehiscent berry, 5-7.5 cm in diameter and variegated with green and white. Seeds: pale brown.
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