Trichosanthes kirilowii
| Trichosanthes kirilowii | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 20' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Trichosanthes kirilowii (common name: chinese cucumber)
Propagation: Seed - sow March in pots in a warm greenhouse in a rich soil. Sow 2 - 3 seeds per pot and thin to the strongest plant. Grow them on fast and plant out after the last expected frosts. Give some protection, such as a frame or cloche, until the plants are growing away well.
Cultivation: Requires a rich well-drained soil and plenty of moisture in the growing season[1][2].
Sometimes cultivated in China for its edible fruit and medicinal uses. Male plants are favoured for root production[3]. This species is not winter hardy in Britain and usually requires greenhouse cultivation[3]. However, it may be possible to grow it as an annual in a very warm sheltered bed outdoors[1].
A climbing plant, supporting itself by means of tendrils[3].
Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required[3].
Range: E. Asia - China, Mongolia, Vietnam.
Habitat: Forest edges and a weed of thickets in China[4].
Edibility: Fruit[5]. The young fruits are pickled[6]. The pulp of older fruits is eaten[7]. Mature fruits are about 10cm long[2].
Leaves and young shoots - cooked and used as a vegetable[6][5].
An edible starch is obtained from the root[5]. It requires leeching[7], which probably means that it has a bitter flavour[K]. The root is harvested in the autumn, cut into thick slices, soaked for 4 - 5 days in water, changing the water daily until the root disintegrates and can be mashed into a fine pulp. It is then steamed into cakes or used for making dumplings[6][8][7].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed.
Medicinal: This plant is commonly used in Chinese herbalism, where it is considered to be one of the 50 fundamental herbs[9]. Recent research has isolated a protein called 'trichosanthin' in the roots and this is undergoing trials as a possible remedy for AIDS[3].
The leaf and the stem are febrifuge[9].
The fruit is antibacterial, anticholesterolemic, antifungal, depurative, emollient, expectorant and laxative[4][10][11][8][3]. It is used in the treatment of pulmonary infections with yellow and thick sputum, chest pains, stuffy feelings in the chest, constipation and dry stool[11]. It has an antibacterial action against E. coli, Bacillus dysenteriae, B. typhi, B. paratyphi, Pseudomonas, Vibrio cholerae, V. Proteus etc[11]. The fruit is traditionally prepared as a winter soup to ward off colds and influenza[3]. The fruit is harvested in the autumn and dried for later use[3].
The rind of the fruit is used to treat a number of ailments, including cancer, jaundice, retained placenta, bronchial infections with thick phlegm and sore throat[11][9][3].
The seed is antitussive, emollient and expectorant[9].
The root is antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, febrifuge, galactogogue, laxative, oxytocic, sialagogue and uterine tonic[4][10][11][8][9][3]. The fresh root has been noted for centuries as an abortifacient - a sponge soaked in its juice was placed in the vagina and induced an abortion in the second trimester of pregnancy[9]. The root is taken internally in the treatment of diabetes, dry coughs, and to assist in the second stage of labour[11][3]. The root is harvested in the autumn and dried for later use[3].
The root and/or the seed is powdered and used in the treatment of mammary cancer[9].
Usage: An oil from the seed is used for lighting[8].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Monoecious
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Kariyone, Tatsuo. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.