Common Name: Spiny Bitter Cucumber

General Information

Momordica cochinchinensis is a vigorous, perennial climbing plant, producing stems that can be 15 metres long, growing from a tuberous rootstock. The stems scramble over the ground and climb into nearby vegetation, sometimes to the tops of trees, supporting themselves by means of tendrils[]. The plant can become dormant in dry seasons or cooler weather, but grows all year round in the Equatorial zone[].
The plant is sometimes cultivated in India and China for its edible fruit and the oil that can be obtained from the seeds[].

Known Hazards

The seeds are poisonous[].

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - southern China, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, New Guinea

Habitat

Forest edges and roadsides on mountain slopes at elevations of 400 - 1,100 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial Climber
Height	15.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Momordica cochinchinensis is a plant of the moist tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,100 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 30°c, but can tolerate 14 - 35°c[]. It is not tolerant of frosts. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,200 - 2,500mm, but tolerates 1,000 - 3,000mm[].
Prefers a sunny position, also succeeding with some shade[]. Requires a soil rich in organic matter if optimum yields are to be achieved[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7, tolerating 6 - 7.5[].
Individual plants can yield 30 - 60 fruits, each fruit weighing 1 - 3 kilos[].
A dioecious plant, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

The red, oily pulp surrounding the seeds is cooked, along with the seeds, to flavour and give its red colour to the rice dish 'xoi gac', which is served at festive occasions such as weddings in Vietnam[].

An edible oil is obtained from the seed[].

Fruit - cooked[]. The young, immature fruit can be boiled and eaten as a vegetable, stuffed, stir-fried or cooked in curries[]. The fruit has a bitter flavour, though not as bitter as the fruit of M. Charantia[]. This bitterness can be removed by soaking the fruit in salt[]. The yellow to red, oval fruit is about 20cm long[, ].

Young leaves and shoots - blanched and served with chilli sauce, or added to soups[].

Medicinal

The oil extracted from the seed membrane is rich in beta-carotene and is used in the treatment of infantile rickets, xerophthalmia and nyctalopia[].
The juice of kernels triturated in alcohol or vinegar is applied locally as a treatment for furunculosis and phlegmon[].
The poisonous seed is used externally as a poultice in the treatment of skin eruptions and infections, haemorrhoids, mastitis and enlarged lymph nodes[, ].
The seed is taken in a drink to cure lumbar pain[].

A decoction of the roots is used in the treatment of rheumatism[]. The root is cooked and used to treat bones swollen by rheumatism[].

An infusion of the leaves is used as a remedy for intestinal disturbances, pain after childbirth, stomach cramps and various swellings[].

The fruit sap is used to heal wounds[].

The plant contains momordine, A-spinaterol, sesquibenihol[].
The root contains triterpenoid saponins, momordine[, ].
The seed contains palmitine, olein, linolein and ricinic acid[].
The seed membrane is rich in beta-carotene and lycopene[]

Other Uses

The roots produce a lather when mixed with water[]. They are used as a soap for washing clothes[, ].

An oil obtained from the seeds is used as an illuminant[].

Propagation

Seed -

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