Common Name: Kaksa

General Information

Kaksa is a perennial climbing plant producing stems 3 - 5 metres long that scramble over the ground or climb into the surrounding vegetation, attaching themselves by means of tendrils[]..
The plant is occasionally cultivated in India for its edible fruit[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka.

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial Climber
Height	3.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a soil rich in organic matter if optimum yields are to be achieved[].
A dioecious plant, male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Edible Uses

Fruit - cooked. Used as a vegetable[, ]. The young, green, spiny fruits are much esteemed as a curry-vegetable[]. They are quite palatable, rather sweet and entirely free of bitterness[].

A semi-drying oil is extracted from the seed[].

Tender shoots and leaves[, ]. Used as greens[].

Roots[]. The tuberous root is cooked as a vegetable[, ].

Medicinal

The tuberous root is used in medicine[]. The roots of female plants are larger than those of the male and are preferred for medicinal uses[]. They are applied in bleeding piles and urinary complaints[]. The root paste is applied over the body as a sedative in fever[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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