What kind of plant is gourd?

Gourd is a climbing vine plant, which belongs to the annual climbing herb of the genus Cucurbita of Cucurbitaceae. White flowers bloom in summer and autumn, monoecious. The vine of the gourd can be up to 15 meters long, and the heaviest fruit can be up to a kilogram. The gourd likes a warm, sheltered environment. The fresh gourd skin is tender green and the flesh is white. It can be harvested and eaten as a vegetable when it is not ripe.

The efficacy and function of gourd

1. Improve immunity: gourd contains protein and trace elements, which help to enhance the immunity of the body. at the same time, vitamin C can also promote the synthesis of antibodies in the human body, thus improving the resistance to virus.

2. Reduce blood sugar: two kinds of trypsin inhibitors can be isolated from gourd, which can inhibit trypsin to a certain extent and thus have the effect of lowering blood sugar.

3. Cancer prevention: the carotene content in the gourd is relatively high, which can prevent the synthesis of carcinogens in the body after human consumption, thereby reducing the formation of cancer cells and reducing the incidence of cancer.

4. Moistening intestines and laxation: gourd contains more cellulose, such as hemicellulose, lignin and pectin, these substances can not be hydrolyzed by human digestive enzymes, but can promote intestinal peristalsis and facilitate fecal excretion.

Gourd is different from other melons and fruits in that both gourd and its leaves should be eaten when they are tender, otherwise they will lose their edible value when they are ripe.