Cucurbitaceae 

Synonyms: Cucumis colocynthis L.; Colocynthis vulgaris Schrad.

Common names: Colocynth, bitter apple, bitter gourd (English); coloquinte, chicotin (French); Bitterzitrulle, Bitterapfel (German); coloquintida, popone amaro (Italian); hanzal (Arabic).

Description

Diffuse prostrate creeper with annual stems and perennial rootstocks. Leaves, ovate-cordate or triangular-cordate. Flowers, solitary. Fruit subglobose, slightly depressed, 4-10 cm in diameter, variegated with green and yellow stripes, becoming glabrous, creamy-yellow and with a dry spongy pulp when ripe. Seeds obovate, dark brown, about 7.5 mm long, 5 mm broad and 1.5 mm thick.

Flowering

Sandy and gypsum desert, sandy gravel

Habitat

Sandy and gypsum desert, sandy gravel

Distribution

Mediterranean Europe, Cyprus, the Syrian Arab Republic, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, North Africa, Sahel.

Use

In the badia: Al-Khatīb: stomach, diabetes.

Field data: diarrhoea, diabetes, toothache (pulp on the teeth), cathartic (strong!).

In literature: cathartic, anti-diabetic; violent purge (pulp); pulp is: diuretic, anti-epileptic, anti-blenorrhoeic, strong cathartic (mixed with Arabic gum, to mitigate the effects), the emptied fruit, filled with water and honey, is drunk for rheumatism, gout, dropsy, ascites, while cataplasms are good for arthrosis, seeds are anti-diabetic and anthelmintic, the fruit is used also as abortifacient (drinking water in which fruit is macerated overnight) and for poisonous bites; dog, insect and snake bites, laxative, pain in joints, hair colour (leaves, seeds, roots and dried fruit); it is used also in many composed medicines. The colocynth is well known from ancient times. Greeks and Romans used it, and it was even cultivated in Cyprus for a long time. Common in the whole area, it is used at a popular level. Fatal cases of poisoning from overdoses of colocynth are not rare, but they represent a small percentage given its wide use. Some of its beneficial effects are, in fact, recognized by pharmacological research.

Its use as forage has not been scientifically investigated.

Chemical Data

Colocynthidin, elaterin (responsible for purgative action), alkaloids, resin, gum, minerals; glycosides: cucurbitacin (this component has been shown to have tumour-necrosing activity), citrullol, cholin.

References

Bedevian, A. K. 1936. Illustrated Polyglottic Dictionary of Plant names. Cairo, Argus D Papazian Presses.

Ozenda, P. 1991. Flore et végétation du Sahara. Paris, Ed. du CNRS.

Assamarkandi, N. 1994. Pharmacopée sur la Classification des Causes. Beirut, Librairie du Liban.

Edited by: F. Guiso Gallisai
Information taken from: Sincich, F. 2002. Bedouin Traditional Medicine in the Syrian Steppe. Rome, FAO. 114-115.

All pictures and drawings belong to the author.

The presentation of material in this profile do not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and has been taken from interviews with the traditional Bedouin doctor, Al-Khatīb and from data collected directly from Bedouins informants.