The colocynth, also known as bitter apple, bitter cucumber, egusi, or vine of Sodom, is a viny A vine in the broad sense refers to any climbing or trailing plant. The narrower and original meaning is the grapevine (Vitis) plant native to the Mediterranean Basin The Mediterranean Basin comprises the lands around and surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin refers to the lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers, which supports characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation and Asia Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population. During the 20th century Asia's population nearly quadrupled, especially Turkey Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( Türkiye Cumhuriyeti (help·info)), is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in western Asia and Thrace (Rumelia) in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. Turkey is one of the six independent Turkic states. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the (especially in regions such as İzmir İzmir, historically also Smyrna, is a city in western Turkey and the seat of İzmir Province.It is Turkey's third most populous city and the country's second largest port city. It is located along the outlying waters of the Gulf of İzmir, by the Aegean Sea), Nubia Nubia is a region along the Nile, since 1956 divided between southern Egypt and in northern Sudan, and Trieste Trieste listen (Italian: Trieste, pronounced [triˈɛste]; Slovene: Trst; German: Triest; Hungarian: Trieszt) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south, east and north of the city. Trieste. It originally bore the scientific name Colocynthis citrullus, but is now classified as Citrullus colocynthis.
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Growth
Its fruit The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state, such as apples, oranges, grapes, strawberries, juniper berries and bananas. Seed-associated structures that do not fit these, which is lemon The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia and the tree's oval yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and nonculinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind (zest) are also used, mainly in cooking and baking. Lemon juice is about 5% to 6% (approximately 0.3 Molar) citric acid, which-sized, yellowish, green-mottled, spongy, and extremely bitter, is a powerful hepatic The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion. The liver is necessary for survival; there is currently no way to compensate for the absence of liver function stimulant and hydragogue cathartic In medicine, a cathartic is a substance which accelerates defecation. This is in contrast to a laxative, which is a substance which eases defecation, usually by softening the stool. It is possible for a substance to be both a laxative and a cathartic. However, agents such as psyllium seed husks increase the bulk of the stool. It is used as a strong laxative Laxatives are foods, compounds, or drugs taken to induce bowel movements or to loosen the stool, most often taken to treat constipation. Certain stimulant, lubricant, and saline laxatives are used to evacuate the colon for rectal and bowel examinations, and may be supplemented by enemas in that circumstance. Sufficiently high doses of laxatives. In overdoses, the fruit can cause violent, sharp pains in the bowels, with dangerous inflammation. Given that the colocynth grows wild in region of Israel Israel , officially the State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל (help·info), Medīnat Yisrā'el; Arabic: دَوْلَةُ إِسْرَائِيلَ, Dawlat Isrā'īl), is a parliamentary republic in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the, these symptoms would be consistent with the "wild gourd" mentioned in 2 Kings 4:39-40[citation needed]. It is seldom used alone, but in combination with other cathartics has been a standard remedy. It has been used alone in obstinate edema Edema or oedema (British English; both words from the Greek οἴδημα, oídēma "swelling"), formerly known as dropsy or hydropsy, is an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin or in one or more cavities of the body. Generally, the amount of interstitial fluid is determined by the balance of fluid homeostasis, and increased, amenorrhea Amenorrhoea , amenorrhea (AmE), or amenorrhœa, is the absence of a menstrual period in a woman of reproductive age. Physiological states of amenorrhoea are seen during pregnancy and lactation (breastfeeding), the latter also forming the basis of a form of contraception known as the lactational amenorrhoea method. Outside of the reproductive years, and in cerebral derangements. A normal dose of fluid extracted from the fruit pulp is 2 to 5 minims The minim is a unit of volume in both the imperial and US customary systems of measurement. Specifically it is 1⁄60 of a fluidram or 1⁄480 of a fluid ounce, and for the powdered extract, 1 to 2 grains A grain is a unit of measurement of mass that is based upon the mass of a single seed of a typical cereal. Historically, in Europe, the average masses of wheat and barley grain were used to define units of mass, with the troy grain based on barley. Since 1958, the grain or troy grain measure has been redefined on the basis of the unit of mass of.[1]
Seed constituents
Its seed, which is edible but similarly bitter, nutty-flavored, and rich in fat Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are generally triesters of glycerol and fatty acids. Fats may be either solid or liquid at room temperature, depending on their structure and composition. Although the words "oils", "fats", and protein Proteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and folded into a globular form. The amino acids in a polymer are joined together by the peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid residues. The sequence of amino acids in a protein is defined by the sequence of a gene, which is encoded, is eaten whole or used as an oilseed Vegetable fats and oils are lipid materials derived from plants. Physically, oils are liquid at room temperature, and fats are solid. Chemically, both fats and oils are composed of triglycerides, as contrasted with waxes which lack glycerin in their structure. Although many different parts of plants may yield oil, in commercial practice, oil is. The oil content of the seeds is 17-19% (w/w), consisting of 67-73% linoleic acid Linoleic acid is an unsaturated omega-6 fatty acid. It is a colorless liquid at room temperature. In physiological literature, it is called 18:2(n-6). Chemically, linoleic acid is a carboxylic acid with an 18-carbon chain and two cis double bonds; the first double bond is located at the sixth carbon from the omega end, 10-16% oleic acid Oleic acid is a mono-unsaturated omega-9 fatty acid found in various animal and vegetable sources. It has the formula CH37CH=CH(CH2)7COOH. The trans-isomer of oleic acid is called elaidic acid, 5-8% stearic acid Stearic acid or 18:0 is a saturated fatty acid with the formal IUPAC name octadecanoic acid. It is a waxy solid, and its chemical formula is C18H36O2, or CH3(CH2)16COOH. Its name comes from the Greek word stéar (genitive: stéatos), which means tallow. The salts and esters of stearic acid are called stearates, and 9-12% palmitic acid Palmitic acid,CH314COOH or hexadecanoic acid in IUPAC nomenclature, is one of the most common saturated fatty acids found in animals and plants. As its name indicates, it is a major component of the oil from palm trees (palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil). The word palmitic is from the French "palmitique", the pith of the palm. It is estimated that the oil yield is approximately 400 L/hectare.[2]
Uses
The characteristic small seed of the colocynth have been found in several early archeological sites in northern Africa and the Near East, specifically at Neolithic Armant, Nagada (dated 3650-2850 BC), and Hierakonopolis (3500-3300 BC) in Egypt; at sites dating from 3800 BC to Roman times in Libya Libya (Arabic: ليبيا Lībiyā pronunciation ; Libyan vernacular: Lībya pronunciation (help·info); Amazigh: ), officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya ( Arabic: الجماهيرية العربية الليبية الشعبية الإشتراكية العظمى Al-Jamāhīriyyah al-ʿArabiyyah al-Lībiyyah aš-Š; and the pre-pottery Neolithic levels of the Nahal Hemar Caves in Israel.[3] Zohary and Hopf speculate that "these finds indicate that the wild colocynth was very probably used by humans prior to its domestication."[4]
Desert Bedouins The Bedouin (from the Arabic badawī , pl. badw) are a part of the predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group, where Arab Ethnicity is divided into three lifestyles, of the Urban, rural and Nomad people are said to make a type of bread from the ground seeds. There is some confusion between this species and the closely-related watermelon Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Matsum & Nakai, family Cucurbitaceae) can be both the fruit and the plant of a vine-like (scrambler and trailer) plant originally from southern Africa, and is one of the most common types of melon. This flowering plant produces a special type of fruit known by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind (, whose seeds may be used in much the same way. In particular the name "egusi Egusi seeds are the fat- and protein-rich seeds of certain cucurbitaceous plants. Authorities disagree whether the word is used more properly for the seeds of the colocynth, those of a particular large-seeded variety of the watermelon, or generically for those of any cucurbitaceous plant. The characteristics and uses of all these seeds are broadly" may refer to either or both plants (or more generically to other cucurbits Cucurbitaceae is a plant family commonly known as melons, gourds or cucurbits and includes crops like cucumbers, squashes , luffas, melons and watermelons. The family is predominantly distributed around the tropics, where those with edible fruits were amongst the earliest cultivated plants in both the Old and New Worlds) in their capacity as seed crops, or to a soup made from these seeds and popular in West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 15 countries & an area of approximately 5 million square km:.
A traditional food plant in Africa, this little-known vegetable has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare.[5]
Pre-modern medicinal uses
In pre-modern medicine Medicine is the science and art of healing humans. It includes a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness. Before scientific medicine, healing arts were practiced along with alchemical and ritual practices that developed out of religious and cultural traditions. The term & it was an ingredient in the electuary An electuary is a medicinal paste composed of powders, or other medical ingredients, incorporated with sweeteners to hide the taste, like syrup, honey, jam, etc, for the purposes of oral consumption called confectio hamech, or diacatholicon, and most other laxative pills; and in such cases as required purging, it was very successful. It is one of the most violent purgative drugs known; insomuch that it excoriates the passages to such a degree as to sometimes draw blood, and induce a so-called "superpurgation". Sometimes, it was taken boiled in water, or beer, in obstruction of the menses The menstrual cycle is a series of physiological changes that can occur in fertile females. Overt menstruation occurs primarily in humans and close evolutionary relatives such as chimpanzees. Females of other species of placental mammal undergo estrous cycles, in which the endometrium is completely reabsorbed by the animal (covert menstruation) at, which was considered successful in strong constitutions. Some women used it in the same manner, in the beginning of pregnancy, to cause an abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo, resulting in or caused by its death. An abortion can occur spontaneously due to complications during pregnancy or can be induced, in humans and other species. In the context of human pregnancies, an abortion induced to preserve the health, which often occurred due to the violence of its operation.[6] Its usage for this purpose is documented in ancient times; for example, the following recipe was found in the Ebers medical papyrus The Ebers Papyrus of about 1550 BC is among the most important medical papyri of ancient Egypt. It is also commonly called Papyrus Ebers . It is one of the two oldest preserved medical documents anywhere, the other main source being the Edwin Smith papyrus (around 1600 BC). Another important medical papyrus is the Brugsch Papyrus (around 1300 BC) in Egypt, dated to about 1550 BCE:[7]
To cause a woman to stop [terminate] pregnancy in the first, second or third period [trimester]: unripe fruit of acacia; colocynth; dates; triturate with 6/7th pint of honey. Moisten a pessary of plant fiber [with the mixture] and place in the vagina. —— Ebers papyrus The Ebers Papyrus of about 1550 BC is among the most important medical papyri of ancient Egypt. It is also commonly called Papyrus Ebers . It is one of the two oldest preserved medical documents anywhere, the other main source being the Edwin Smith papyrus (around 1600 BC). Another important medical papyrus is the Brugsch Papyrus (around 1300 BC), c. 1550 BCE; translation from Eve's Herbs, by John M. Riddle[7]
The powder of colocynth was sometimes used externally, with aloes Aloe, also written Aloë, is a genus containing about four hundred species of flowering succulent plants. The most common and well known of these is Aloe vera, or "true aloe", etc, in unguents An unguent is a soothing preparation spread on wounds, burns, rashes, abrasions or other topical injuries . It is similar to an ointment, though typically an unguent is less viscous and more oily, plasters The term plaster can refer to gypsum plaster , lime plaster, or cement plaster, etc, with remarkable success against parasitic worms Parasitic worms or helminths are a division of eukaryotic parasites that, unlike external parasites such as lice and fleas, live inside their host. They are worm-like organisms that live and feed off living hosts, receiving nourishment and protection while disrupting their hosts' nutrient absorption, causing weakness and disease. Those that live; and some, for the same purpose, recommended that the pulp be used as an enema. In iliac passion Ileus or gastrointestinal atony is a disruption of the normal propulsive gastrointestinal motor activity due to non-mechanical causes. In contrast, motility disorders that result from structural abnormalities are termed mechanical bowel obstruction. Some mechanical obstructions are misnomers, such as gallstone ileus and meconium ileus, and are not, enemas of colocynth were used effectively where most other pre-modern medicines had failed.[6]
Troches, or lozenges, made of colocynth were called "troches of alhandal Alhandal was a term used in Arabian pharmacy for the purgative extract of colocynth, or Bitter Cucumber". They were prepared by cutting the colocynth to a small size, and reducing it to a fine powder in a mortar, rubbed with oil of sweet almonds The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus Prunus, it is classified with the peach in the subgenus Amygdalus, distinguished from the other subgenera by the corrugated shell (endocarp) surrounding the seed; adding gum tragacanth, and mastic afterwards.[6]
Remedies for counteracting colocynth have included emetics Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Vomiting may result from many causes, ranging from gastritis or poisoning to brain tumors, or elevated intracranial pressure. The feeling that one is about to vomit is called nausea, which usually precedes, but does not always lead to,, such as zinc sulfate It is used to supply zinc in animal feeds, fertilizers, and agricultural sprays. ZnSO4·7H2O is used in making lithopone, in coagulation baths for rayon, in electrolytes for zinc plating, as a mordant in dyeing, as a preservative for skins and leather and in medicine as an astringent and emetic, and apomorphine Apomorphine is a non-selective dopamine agonist which activates both D1-like and D2-like receptors, with some preference for the latter subtypes. It is historically a morphine decomposition product by boiling with concentrated acid, hence the -morphine suffix. Apomorphine does not actually contain morphine or its skeleton, or bind to opioid, if caught early; later, demulcents A demulcent is an agent that forms a soothing film over a mucous membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation of the membrane. Demulcents such as pectin, glycerin, honey and syrup are common ingredients in cough mixtures. These demulcents will coat the throat and relieve the irritation causing the cough. They can be used to treat any type of and opiates In medicine, the term opiate describes any of the narcotic opioid alkaloids found as natural products in the opium poppy plant, as well as many semisynthetic chemical derivatives of such alkaloids, with stimulants to combat collapse.[1]
References
- ^ a b Davis & Company Parke. Manual of therapeutics. Parke, Davis & Co. 1909. pp. 262-266.
- ^ "Evaluation of Citrullus colocynthis, a desert plant native in Israel, as a potential source of edible oil"
- ^ Daniel Zohary and Maria Hopf, Domestication of Plants in the Old World, third edition (Oxford: University Press, 2000), p. 194.
- ^ Zohary and Hopf, ibid.
- ^ National Research Council (2006-10-27). "Egusi". Lost Crops of Africa: Volume II: Vegetables. Lost Crops of Africa. 2. National Academies Press. ISBN The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering (SBN) code created by Gordon Foster, now Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin, for the booksellers and stationers W.H. Smith and others in 1966 978-0-309-10333-6. http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11763&page=155. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
- ^ a b c This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain Works are in the public domain if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all, if the intellectual property rights have expired, and/or if the intellectual property rights are forfeited. Examples include the English language, the formulae of Newtonian physics, as well as the works of Shakespeare and the patents over powered flight.
- ^ a b Riddle, John M. Eve's Herbs: A History of Contraception and Abortion in the West. Harvard University Press. 1999. ISBN 0-674-27026-6.
External links
- Information on oilseed uses
- "Evaluation of Citrullus colocynthis, a desert plant native in Israel, as a potential source of edible oil"
Categories: Cucurbitaceae | Medicinal plants | Edible nuts and seeds
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I have two Collies and both are throwing up bile colored vomit. The only thing I have done differently is spray . bitter apple. on my table. Related posts: How do I prevent apple grubs spoiling my eating apples? I spray against apple black ...
