Kubhindo - Ash Gourd | Winter Melon (कुभिन्डो)

Kubhindo - Ash Gourd (कुभिन्डो)Ash Gourd (Winter Melon): Nutrition, Benefits, and Uses

Kubhindo is also called, Ash Gourd, Wax Gourd, White Gourd or Winter Melon, and it is a watermelon or pumpkin look-like large gourd.  The gourd range from oblong to cylindrical and has a pale green skin with a chalky wax coating.  The mature gourd has a hard and tough shell with a firm and white flesh.  It is one of the common vegetable grown in Nepal, India, China and many parts of Southeast Asia.

Ash gourd is also known to have healing properties.  For more information click on this link.  The botanical name of this gourd is Benincasa hispida.

Kubhindo is cooked as a vegetable when young, but the ripe gourds are usually popular in making preserves or crystallized candied sweet known as "murabba" or "petha". 

Photo taken at the fruit shop, next to the temple of Nardevi in Kathmandu (walking distance from Thamel).  Kubhindo is neatly arranged in the shelves along with other fruits.  The Pasale (store owner) told me that the fully matured gourd can be stored for almost a year.

Kubhindo is offered to deities during Hindu rituals and many other religious ceremonies.   It is a popular item used during Lakhee Naach (masked demon dance ceremony) in the festival of Indra-Jatra in Nepal.

Ash gourd, also referred to as Benincasa hispida, winter melon, wax gourd, white pumpkin, and Chinese watermelon, may be a fruit native to parts of Southern Asia (1).

It grows on a vine and matures into a round or oblong melon that’s approximately an equivalent size and color as a watermelon. Once ripe, the fruit’s fuzzy exterior morphs into a powdery ash-colored coating that provides this fruit its name.

Ash gourd’s mild taste is like cucumber, and therefore the fruit’s flesh may be a particularly popular addition to Chinese and Indian dishes.

The fruit is touted to supply various health benefits and has been utilized in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for hundreds of years . However, only a couple of of its purported benefits are currently backed by science (1).

This article reviews the newest research on ash gourd, including its nutrient content and potential health benefits.

Rich in certain nutrients and beneficial plant compounds

Ash gourd comprises 96% water and is extremely low in calories, fat, protein, and carbs. Yet, it remains rich in fiber and provides small amounts of varied nutrients.

One 3.5-ounce (100-gram) portion of raw ash gourd offers (Source):

• Calories: 13
• Protein: but 1 gram
• Carbs: 3 grams
• Fiber: 3 grams
• Fat: but 1 gram
• Vitamin C: 14% of the Daily Value (DV)
• Riboflavin: 8% DV
• Zinc: 6% DV

Ash gourd also contains smaller amounts of iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and manganese, also as various other B vitamins. Still, these amounts typically don’t exceed 3% of the nutrients’ DVs (2Trusted Source).

In addition to vitamin C , ash gourd may be a good source of flavonoids and carotenes, two antioxidants believed to assist protect your body against cell damage and certain conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart condition (3).

Currently, ash gourd’s antioxidant content is assumed to be the most reason behind most of its purported benefits (4Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Ash gourd is low in calories, fat, carbs, and protein. Yet, it’s rich in fiber and antioxidants that are believed to market your health and help protect your body from disease.

May improve digestion

Ash gourd’s low calorie, high fiber, and high water contents may help improve your digestion and promote a healthy weight .

For instance, research suggests that low calorie, water-dense foods like ash gourd may help people reduce (5Trusted Source).

Moreover, ash gourd may be a good source of soluble fiber. this sort of fiber forms a gel-like substance in your gut, which slows your digestion and helps promote feelings of fullness (6, 7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).

Ash gourd is additionally particularly low in carbs, which makes it suitable for people following low carb diets.

SUMMARY

Ash gourd’s low calorie, low carb, high water, and high fiber contents provide a nutrient combination which will promote digestive health and assist you maintain a healthy weight.

Other potential benefits

Ash gourd has been utilized in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine to treat various ailments for hundreds of years .

This fruit is usually praised for its laxative, diuretic, and aphrodisiac properties. It’s also believed to supply health benefits starting from increased energy levels and a sharper mind to smoother digestion and a lower risk of disease.

However, not all of its purported benefits are currently supported by science. those with most scientific backing include:

• May prevent ulcers. Animal research indicates that ash gourd extracts may help prevent the looks of stomach ulcers in rats (4Trusted Source, 9).
• May reduce inflammation. Test-tube and animal studies note that ash gourd extracts may reduce inflammation, which is believed to be the basis explanation for many chronic diseases (10, 11Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source).
• May offer some protection against type 2 diabetes. Research in mice suggests that ash gourd may help reduce blood glucose , triglyceride, and insulin levels. However, human studies report conflicting results (1, 13Trusted Source).
• May have antimicrobial effects. Some studies indicate that ash gourd extracts may protect against certain bacteria and fungi. Yet, other studies find no protective effects (14Trusted Source)

Although promising, it’s important to notice that each one of those studies have used concentrated extracts from the fruit’s flesh, skin, or vine instead of the fruit itself.

Moreover, many of those studies are small or dated, and therefore the overwhelming majority haven’t researched these benefits in humans. Therefore, more research is required before strong conclusions are often drawn.

SUMMARY

Extracts made up of ash gourd’s flesh, skin, and vine are linked to an array of potential health benefits. Still, more studies in humans are needed before strong conclusions are often made.

Ways to eat ash gourd

Ash gourd may be a popular a part of Asian cuisine.

The fruit is most frequently cubed, boiled, and eaten on its own or added to soups and stews. It also can be baked, fried, candied, or just peeled and added to salads, or eaten raw similarly to how you’d eat a sliced cucumber.

Ash gourd can likewise be wont to make candy, jam, ketchup, cakes, ice cream, or a sweet Indian delicacy referred to as petha. It’s also a well-liked addition to juices and smoothies (15Trusted Source).

You can find ash gourd in most Asian supermarkets or international farmers markets. confirm to select a gourd that feels heavy for its size and is freed from bruises or outside indentations.

Ash gourd is best stored during a cool, dry place. The white powder on the gourd’s surface becomes sticky when wet and will be rinsed off before slicing the gourd open.

SUMMARY

Ash gourd may be a versatile addition to soups, stews, and salads. It also can be baked, fried, candied, or wont to make ketchup, jam, juices, smoothies, and desserts.

The bottom line

Ash gourd may be a low calorie fruit that’s rich in water, fiber, and other beneficial nutrients. it's commonly utilized in traditional medicine to stop or treat various ailments and makes for a flexible addition to several dishes.

Ash gourd is additionally believed to market digestion, reduce inflammation, and protect against infection, ulcers, and sort 2 diabetes. However, none of those benefits are currently backed by strong science.

That said, there’s no harm in giving this exotic fruit a try, albeit it’s simply to feature variety to your diet or give your dishes a stimulating twist.