Colocynth (Citrullus colocynthis), Bitter Apple

Indravaruni, Bitter Apple, Citrullus colocynthis

Description of Plant

Colocynth (Indravaruni, Bitter Apple) is a great herbal plant with many useful properties. It is also known as Citrullus colocynthis. Indravaruni belongs to the family of gourds and a relative of watermelon. It is the native of Africa and India. It is highly drought tolerant, hard, herbaceous vine. This plant can grow annual or perennial. Their stems are irregular and rough to great extent. Leaves are very rough, 5 to 10 cm long, deep three to seven lobed with middle lobe and sinus in open form with triangular shape and many clefts. The upper surface of the leaves are great green but the lower part is somewhat pale.

The flowers are of yellow colour, solitary, peduncle, axillary, monoecious and corollas are 5-lobed. Their fruits are kind of pepo fruits that contain various seeds, a hard rind and other characteristics of gourd family. Their shape is globular, 4-10 cm in diameter with elliptical fissures. The small orange, green color of fruit becomes totally yellow when ripe. Now the fruit is with hard rind, light weight pulp, easily breakable, spongy and intensely bitter. Seeds are of very small size around 6 mm in length, various in number, oval, compressed and smooth. Seeds become dark brown to light yellow after they ripe. This plant has large roots with long, slender, tough and rough like stems which have tendency to climb over herbs.

General Description

The Ayurvedic name of bitter apple is Indravaruni. This plant tends to control kapha and pitta doshas. All parts of plants have some role in varieties of disorders and ailments. The fruits are bitter and cool so act as purgative, carminative, anthelmintic, antipyretic and tend to cure asthma, bronchitis, tumors, urinary discharge, jaundice, constipation, joint pain and more. Root, the part of the plant used to combat urinary diseases jaundice, inflammation of the breast, abdominal enlargements ascites, rheumatism and cough and also in asthmatic attacks of children. Fruit or root with or without nux-vomica, a kind of herb used to sure pimples effectively.

The plant pulp contains biochemical components like stable oils, colocynthin, resins, pectins, lignin, minerals and gums. The active ingredients are of biochemical compounds are elaterin, albuminoids, phytosterol and glycoside. Bitter taste producing substances of the plant colocynthin and colocynthenin. Seeds contain phytosterolin. This acts as anti-tumor and anti-cancer because of anti-tumor biochemical like cucurbitacin B and cucurbitacin E.

Classification

Kingdom – Plantae
Order – Cucurbitales
Family – Cucurbitaceae
Genus – Citrullus
Species – Citrullus colocynthis

Habitat

This plant grows in warmer and tropical regions. It is native of Africa and also produce in Asia like in India, Pakistan and southern islands. It can tolerate annual temperature of 14.8 to 27.8 °C. The pH range in which it proliferates is 5.0 to 7.8.

This plant grows up to 1500 m above the sea level on sandy loam, sub desert soils and sandy sea coasts.

Countries where it is found are Mediterranean Europe, Cyprus, the Syrian Arab Republic, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and North Africa.

Names

Sanskrit name – Indravaruni
Hindi name – Indrayan
English name – Colocynth, Bitter apple, desert gourd, vine of Sodom.
Bengali name – Makhal, Rakhale Shasa
Gujarati name – Indrayan
Marathi name – Kadu -indravani
Telugu name – Paparabudam, Kuturu budama, Cinna Papara
Tamil name – Paedikari Attutummatti
Malyalam name – Paikummatti
Punjabi name – Ghurunba, kaudatumma
Arabic name – Hanthal, hanzal
Spanish name – Manzana amarga

Ayurvedic Properties

Hindi / Sanskrit		English
Rasa	Tikta	Taste	Bitter
Guna	Laghu, Rooksha, Teekshna	Physical Property	Light, Dry, Sharp
Virya	Ushna	Potency	Hot
Vipaka	Katu	Metabolic Property (After Digestion)	Pungent

Effects on Doshas

It is known to control Kapha and Pitta.

Classical Categorization

Charak Samhita	Sushruta Samhita	Vagbhata
Moolini Dravya – Group of herbs, where root is the part used. Virechana Dravya – Group of herbs used for the purpose of purgation Panchakarma therapy – This herb is the main ingredient and part of panchakarma	Shyamadi Gana Adhobhagahara	Shyamadi Gana

Ancient Verse about Indravaruni (Bitter Apple)

The Bhavprakash nighantu Edition of 1998, verse 203-206, page no-403.

The names are Indri, Indravaruni, Chitra, Gavakshi, Gvadini and Varuna. There is second Indravaruni that is bigger indrayan. Their names are Mahaphala, Vishala, shavait pushpa, Mrig Akshi and Mrigandi. Both the indrayans are bitter in taste, have katu vipaka, laghu and hot in potency. It is used to treat jaundice, pitta cough diseases, spleen diseases, asthma cough, skin diseases, diabetes, worms and thyroid enlargement.

References

The Bhavprakash nighantu with elaborated Hindi commentary by Padmashri prof. K.C. Chunekar, edited by Dr. G.S. Pandey: Edition of 1998, verse 203-206, page no-403.

Medicinal Uses of Indravaruni (Bitter Apple)

HYPOGLYCEMIC

Extract of its roots show great effect in reduction of blood sugar level. Several active components present in this herb influence the insulin metabolism and this way show great positive activity in Type II diabetes.

CONSTIPATION

Fruit extracts of this herb possesses strong laxative properties as it strengthens the intestinal muscles and brings about defecation naturally therefore it is very helpful to cure constipation.

ANTICANDIDAL AND ANTIBACTERIAL

Root extracts of this plant extracts, helpful in management of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria like Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and more. All extracts mean extracts of leaves, fruits and seeds showed activity against all strains.

ANTIOXIDANT

This plant acts as very effective antioxidant. This plant has ability to scavenge free-radicals like hydroxyl radical, superoxide anions and singlet oxygen.