Lagenaria siceraria: A Potential Source of Anti-Hyperlipidemic and Other Pharmacological Agents

Lagenaria siceraria, commonly known as bottle gourd, is extensively grown in India and other tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. The bottle gourd is rich in a number of phytoconstituents, minerals, vitamins, fibre etc. with potent neutraceutical and therapeutic functions. Leaves and roots are used as emetic to reduce baldness and to relieve headache. Flowers are used as antidote in certain kinds of poisons. L. siceraria is reported to exhibit cardioprotective, antihyperlipidemic, antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and hepatoprotective functions in human subjects as well as in experimental models. The bottle gourd is proved to be a potential source of prophylactic and therapeutic neutraceuticals and can serve as ‘medicinal food’ particularly in metabolic disorders associated with carbohydrate and lipid metabolisms. The objective of this article is to work out the ethnopharmacological and other medicinal applications of L. siceraria along with phytochemical and biochemical composition.