Have you heard about ash gourd? Do you know what we call ash gourd in Hindi? If you want to know more about ash gourd, then stick to this blog and read it. In today’s blog, we’ll discuss various aspects of ash gourd, which is found in India and China. It is also known as winter melon and white gourd. It tastes like cucumber.
It is low in calories, nutritious, and rich in minerals and vitamins. You can easily include it in your diet in the form of smoothies, juices, and salads, and it has high water content.
Ash Gourd along with its Different Names
This green vegetable has various medicinal properties and offers various health benefits. It is helpful in treating stomach, liver, and skin problems, etc. It is generally oval in shape, and its leaves grow up to 10 to 20 centimetres. It is used in cooking Indian dishes such as sabzi, curry, kootu, dal, apart from sweets called petha.
Different Names of Ash Gourd
- Petha in Hindi
- Neer Pooshnikkai in Tamil
- Boodida Gummadi in Telugu
- Kumbalam in Malayalam
Ash gourd in Hindi is known as ‘Petha’. The vegetable is best to consume in the morning as it can absorb all the toxins and contamination that may have remained in the body throughout the day. When the vegetable is immature, then its white thick flesh tastes sweet. When it gets matured, it loses its hair, and a waxy coating starts developing that gives a long shelf life.
Ash gourd juice offers skin and hair care. Ash gourd provides nutrition and is high in water content, it gives a cool effect to the body.
Nutritional Value of Ash Gourd
Seeds, leaves, and juice extracts of ash gourd are packed with dietary components like fat, proteins, fibres, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. 100 gram of raw ash gourd has the following nutrition value:
- Calories: 13
- Fibre: 3 grams
- Fat: less than 1 gram
- Zinc: 6% DV
- Riboflavin: 8% DV
- Vitamin C: 14% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Carbs: 3 grams
- Protein: less than 1 gram
Ash gourd also has small amounts of iron, copper, phosphorus, magnesium, and manganese and other B vitamins. However, these nutrients are not above 3% of nutrients’ DV.
Apart from this, ash gourd also has carotenes and flavonoids that protect your body against cell damage and some conditions, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Ash Gourd Juice Benefits
The following are some amazing benefits of ash gourd:
- Rich in Nutrients
Ash gourd is enriched with dietary fibre. It has minerals like calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, manganese, copper and vitamins like niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, and vitamin C. It also has phytochemicals like phenols, tannins, alkaloids, glycosides, and flavonoids.
- Helps in Weight Loss
Ash gourd is low in calories, high in water content and dietary fibre that make it excellent for people who want to reduce weight. Because of the ash gourd’s fibre content, you’ll feel full. It reduces food cravings and calories intake as well.
- Improves Digestion
It has soluble fibre that makes it good for gut health. As it is rich in soluble fibre that promotes the growth of good bacteria, reduces indigestion that can cause constipation, etc. Ash gourd is good for treating stomach acids and related issues like dyspepsia, hyperacidity, and ulcers.
- Good for Heart
Ash gourd has both potassium and sodium, but potassium is higher than sodium, which is good for the heart.
- Improves Memory
According to Ayurveda, an ash gourd is good for the brain and improves memory and cognitive functioning. It has folate that can prevent birth defects. In addition to this, this vegetable calms your mind and reduces stress.
- Improves Immunity
Some experts say that ash gourd has anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties that help in boosting immunity.
- Good for Hair and Skin
Ash gourd has minerals and vitamins that provide nourishment to the hair strands. When you apply it as gel, then it penetrates deep into scalp layers and maintains the thickness of the hair. Ash gourd also has antioxidant properties, and its gel extract can be applied to rashes and sunburns.
- Treats Ulcers and Urine Infection
Because of anti-ulcer properties, ash gourds can treat ulcer problems. You can consume ash gourd to avoid ulcer problems. If you have a urine infection, then you can eat ash gourd or drink ash gourd juice.
Wrap Up!
Ash gourd offers various health benefits and nutritional value as well. However, you should consider a few points before eating ash gourd, such as it is not good to eat during indigestion, if you are consuming it in the form of dessert, and make sure to consume it in small amounts. You can also ask your doctor before consuming ash gourd juice.
