Medicinal properties of wax gourd and features of its cultivation

Wax, or winter, Chenzhou pumpkin (Benincasa variety) is most often grown in Latin America, Indonesia and at home in China. However, the popularity of the variety is gaining momentum. Thanks to its resistance to difficult weather conditions, they began to grow it in our country.

Winter pumpkin is a delicious vegetable that has a lot of nutrients. It is unpretentious in care and can be stored for a long time. The wax gourd has found its application in both cooking and medicineand in cosmetology.

Description of culture

The plant belongs to the group of liana crops. Faceted stems reach 4 m. The leaves of the wax gourd are much smaller in comparison with other species. The flowers of the plant have an orange tint; after flowering, fruits appear in their place. Green pumpkins are covered with a slight waxy coating.

The vegetables themselves are light green in color and oblong, grow up to half a meter in length. Their weight reaches 10 kg. Pumpkin ripens in late August or early September. Even with a delicate shell, the vegetable is stored longer than other varieties: pumpkin has the property of lying down without spoiling for up to 3 years at 25 ° C. This is due to the waxy coating.

The white pulp of winter pumpkin is very juicy and has a homogeneous mass. It tastes sweet and sour. Wax gourd contains B vitamins and minerals such as iron, potassium, phosphorus, sodium and calcium. Also, the vegetable is useful for normalizing the central nervous system and increasing the efficiency of the cardiovascular system. In eastern countries, pumpkin is used as a diuretic, analgesic and antipyretic agent.

The healing qualities of the plant

The Benincasa variety is unique in that the fruit contains useful enzymes that are not found in any other variety. That is why the healers of Tibet cultivate it in large quantities in order to make drugs from the raw materials obtained.

All parts of the plant are used in oriental medicine in a variety of ways:

• as an aphrodisiac;
• as a laxative;
• for the prevention and removal of parasites from the body;
• to increase appetite and improve the digestive tract;
• from disorders of the nervous system;
• as an anti-febrile agent;
• to remove excess fluid from the body (like a diuretic);
• in the treatment of sexually transmitted infections;
• to increase lactation in nursing mothers.

Also, wax pumpkin is used for weight loss.

Doctors recommend the Benincasa variety for diabetics, hypertensive patients, people with diseases of the urinary organs and myocardial ischemia. The vegetable improves metabolic processes in the body. Doctors advise eating it every day as a diuretic and anti-inflammatory agent.

On a note. Wax gourd is excellent for treating swelling of the hands and feet, and normalizes blood pressure.

People in China use flower buds and young pumpkin leaves for food. Antennae and shoots are used as spices (instead of herbs). Vegetable seeds produce a fat-rich oil suitable for medicinal use and human consumption.

There is an opinion that Benincasa acts as a normalizing microflora of the stomach and a thirst quencher. In addition, wax pumpkin relieves the body of excess starch and has antipyretic properties. Since it acts as a diuretic, it is used for chronic nephritis and edema, including in expectant mothers.

The pulp of the fruit acts as an anesthetic when applied externally and internally. With vegetable juice, fever and some diseases of the epidermis are treated. Seeds used as a sedative and tonic.

On a note. The Chinese believe that wax pumpkin seeds prolong human life.

In Tibetan medicine, Beninkaza is used for medicinal purposes. The list of diseases that are treated with this vegetable is quite large:

• arthritis;
• pathology of the stomach (for example, peptic ulcer);
• obesity of any degree;
• diseases of the urinary organs;
• gastritis;
• vascular atherosclerosis.

In addition, Benincasa juice frees the body from excess radiation.

There are practically no contraindications for pumpkin. The exception is individual intolerance to the product. Its use also does not give side effects.

Winter gourd is prized not only for its medicinal properties: it is widely used in cooking throughout the year. In preservation, the vegetable goes well with cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes. Many delicious dishes are prepared from Benincasa: it is canned, stewed, soups and cereals are boiled. Young vegetables are eaten raw.

Also tasty and healthy sweets are made from winter pumpkin. It is enough to cut the vegetable into small slices and sprinkle with sugar or powdered sugar. For a change, add cinnamon or lemon juice to the powder.

After roasting, pumpkin seeds are high in calories and taste great. It is good to take them on a long journey and use them as a sedative.

Fruit characteristics and yield

Unripe gourd has a light green color, a sticky waxy coating and stiff bristles. Ripe fruits acquire a darker shade, a thick layer of waxy coating and a whitish bloom. Such "equipment" allows the vegetable to be stored for a long time and not to lose its properties.

The ripening period of the crop is 75-80 days from the appearance of the first shoots. The average yield of Benincasa is up to 12 fruits per bush. The weight of a ripe vegetable reaches 7-10 kg, and in exceptional cases the weight of an overripe fruit is more than 15 kg.

Pumpkin contains 5-6% dry matter and 30-34 mg of ascorbic acid per 1 kg of product.

How to grow a wax gourd

Benincasa is an unpretentious plant, easy to grow. To obtain high yields, the soil is well fertilized with humus, adding it directly to the planting holes, and a handful of ash is poured there.

As the soil warms up to 10 ° C, seeds are sown. Benincasa has a high germination rate, so it is enough to place two seeds in each hole. Sowing is buried 3-4 cm deep. Benincasa is characterized as a frost-resistant culture, it is not afraid of temperature drops up to -4 ° C.

Vegetables are planted at a distance of 60 cm from each other in a row. The row spacing is left at about 1.5 m.If the garden is small, it is permissible to reduce the space between the rows to 70 cm.

Important! Benincasa can be grown next to its congeners, since this pumpkin is not cross-pollinated with them.

The plant grows up to 4 m in height, so it is best to grow a wax gourd on a trellis. If it is not there, pegs are hammered nearby. For good fruiting, pinch the tops over the 15th leaf and remove excess shoots.

Growing winter pumpkin seedlings

The seedling method of growing is considered optimal. At the end of April (or rather, a month before transplanting seedlings into open ground), two grains are planted in separate peat pots, 1-2 cm deep. When shoots appear, the weaker plant is removed.

At the end of May, in the garden, holes are prepared in a row with an interval of at least 60 cm, they are poured with boiling water and the seedlings are placed there. Then the planting is mulched with humus.

On a note. Many gardeners prefer film coating. The optimum temperature for Benincasa is 25-30 ° C. A film barrier will create an optimal microclimate for crop growth and fruit ripening.

At first, the seedlings are watered daily. So that the bushes are not thick, a trellis is equipped near them and shaping is carried out by removing side shoots.

Care

Benincasa is not afraid of a lack of moisture, but it is better to avoid this and water it regularly with warm water.Every 10 days during the growing season, the plants are fed with a manure solution in a ratio of 1/10, 2 liters per sprout. The pumpkin needs a sunny place, the best fruits are obtained from the top of the lashes, on which the sun shines all day long.

The culture is actively developing at a temperature of 25-30 ° C during the day and at least 10 ° C at night. The shade affects the vegetable negatively. If the culture grows in a greenhouse, it is better to open the film at noon so that insects flock to the flowers for pollination.

On a note. For successful fruit setting, manual pollination is additionally performed. On a sunny day, pollen is transferred from one flower to another with a brush. This is especially useful if the crop is grown in greenhouse conditions.

Formation of culture

So that the bushes are not thick, they equip a trellis around them and form them by removing side shoots from vines up to 1 m in length. The remaining shoots are pinched after the ovary of the first fruit.

In order for vegetables to grow mature, up to four ovaries are left on one plant. If young fruits are needed, leave up to twelve ovaries. To increase the yield in early August, the main shoot is pinched after the appearance of 10-12 fruits.

Prevention of diseases and pests

The most common diseases in pumpkin are powdery mildew, mosaic and fruit rot. Most often, they appear due to increased dampness, which creates a favorable microflora for the development of fungi and bacteria. Of the pests, there are melon aphids and spider mites.

Preventive measures:

1. When the first symptoms of powdery mildew are detected on the leaves of the pumpkin, they are sprayed with a fungicide solution. This will require 2 g of copper sulfate or 3 g of potassium permanganate. The substance is dissolved in a bucket of water.
2. 1% Bordeaux liquid is treated during the formation of ovaries and leaves. For prophylaxis, water is regularly watered, crop rotation is observed and the remains of affected plants are removed.

The first signs of a mosaic are noticeable even on young seedlings. It is manifested by wrinkling, mosaic and chlorotic leaves. Later, the leaf plate of the affected seedlings is bent inward, over time, the growth of the entire plant slows down. Pumpkin mosaic is a dangerous viral disease, the affected plants are removed and burned away from the garden.

To destroy the mosaic at the initial stage:

• timely remove the affected areas;
• destroy weeds;
• disinfection of garden tools.

If the plant is infected during the growing season, the seedlings are treated with a solution of "Farmayoda".

Important! To prevent pumpkin infection with mosaics, before sowing, the seeds are treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

The decayed areas of the fruit are carefully removed with a knife. The resulting wound is rubbed with aloe juice. The rubbed place dries up, and the fruit continues to develop.

To protect against aphids, weeds are first removed, then the plant is sprayed with soapy water (100 g of crushed soap for 5 liters of water) or 10% karbofos (30 g for 5 liters of liquid).

To combat spider mites, onion infusion (100 g of husk per 5 liters of water) or 20% chloroethanol solution (10 g per 5 liters of liquid) will help.

One of the advantages of Benincasa is that, unlike other pumpkin varieties, it is practically not affected by diseases and is more resistant to pests.

Reviews of gardeners

Opinions about winter pumpkin are different: some are completely delighted with the variety, others are dissatisfied with something, and still others do not want to grow it at all.

Yuri, Oryol: “I got acquainted with the Benincasa variety by chance, having tasted a pumpkin pie with my mother-in-law. The wife became interested in the product, they took a few seeds for testing. I have good land, pure black soil. Last year, I planted a pumpkin seedling for the first time, but neither the seedlings nor the further development of the culture met my expectations. On the frail stems, there is a minimum of fruits, which by the time of harvest were half the promised amount. When planting and growing, they followed all the instructions, I can't figure out what went wrong.The vegetable is good and healthy, but apparently my soil type doesn't suit it at all. "

Yaroslav, Gelendzhik: “A few years ago, a neighbor shared winter gourd seeds. Since then, I have grown this vegetable crop every year. Pumpkin is very healthy and comes in a handy size. One fruit is enough for my large family to eat. I keep the pumpkin under the couch - great space saver! And an even greater plus is that it is not cross-pollinated with other types of pumpkin. This is very important for me, since I grow several species at once. I also heard that this culture can be grown even in an apartment: this requires a large flowerpot with a volume of about 7 liters. It's a little, looking at the fact that she lets out beautiful whips up to 4 m. Such a decor. I want to try. "

Irina, Tver: “I have been growing Benincasa winter pumpkin for five years. I like that the wax pumpkin can be stored quietly at room temperature for several years, the main thing is not to wash off the protective coating. It tastes like zucchini. Children happily eat it raw. Agricultural technology practically does not differ from ordinary and nutmeg pumpkin. My whole family likes the vegetable, I plan to grow pumpkin all the time. "

Conclusion

Due to the high concentration of vitamins in the pulp and many useful substances and minerals, Benincasa improves immunity well in the winter season. People who regularly eat this pumpkin are less prone to respiratory infections. If desired, even a novice summer resident can easily grow an unusual and healthy vegetable.

See the video below for a lot of useful information about the Benincasa variety: