Plant Name: Mukia maderaspatana (L.) M.Roem.
Common name
Marathi: Chirati, Bilavi
Hindi: Aganaki, Agumaki, Bilari
English: Madras pea pumpkin, Rough bryony
Jawhar: Chirati
Identification guide
Leaves
Symmetrical ovate leaves, angularly shallowly to deeply 3-5 lobed, are 3-9 cm long.
Flowers
Flowers yellow 1 cm across, axillary, sessile clusters. Calyx tube to 2 mm, villous; lobes subulate, erect. Petals 5, c. 3 mm long, ovate-oblong, obtuse, yellow. Stamens 3, free, inserted at base of calyx tube; anthers oblong, ciliate.
Female flowers solitary or in clusters. Ovary villous. Berry c. 1.2 cm across, globose, red. Seeds lenticular, rugose.
Fruit
Pea-sized fruits are green, turning to orange and then red, as they mature
Habit / Habitat
It is a climber and found in deciduous forests, also in the plains
Occurrence
1) Availability of the plant species in India: Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
2) Global distribution: It is distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics.
Edible parts
World wide use Fruits, leaves and tender shoots
Used by tribal community in Jawhar Fruits
Method of consumption
Jawhar tribal
Ripe fruits are consumed directly.
Other Recipe
Thuvaiyal of M. maderaspatana
Ingredients
A bunch of leaves of Madras pea cucumber
A bunch Fresh Coriander Leaves Tuar dal 1 1/2 tbsp
Bengal gram 1 1/2 tbsp
Pepper 1 tsp
Asafoetida 1/8 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Oil 2 tsp
Method
1. Roast tuar (pigeon pea) dal and bengal gram in a tsp of oil, add pepper and asafoetida and continue to roast until the dal turns golden brown.
2. Transfer to a plate and roast the greens (well rinsed) in another tsp of oil until wilted and cooked.
3. Combine the roasted greens and dal, add salt and blend to a paste adding water.
4. Serve the thuvaiyal with idly, dosa or mix it with rice. (can add a small piece of coconut if desired when blending )
Nutritional and medicinal information
Nutritive Significance:
It has been reported to have essential amino acids and alkaloids, however very less research exist on its nutritional importance
Pharmaceutical significance
- Quercetin, phloroglucinol, and methanol extract of the dried whole plant (0.25 and 0.5 mg/ml) were studied for the inhibition of gluconeogenesis in rat liver slices and glucose uptake in isolated rat hemi-diaphragm (50 and 100 µg/ml). Phenolics of Mukia were analyzed by HPLC. Mukia had potentiated the action of insulin mediated glucose uptake (152.82 ± 13.30 mg/dl/g/30 min) compared with insulin control (112.41 ± 9.14 mg/dl/g/30 min) (p < 0.05). HPLC analysis revealed the presence of phenolics. Results provide scientific rationale for the use of Mukia in folk medicine as an antidiabetic nutraceutical.
- It has been widely studied for its anti-microbial activity, and ethanol extracts fresh plants reported to have mild activity against K. pneumonia. Petroleum ether extracts and methanol extracts reported to be active against S. aureus, B. subtilis, P. aeurginosa, and E. coli as well as fungal strains Candida tropicalis and Trichophyton rubrum.
Harvesting and preserving
Fruits can be directly collected from wild.
Season of collection:
Flowering: July to Sep
Fruiting from June onwards
How to grow it?
Seeds can be collected and sown in pots, allow them to germinate and plant in wild.
Method of storage:
Seeds for cultivation
Other uses
The plant extracts and different chemical fractions (petroleum ether, methanol fraction etc.) are used to treat various diseases and health related issues of livestock4. For e.g. crude plant extracts are used to treat diseases such as adult cattle tick (infection caused by an ecto-parasite of cattle).
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Sermatophyta
Sub-division: Angiospermae
Class: Dioctyledonae
Sub-Class: Polypetalae
Series: Calyiflorae
Order: Passiflorales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Mukia
Species: maderaspatana
References
1 http://kitchenrhapsody.blogspot.in/2013/12/musumusukkai-thoodhuvalai-pannai-keerai.html
2 http://herbpathy.com/Uses-and-Benefits-of-Mukia-Maderaspatana-Cid5895
3 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24251899
4 http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/17433/1/IJNPR%204(1)%209-26.pdf