Trichosanthes BRACTEATA (Lam.) Voigt.


Synonym : Trichosanthes tricuspidata Lour.
Trichosanthes palmata Roxb.
Trichosanthes puber Blume
Bangla Name : Makal
English Name : -
Family : Cucurbitaceae.
Disease : Asthma, earache, ozoena, inflammations, epilepsy and rheumatism,hemicrania,ophthalmia and leprosy.
Description : A large climber, up to 9 m long. Tendrils 2-more, commonly 3-cleft. Leaves 6.3-12.5 cm long and about similar in broad, usually palmately 3-5 lobed to about the middle, base cordate. Male flowers in axillary 5-10 flowered racemes, 15-23 cm long. Petals 2.5 cm long, wedge-shaped, fringed, exceeding the calyx-teeth. Female flowers axillary, solitary. Fruit 3.8-5 cm diam., globose, red when ripe, streaked with 10 orange streaks.
Distribution : Forest of Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Chemical Constituents : A new methylsterol, cyclotrichosantol and cycloeucalenol have been isolated from leaves. A triterpene- trichotetrol, mp. 289° has been isolated from root (Rastogi & Mehrotra, 1993).
Uses : The fruits are carminative, purgative, abotifacient and violent hydragogue, useful in asthma, earache, ozoena, inflammations, epilepsy and rheumatism, cures hemicrania, weakness of limbs, ophthalmia and leprosy. The oil obtained by boiling fruit in gingel
Habit : Climber