About the Lauki (Bottle Gourd) Plant (Lagenaria siceraria)
Lauki is a Hindi word for the bottle gourd plant. The botanical name is Lagenaria siceraria (synonym: Lagenaria vulgaris). It has been cultivated in India since early times.
Lauki (Bottle Gourd) has been a staple in the Indian kitchen and in Indian cuisine for centuries. Its use is even mentioned in the Bible book of Jonah. Now, that’s a long, long history. However, in modern western culture, its medicinal and cosmetic uses are virtually unknown – even though it’s better known as calabash.
While Lagenaria siceraria juice has been ingested since ancient times for a variety of medicinal uses, it can also be applied externally to the hair. It’s believed to prevent gray hair and hair fall; also thickens and improves overall condition of hair, causing it to become healthier.
Luaki (Bottle Gourd) Hair Treatment Recipe
(for external application)
1 small bottle gourd (Luaki) (washed and peeled)
or 4-5 ounces of bottle gourd (Luaki) juice
3-4 tablespoons of Pure Amla Powder
1-2 tablespoons of sesame oil or olive oil
Extract some bottle gourd juice by (blending a bottle gourd and then strain it to extract the juice); then mix thoroughly with Amla powder and oil. Apply it onto hair, starting with hair roots to ends. Cover hair with plastic cap. Keep this mixture on your hair for 30-60 minutes; wash it out gently with a sulfate-free, 100% natural shampoo powder. (Lustrous Henna Shampoo Powder recommended).
Some women in India massage Lauki (Bottle Gourd) juice onto the scalp nightly.
Internally -Use Lauki (Bottle Gourd) with Extreme Caution
There a quite a few benefits to the body that are believed to result from ingesting Lauki (Bottle Gourd). From being a natural appetite suppressant: treating constipation, digestive and urinary tract disorders; balancing liver function; treating insomnia and nervous disorders. It has been used as a cardiac tonic and the list goes on.
Recently it’s been highly recommended to consult an Ayurvedic physician before using Lauki (Bottle Gourd) juice internally. Excessively bitter juice had actually been reported to have cause death by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in New Delhi1. Therefore, the user really needs to be totally familiar with the plant and how to prepare it, before ingesting it.
According to the subject, Calabash2 (Lagenaria siceraria), (on the Wikipedia website), the following is stated:
“However, the plant is not normally toxic when eaten and is safe to consume. The excessively bitter (and toxic) gourds are due to improper storage (temperature swings or high temperature) and over-riping.
To avoid poisoning, it is advised to:
- Taste a small piece of the calasbash gourd to make sure it is not unusually bitter, before making juice.
- Discard all excessively bitter calabash gourd or juice.
- Not mix calabash juice with other juices, such as that of bitter gourd, so as not to mask calabash's taste if it has gone bad.”
Best to Use Externally for Hair and Avoid Worries
Lagenaria sicerari when used externally as a hair and scalp treatment, along with other great Ayurvedic botanicals will bring healthy benefits –without worry.
1 Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in New Delhi
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*Even though our herbal ingredients have been used in natural medicine for centuries, we must add the following disclaimer: The herbs, formulas, and recipes contained within this web site are not to be considered substitutes for proper medical and health care. As with any other medicine, if you are sick, you should consult a physician to find out if the herbal preparations listed here are right for you. Saba Botanical does not make any medical claims nor warranties regarding the use of the products listed on this site. No matter how natural a product is, it may have a potential of causing side effects and allergic reaction on certain individuals. You should consult your physician before taking any medication.
