Ash gourd, also known as `white gourd` or `wax gourd`, is a yearly, hairy, creeping herb. It is a grey-coloured, big fruit-vegetable, resembling pumpkin. It is generally cultivated for its nourishing and medicinal values.

A study of the ash gourd illustrates satisfying amount of moisture and petite amounts of protein, fat, fibre and carbohydrates. Its mineral and vitamin contents are calcium, phosphorus, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and vitamin C. Its vital energy value is 15. The seeds contain pale yellow oil.

Methods of usage
Ash gourd possesses immense usage in fields of peptic ulcer, blood loss, exhaustion, intestinal worms, detoxifier, also reducing dandruff level.

Healing Power and Medicinal Properties of ash gourd
Ash gourd is nutritious and nourishing. Being low in calories it is especially useful for diabetic and overweight people. It is cooling and a purgative. This herb boosts the secretion and disposal of urine. It raises libido and is useful in occasional blasts of hysteria and paroxysms.

Peptic Ulcer cured by ash gourd
The diluted juice of ash gourd is advantageous in the treatment of peptic ulcer. The juice, wrung out of shredded ash gourd with an equal amount of water added to it, should be taken everyday in the morning in an unfilled stomach. No food should be consumed for 2 to 3 hours subsequently. This also alleviates swelling in the alimentary tract.

Bleeding arrested by ash gourd
Ash gourd acts as a blood coagulant. Since prehistoric times, its fresh juice blended with a teaspoon of amla or lime juice is used as a definite medicine to stop riotous bleeding from lungs and nose, in piles and haematuria, a disease characterised by the presence of blood cells in the urine.

General Debility healed by ash gourd
A scrumptious sweet prepared from the flesh of the fruit by boiling its pieces in water and adding sugar syrup to it is used as a medicine to raise weight, in tuberculosis, weakness of the heart, excess body heat, sparseness of semen and anaemia.

Intestinal Worms cured by ash gourd
Husked seeds of ash gourd are anabolic - that encourages tissue growth - principally when consumed with coconut milk. They eject tapeworm and other worms from the intestine.

Dandruff healed by ash gourd
The skin and seeds of ash gourd, boiled in coconut oil, are beneficial in hair growth, averts dandruff and dryness of the scalp.

Other Uses of ash gourd
Detoxifying Effects - Due to its diuretic action, ash gourd amplifies the yield of urine and rinses out waste material from the body.

The unripened fruit is cooked as a vegetable. The mature fruit is mostly used for preparing sweetmeat. The tender leaves and buds are also cooked.