Bottle Gourd: Uses, Nutrition, Health Benefits, Side Effects

What is Lauki (Bottle Gourd)?

The benefits of green vegetables are known to everyone. And bottle gourd, commonly known as lauki, is a vegetable with many health benefits. It is known by different names such as white-flowered gourd, calabash, New Guinea bean, Tasmania bean and long melon. It belongs to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae and is a running or climbing vine. Bottle gourd comes in various shapes: small and bottle-shaped, huge and round or slim and twisty. The vegetable is not only limited to providing a cooling effect in the body, but is quite beneficial for the heart, piles, diabetes, jaundice, ulcers, hypertension, and colitis, and even helps reduce sleeping disorders.

Bottle Gourd Nutrition Value 100 gm

Bottle gourd contains 96.1% water, so is light on the stomach and aids digestion. It helps lose weight quickly because of its high dietary fiber and low fat and cholesterol content. It is also packed with Vitamin A, B, and C and essential minerals. Here is the bottle gourd nutritional value:

Nutrients	Nutritional value Amount in100 grams
Calories	15 kcal
Carbohydrates	3.39 g
Protein	0.6 g
Fat	0.02 g
Dietary Fiber	1.2 g
Vitamin C	10.1 mg
Vitamin A	16 IU
Vitamin B6	0.036 mg
Folate (Vitamin B9)	6 µg
Calcium	24 mg
Magnesium	11 mg
Potassium	170 mg
Phosphorus	13 mg
Sodium	2 mg
Iron	0.25 mg

Properties of Bottle Gourd (Lauki)

Bottle gourd is beneficial in managing piles, diabetes, jaundice, ulcers, hypertension,
colitis, and heart health. The pulp of fruit is known for its cooling, diuretic effect. Here are the properties of bottle gourd or lauki that make it a valuable fruit:

1. Antihyperlipidemic Property: Bottle gourd helps in lowering cholesterol levels. It contains compounds that can reduce the amount of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood, thereby preventing plaque buildup in the arteries and reducing the risk of heart disease.
2. Antioxidant Property: Bottle gourd is rich in antioxidants, which help to neutralise harmful free radicals in the body. This prevents oxidative stress and cellular damage, contributing to overall health and reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
3. Antimicrobial Property: Bottle gourd has natural antimicrobial properties that help fight various bacteria and fungi. These properties can help prevent infections and boost the immune system.
4. Cardioprotective Property: The nutrients in bottle gourd, such as potassium and magnesium, support heart health by maintaining healthy blood pressure levels and ensuring proper heart function. Their cardioprotective properties help reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
5. Anthelmintic Property: Bottle gourd exhibits anthelmintic properties, meaning it can help expel parasitic worms and other internal parasites from the body. This is particularly useful in maintaining digestive health and preventing parasitic infections.
6. Anticancer Property: Certain compounds in bottle gourd have shown potential anticancer effects. They help inhibit the growth of cancer cells and may protect against various types of cancer by promoting the death of malignant cells and preventing their proliferation.
7. Diuretic Property: Bottle gourd has a natural diuretic effect, meaning it promotes urine production. This helps flush out toxins from the body, maintain kidney health, and reduce water retention and bloating.
8. Cooling Property: Bottle gourd has a cooling effect on the body. It helps regulate body temperature and provides relief from the heat, making it a great food choice during hot weather. This property also helps soothe inflammation and reduce the risk of heat-related ailments.

Bottle Gourd Benefits for Overall Health

Bottle gourd juice benefits those looking for diabetes management, weight loss, reduced stress acidity and ulcers and detoxification of their body. It is rich in Vitamin C, Zinc, iron, Thiamin, thus helping in improving overall health. Here are the main lauki juice benefits for health:

1. Manages Diabetes: Bottle gourd is considered beneficial for individuals with diabetes due to its low glycemic index and potential hypoglycemic effects. Consuming bottle gourd regularly may help regulate blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity, supporting overall diabetes management. However, individuals with diabetes should monitor their blood sugar levels closely when incorporating this vegetable into their diet.
2. Prevents premature greying of hair: Due to climate change and eating habits, premature greying of hair has emerged as a problem. Consuming a glass of bottle gourd juice every day may help maintain the texture and stop premature greying of hair. The crushed leaves of bottle gourd are also used for baldness.
3. Digestion: Loaded with fiber and alkali content, the vegetable helps digestion and treating acidity. (The health tips shared in this article are based on common practices and general knowledge. Readers are advised to consult a doctor before practising them at home.
4. Urinary infections: Bottle gourd benefits during UTIs. The consumption of bottle gourd juice combined with lime juice helps treat the burning sensation in the urinary passage.
5. Constipation: Lauki is rich in fibre, which helps to relieve constipation.
6. Relieves fatigue: Consuming lauki on a daily basis in summer can help in reducing stress and fatigue. The water content in bottle gourd has a cooling effect on the body.
7. Good for the stomach: Ayurveda recommends bottle gourd juice to treat acidity, indigestion and ulcers.
8. Mental illnesses: Bottle gourd benefits barin health and improving cognitive functioning. It acts as a nerve tonic and can help improve mental disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder.
9. Treats Insomnia: Mixing the juice with sesame oil provides an effective medicine for insomnia. It also helps those with sleep disorders. Consume lauki juice daily for a sound sleep.
10. Respiratory disorders: consumption also helps manage respiratory conditions such as bronchitis, cough, and asthma.
11. Electrolyte imbalance: A glass of bottle gourd juice, mixed with a little salt, helps prevent excessive sodium loss from the body.
12. Jaundice: The juice extracted from the leaves of bottle gourd is beneficial in jaundice.
13. Benefits the heart: This vegetable is also extremely beneficial for keeping the heart healthy. Consuming lauki juice twice or thrice in a week will support in maintaining a healthy heart and will also regulate blood pressure.
14. Helps in weight loss: Lauki is considered one of the best weight loss foods since it is 96% water and provides just 12 calories per 100g of saving. Drinking lauki juice is believed to help lose weight. Bottle gourd is loaded with iron, vitamins and potassium. Consuming the juice every day will definitely help you reduce weight.

How to Use Bottle Gourd?

You use bottle gourd or lauki in multiple ways. Here are some ways on how to use bottle gourd:

1. Stir-fry: Slice bottle gourd into thin pieces and stir-fry with spices, garlic, and onions for a quick and healthy dish.
2. Curry: Add diced bottle gourd to your favourite curry recipes. It absorbs flavours well and pairs nicely with spices.
3. Soup: Bottle gourd can be blended into soups for a creamy texture. Boil it with other vegetables, blend, and season for a nutritious soup.
4. Lauki halwa: Grate bottle gourd and cook with milk, sugar, and ghee to make a sweet halwa. Add nuts and cardamom for extra flavor.
5. Lauki Juice: Peel and cut bottle gourd into pieces. Blend with water, strain, and add a pinch of salt or lemon for flavour. Drink it fresh for a cooling and hydrating beverage.
6. Lauki face pack: Bottle gourd can be blended into a paste and applied as a face pack to soothe and cool the skin.
7. Detox drink: Mix bottle gourd juice with other detoxifying ingredients like ginger or lemon for a health-boosting drink.

Daily Consumption Limit of Bottle Gourd

The daily consumption limit of bottle gourd should be moderated to ensure safety and health benefits. It is recommended to drink no more than 1 cup (about 250 ml) of fresh bottle gourd juice per day. Consuming more can potentially cause toxicity, especially if the gourd is bitter.
If you are having it cooked, consume around 1-2 cups (approximately 200-300 grams) daily.

Side Effects of Bottle Gourd

The following are some of the lauki juice side effects:

• Bottle gourd juice is toxic when bitter: Bottle gourd juice benefits a healthy body. However research has proved that if you consume bitter bottle gourd juice, it could be highly toxic to your body. It may also cause various side effects, such as diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, discomfort, or any feeling of uneasiness. So, it is essential to check the taste of the juice before consuming it.
• Gastrointestinal problems: Consuming a bitter bottle of gourd juice can lead to various problems, such as intestinal inflammation, stomach mucosa, gastric ulcers, and inflammation in the food pipe.
• Other side effects: Drinking excessively bottles of gourd juice may lead to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in those with low blood sugar levels.

Precautions to Take With Bottle Gourd

Follow these precautions for the safe use of bottle gourd:

1. Always taste a small piece of raw bottle gourd before cooking or juicing. If it tastes bitter, do not consume it. Bitterness indicates the presence of toxic compounds called cucurbitacins, which can cause severe stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
2. Do not mix bottle gourd with other bitter vegetables like bitter gourd to avoid increasing the
3. Try to consume fresh bottle gourds and avoid using them if they have been stored for too long, as older gourds may develop harmful compounds.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)