Impressive Natural Health Benefits Of Bottle Gourd(Lauki)

Impressive Natural Health Benefits Of Bottle Gourd(Lauki)

Bottle gourd has always been regarded as one of the healthiest veggies. This very versatile vegetable is full of water (about 92%) and minerals and keeps your body hydrated. Also known as Lauki or Doodhi in India, it definitely doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves. “Bottle gourd is a vegetable high on the water and is a rich source of vitamin C, K, and calcium. It helps in maintaining a healthy heart and brings down bad cholesterol levels. The juice is also beneficial for diabetic patients as it stabilizes the blood sugar level and maintains blood pressure. The best time to have it is in the morning. A small glass would just be perfect. Also, one needs to consume the juice immediately as it oxidizes quite fast

Bottle gourd – the Calorie content

• 100 g of bottle gourd contains 15 calories.
• 100 g for edible portion contains 1 g fat. Its water content is 96%.
• It is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, high in dietary fiber, Vitamin C, riboflavin, zinc, thiamine, iron, magnesium, and manganese.

Ayurvedic health benefits of bottle gourd/lau/ lauki:

1. Ayurveda recommends cooked lauki or bottle gourd for better digestion. It is cooling, calming, diuretic and anti-bilious (reduces bile and stops indigestion). The B vitamins assist in increasing the body’s metabolic rate to better digest fats, proteins, sugar, and carbohydrate.
2. Like cranberries, bottle gourd or lauki supports the kidneys and the urinary system of our body by reducing burning sensation from high acidic urination. It also reduces the chances of urinary infection because it is alkalizing and has a diuretic effect. Consume if you have high creatine and uric acid.
3. A nutritious vegetable for the female reproductive system. 
4. It is extremely popular for weight loss. Especially the bottle gourd or lauki juice when taken at noon.
5. Bottle gourd is extremely popular for reducing high blood pressure and bad cholesterol in some people. However when taking cardiac medications or when the cardiac condition is severe do NOT take lauki as it can create more pressure on the cardiac muscles.
6. Lauki or bottle gourd is known to combat excessive thirst in diabetic patients. However, do not take if lauki is too bitter or with other bitter herbs. 
7. The fiber and the minerals in the bottle gourd or lauki supports healthy digestion and combats flatulence (by killing intestinal parasites), constipation, colic pain and ulcer.
8. In Ayurveda, it is also known to prevent premature greying and improve hair growth. It will NOT change the grey hair to black but will stop more greying as it contains B vitamins and has a cooling effect on the scalp. Grate and apply with yogurt or apply cider vinegar. You can mix my Healthy Hair Mask in yogurt and add lauki in it.
9. Vitamin C and Zinc in lauki prevent premature aging and wrinkles as well. Lauki juice can be applied externally for skin care uses such as pimple, acne, dark circle, puffy eyes, etc.
10. Bottle gourd is recommended by Ayurvedic doctors for reducing liver inflammation.

Benefits of Bottle Gourd Juice:

Bottle Gourd Juice has a lot of health benefits such as:

1. Drinking a glass of bottle gourd juice in the morning helps in treating grey hair.
2. Mixing the juice with sesame oil provides an effective medicine for insomnia. Massage the scalp with this preparation every night.
3. Bottle gourd juice is very helpful in treating insanity, epilepsy, stomach acidity, indigestion, ulcers and other nervous diseases.
4. The bitter variety of calabash gourd is considered as a cardiac tonic, an the antidote for poisoning and a tonic for alleviating bronchitis, cough, asthma, and biogenic infections.
5. A glass of bottle gourd juice, mixed with a little salt, helps in preventing excessive loss of sodium from the body.
6. Bottle Gourd Juice acts as an alkaline mixture which relieves the burning sensation in the urinary passage.
7. The juice extracted from the leaves of bottle gourd is beneficial in jaundice.
   

How to prepare Lauki Juice:

Following steps will teach you how to prepare Lauki Juice:

1. First what you need to do is cut off a piece from the end and taste it. It is better not to use a bitter lauki.
2. Then peel off off the entire skin from the lauki and cut it into pieces. Blend those pieces in a blender.
3. Add black pepper and salt according to taste. Adding mint leaves can also enhance the taste.
4. You can also add some pieces of lemon to make the lauki juice taste better and rich in antioxidants. 
5. It is not advisable to mix other vegetables with Lauki juice, as it might have a more negative effect on your health.