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Chichinda Trichosanthes Cucumerina Snake Gourd Seeds
Packet of 5+ seeds from this organically grown Australian native vine!
This is a very underutilised Aussie bush tucker species.
It is a common food crop all throughout the Pacific islands, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, India, Africa and it is a native to Western Australia, Northern territory and Queensland.
It grows all year round anywhere warm, and can be used like any other annual crop anywhere else.
Just pretend its less common and fancier looking cucumber, pumpkin or melon.
Because it has a huge worldwide distribution, and massive popularity as both a food and a traditional medicine, it has a heap of different names.
Common names include adavipotla, adavi potla, adla balli, adla kaayi, alakaipputal, amritaphala, annual gourd, bettada padavala, bijagarbha,chachinda, chichinga, chichonda, chinese cucumber, cicinda, club gourd, galar tori, gudda bean, janglichachinda, jangli padavala, kaippam patolam, kattupadavalam, kattuppeypputal, kayappanpadavalam, long tomato, malabar patola, padavalam, padavalanga, padwal, patolam, peppadal, potlakaaya, pudalankaai, pudel, serpent cucumber, serpent gourd, snake gourd, snake tomato, snek-tamatis, viper gourd, and viper’s gourd.
It is also known by the following synonums. Anguina anguina,Anguina cucumerina, Anguina cucumerina, Cucumis anguinus, Cucumis anguinus, Involucraria anguina, Involucraria anguina, Trichosanthes ambrozi, Trichosanthes ambrozii, Trichosanthes ambrozii, Trichosanthes anguina, Trichosanthes anguina, Trichosanthes brevibracteata, Trichosanthes brevibracteata, Trichosanthes colubrina, Trichosanthes cucumerina var. anguina, Trichosanthes cucumerina var. anguina, Trichosanthes cucumerina var. cucumerina, Trichosanthes lobata, Trichosanthes pachyrrhachis, Trichosanthes pachyrrhachis, Trichosanthes pedatifolia, Trichosanthes pedatifolia, Trichosanthes petala and know doubt countless more.
It has an amazingly beautiful flower, and a really interesting fruit that for me generally gets cucumber sized, though for folks with extra green thumbs can reach 1.5metres!
The leaves and new shoots and tender immature fruit are cooked and eaten just like you do with squash or zucchinni.
The fully ripe and soft fruit are peeled, scraped and the bright red flesh is used in curries and stews as a substitute for tomatoes.
It has exactly the same texture and is near identical in look, taste, and texture to a tin of chopped tomato.
The seeds are considered “cooling” in TCM, and contain around ~45% fats and oils.
Unfortunately they are also very high in toxic peptides and should not ever be eaten.
Being strongly purgative and a bit toxic they are traditionally used for a whole host of different illnesses, and in China and parts of Asia they are still being used to cause mid-term abortion.
Don’t eat the seeds folks!
Traditional Ayurveda in India says it pacifies vitiated pitta, constipation, skin diseases, burning sensation, diabetes, anorexia, flatulence, constipation, worm infestation, fever and general weakness, and I met a hippy surfer dude years ago that said it was great for tropical ulcers and skin conditions, just applied directly to the skin.
I also have a fuzzy memory of Aborigines in the Northern Territory traditionally using the mashed leaves as a treatment for something….(maybe stingray or jellyfish sting?)
I can’t bloody remember and Google doesn’t seem to want to co-operate.
If you know I would a love a heads up as its been bugging me for ages!
Grown by me and the Mrs organically, no chems, no nasties, no problems!!!
