Health Benefits of Bottle Gourd (Tamil Name : சுரைக்காய்)

Bottle Gourd  is also known by a variety of other names calabash gourd, doodhi and ghiya, (Sorekai/Chorakkai) in Tamil, ‘Chorakaa‘ in Malayalam,(Sorakaya/Anapa Kaya) in Telugu,(Sorekai/Esugai Balli) in Kannada, ‘Lau‘ in Bengali, ‘Dudhi‘ in Gujarati, (Pandharabhopla / Dudya Bhopal) in Marathi and ‘Ghia Da Sag‘ in Punjabi. Lauki is a staple item as far as Indian cuisine is concerned. It is a vegetable with pale, smooth and waxy green surface and white spongy pulp. The juice of lauki is consumed by thousands of people because they believe that it would benefit their health in many ways.

Why Bottle Gourd  Juice:

As lauki contains almost 96% of water, it is perfect for juice extraction. It is readily available in the market and is affordable too! Moreover, extracting the juice from lauki is not at all difficult. Lauki juice is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin B, sodium, iron and potassium. It has low fat and cholesterol level. As a result, this anti-oxidant drink is quite popular among health conscious individuals.

Did you know that every cup of lauki juice that you drink contains 26 mg of Vitamin C? Vitamin C, which is an active antioxidant, protects the cells from being damaged. It also prevents DNA oxidation. Moreover, it boosts the production of collagen. Zinc, which is an essential mineral, is amply present in lauki juice. In fact, with every cup of bottle gourd juice that you drink, you supply your body with about 1.8 mg of zinc. Zinc is helpful in maintaining healthy functioning of cells and regulation of hormones in the body.

Top 8 Health Benefits Of Lauki Juice:

 

Among the several benefits that you can derive from the juice of bottle gourd, here are the top 8 reasons for which you may wish to incorporate it in your regular diet chart:

 

1.      Promotes Weight Loss:

Bottle gourd juice is popular among those who want to lose weight. All you need to do is peel the skin of a fresh lauki, cut it into little pieces, put it in a juicer and prepare the juice. Have this juice regularly to reduce your weight. As this juice is loaded with vitamins, potassium and iron, it is extremely nutritious. Moreover, this juice is believed to curb your appetite if you can manage to drink it in the morning on an empty stomach.

2.      Helps Digestion And Treats Constipation:

Bottle gourd contains not only soluble fiber, but also insoluble fiber along with high water content. Lauki juice is beneficial for improving the digestive system. Drinking lauki juice is known to treat constipation effectively. It also helps in treating problems related to digestive system like acidity and flatulence.

3.      Provides Cooling Effect:

Since lauki juice is rich in water content, it provides a cooling to the body, which help to replenish the water lost in the form of sweat. It is an absolute must-have during summers!

4.      Treats Urinary Problems:

Since it is diuretic in nature, lauki juice flushes out the excess water content from the body. Lauki juice becomes even more effective when a spoon of lime juice is added to it before consumption.

5.      Treats Sleeping Disorders:

If you are suffering from insomnia, try mixing sesame oil with lauki juice. It is known to help you sleep better.

6.      Replenishes Loss Of Water Content:

If you are suffering from health issues like profuse sweating, fatigue or diarrhea, then drinking a glass of lauki juice would prove to be extremely good for you. Lauki juice naturally helps to replace the water content lost and at the same time, controls extreme thirst, which is common among diabetic patients. It revitalizes you by replenishing the loss of water.

7.      Keeps The Heart Healthy:

Drinking bottle gourd juice helps you to keep the heart healthy by regulating the blood pressure.

8.      Reduces Inflammation Of Liver:

Ayurveda recommends drinking lauki juice for reducing inflammation of the liver.

Lauki Juice Recipe:

 

How to make bottle gourd juice? Drinking the juice of bottle gourd or lauki has amazing benefits. But if do not like the flavor and taste of raw bottle gourd, here is a lauki juice recipe that you may like to try:

• Take a small lauki, about 250 or 300 grams in weight.
• Wash the lauki thoroughly to do away with any surface impurity.
• Peel the lauki and cut it into small pieces. If possible, taste a small piece to find out if the bottle gourd tastes bitter.
• Add five or six mint leaves.
• Add a bit of water and put it in the blender.
• Once it is done, add a spoon of cumin powder, two spoons of black pepper powder and salt to taste. Stir well and add a few ice cubes.

Just follow this recipe and you too will become a fan of lauki juice!

Beauty Benefits Of Lauki Juice:

 

Did you know that drinking bottle gourd juice regularly in the morning can be helpful in preventing baldness and premature graying of hair? Not only that, drinking bottle gourd juice is known to give a healthy glow to your skin and prevent pimples and acnes by promoting inner health. Lauki juice can be extremely good for your skin and your hair in the following ways:

9.      To Prevent Untimely Graying Of Hair:

If you regularly drink lauki juice early in the morning, chances are that you would not get premature grey hair.

10.  To Get Smooth And Beautiful Skin:

Since lauki juice internally cleanses your system, it helps to promote good skin by keeping pimples away and by balancing the secretion of oil.

A Word Of Caution:

 

While drinking of lauki juice is highly recommended for all the health and beauty benefits it has to offer, you must practice precaution while using it. Drinking bitter lauki juice may pose severe threats. Some of the major effects of drinking bottle gourd juice, which is bitter in taste, include abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Hence, refrain from drinking bitter lauki juice and in case you happen to drink it by mistake, make sure you visit the doctor as soon as possible. Moreover, you must avoid mixing the bottle gourd juice with any other juice.

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