Medicinal values of ash gourd - PETHA

Medicinal values of ash gourd

Being grown on creepers, ash gourd, popularly known in India as petha, has the highest prana or life force that helps in making meditation practice more effective, says Jyoti Gupta


Ash gourd, also known as Petha , is generally cultivated for its nourishing and medicinal values. Its mineral and vitamin contents are calcium, phosphorus, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and vitamin C. Its green in colour from outside and white inside. The pethais generally used for making sweets, preparing sambarand other curries in South India. Pethajuice is highly recommended for maintaining general good health and in curing many diseases.

Method:

Pethajuice can be prepared by crushing the pieces (without the seeds but with the peel intact) in the mixer-grinder . The pulp can then be wrapped in a fabric and the juice can be squeezed with the help of your hand. One should drink it daily in the morning in an empty stomach. The juice should be taken fresh and in small sips instead of gulping it down so that the saliva mixes with the juice. Some quantity of water can be added to facilitate smooth extraction of juice in the grinder.

Benefits:


Being extremely low in calories, the ashgourd is used to treat obesity as it promotes metabolism and prevents sugar from converting into fat
It is highly antacid and alkaline. It maintains the PH ratio in our system for the illeffects of excessive acidity created in our stomach because of lot of intake of acidic things like soft drinks, fried and denatured food
It helps in removing constipation and tones up the general digestive system
Cough, common cold, fever, influenza, bronchitis, sinusitis can be controlled without any side effects
Any kind of severe and chronic asthma can be cured with the regular usage of this wonderful vegetable
It can also cure mouth cancer and protect the life of teeth and gums when a mouth gargle of the juice is done regularly
It is also an effective cure for Pyorrhea ie bleeding of gums.
Being grown on creepers, it has the highest prana or life force which helps in making our meditation practice more effective