As mentioned earlier, mahakosataki is one of the three varieties of kosataki describe in madanapala nighantu. Kali turai of north India which is identified as L. acutangula var. amara is the source of this plant. It is a commonly used vegetable in north India.
Botanical Description – Leaves small and softly villous. Fruit obovoid-oblong, both ends obtuse, conical, 5-8 cm long, 3-4 cm thick, 10-ribbed, seeds small. Distribution: Wild throughout India and Pakistan (Sind), also Yemen.
Research – The fruits of Luffa cutangular Var. amara C. B. Clarke were collected in winter season from Western ghat area. These fruits were dried, powdered, defatted and extracted with ethanol. HPTLC pattern of ethanol extract was recorded after removal of solvent and was studied for effect on behavioral changes, exploratory activity, barbiturate sleeping time, using appropriate standards in mice. The extract exhibited dose-dependent CNS depressant activity (Misra et al., 2004).
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