Moisture | 92.4% | Protein | 1.6% |
---|---|---|---|
Fat | 0.2% | Minerals | 0.8% |
Fibre | 0.8% | Carbohydrates | 4.2% |
Calcium | 20 mg | Phosphorus | 70 mg |
Iron | 1.8 mg | Vitamin C | 88 mg |
The bitter gourd is a common vegetable 10 to 20 cm long, tapering at the ends and covered with blunt tubercles. There are two varieties of this vegetable. The large kind is long, oblong and pale green in colour, other kind is small, little oval and dark green. The original home of bitter gourd is not known except that it is a native of the tropics. It is widely grown in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Philippnes, China and the Caribbean.
The bittergourd has excellent medicinal virtues. It is antidotal, antipyretic tonic, appetizing, stomachic, antibilious and laxative. also used in native medicines of Asia and Africa.
The bitter gourd is cooked and eaten as a vegetable in India and the Far East. The bitterness is reduced by steeping the peeled fruit in salt water before cooking. It is also used in pickles and as an ingredient of curries.The seeds of the ripe fruit are used as a condiment in India. The tender shoots and leaves are used as spinach.
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