Coccinia indica (bimbi)

Bimbi is used as vegetable as well as drug in the classical literature. It appears that the fruit and root are used for these purposes respectively. Akin to Alabu, we come across two types of fruits for Bimbi viz., sweet and bitter which may be C. indica and C. grandis respectively. Dr. Koopula Hemadri and Dr. Venugopal two botanists from Vijayawada on personal discussion informed that both C. indica and grandis are synonymous but not two species. The wild one will be bitter while the cultivated one will be sweet.

Utility of Bimbi mula is traceable in the context of Sayyamutra / bed wetting (Bh. R.) and Prameha. It is considered to be Amedhya (inhibits intelligence) by Kaiyadeva.

Botanical Description – It is a creeper bearing white flowers. It is cultivated all over India.

Major Chemical Constituents– Stigmast-7-en-3-one from roots; cephalandrol, cephalandrine A & B from aerial parts; sitosterol, taraxerol etc., from fruits.

Part Used– Root, leaf, fruit

Dosage– Fresh juice 10-20 ml.

Research–

(1) Water-soluble fraction of alcoholic extract of roots revealed hypoglycaemic properties on alloxan diabetic rabbits (De & Mukerji, 1953).

(2) Hypoglycemic activity of roots was reported by Trivedi (1962).

(3) Linear-dose effect relationship was established when log doses were plotted against the effect on blood sugar was confirmed (Mukerjee et al., 1962).

(4) The plant extract caused appreciable inhibition of hypog-lycemic response if anterior pitutory extract in glucose-fed albino rats (Gupta, 1963).

(5) The quartenary base isolated from the plant was also found to possess hypoglycemic activity of short duration and it showed definite activity on GTT in normal guinea pigs. The drug had a moderated hypoglycemic activity in alloxan diabetic rats (Mukherjee et al; 1972).

(6) In a clinical study the powder and fresh juice were administered to 30 diabetic patients. The drug significantly reduced the blood sugar levels and all the cases were followed up for 3-6 months treatment (Gupta 1982).

(7) Oral administration of pectin (0.2g/100g/day) from fruits produced significant hypoglycemia in normal rats and increase in liver glycogen due to pronounced glycogen synthetase activity (Planta Medica, 59:p.330, 1993).