The Bottle Gourd is yellowish-green in colour and usually in the shape of a bottle. The vegetable has a white pulp, with white seeds embedded in the spongy flesh. It is cultivated in the humid weather of India. It is also locally known in many places as bottle squash, white gourd, trumpet gourd, lauki, doodhi, ghia and calabash gourd.
Bottle Gourd has multiple health benefits, few of them are:
Bottle gourd is rich in dietary fibre, both, soluble and insoluble. Hence, it helps in curing constipation, flatulence and even piles. It is also easy to digest.
It promotes weight loss. The vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre in lauki keep the body well-nourished and curb unnecessary appetite, especially if you drink its juice in the morning on an empty stomach.
Its fat and cholesterol content is extremely low.
It also prevents fatigue and keeps the body cool and refreshed during summers.
Apart from the iron content it is also rich in vitamin B and C, and helps in anti-oxidative actions.
It also contains sodium, potassium, essential minerals and trace elements, which regulate blood pressure and prevent the risk of heart ailments.
High in sodium and potassium, bottle gourd is also an excellent vegetable for people with hypertension.
It is a suitable vegetable for light, low-calorie diets as well as for children, people with digestive problems, diabetics and those recovering from an illness or injury.
Bottle gourd is recommended by Ayurveda physicians for balancing the liver function, when the liver is inflamed and unable to process food efficiently for nutrition and assimilation.