Caigua

Caigua
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Cyclanthera
Species:	C. pedata
Binomial name
Cyclanthera pedata (L.) Schrader
Synonyms
Momordica pedata L.

The caigua (pronounced kai-wa) is a herbaceous vine grown for its edible fruit, predominantly used as a vegetable. Caigua is known from cultivation only, and its large fruit size as compared to closely related wild species suggests that the caigua is a fully domesticated crop. Its use goes back many centuries as evidenced by ancient phytomorphic ceramics from Peru depicting the fruits. It is also known as caygua, caihua, cayua, achojcha, achokcha, slipper gourd, lady's slipper, sparrow gourd (Chinese: 小雀瓜; pinyin: xiǎoquè guā), pepino in Colombia, stuffing cucumber in English, korila in the Philippines, olochoto and kichipoktho in Bhutan.

Origin and distribution

Caigua. Moche Culture. Larco Museum Collection.

Domesticated in the Andes and traditionally distributed from Colombia to Bolivia, the caigua is now grown in many parts of Central America and also in parts of the Eastern Hemisphere tropics. For example, caiguas are very popular in North-Eastern India, Nepal and Bhutan.^[1] The Moche culture had a fascination with agriculture and displayed this in their art. Caiguas were often depicted in their ceramics.^[2]

Food uses

Typically, the fully grown but still immature fruits are eaten cooked, but consumption in salads and pickles is also possible. The caigua has a subtle flavour, reminiscent of, yet distinct from, other edible cucurbitaceous species. The fruit has a big cavity and thin fruit walls, and thus forms a pouch that is conveniently filled with other food stuffs, hence its name "pepino de rellenar" in the Andes, meaning the "filling cucumber".The young shoots and leaves may also be eaten as greens.

Purported Health Effects

In recent years, pharmacological effects from consuming the extracted juice and the dehydrated powder obtained from the fruits have been described, and this has allowed diversified uses of the caigua. Although often stated, there is no evidence for traditional medicinal uses of the caigua in its native range in the Andes, and the purported effectiveness of caigua in controlling cholesterol, high blood pressure, cellulitis, in regulating lipid metabolism as well as in reducing obesity clearly indicates contemporary health concerns.

Phytochemicals

Ripe fruit contains: peptin, galacturonic acid, dihydroxitriptamine, pierine, resins, minerals (phosphorus), vitamins (thiamine, vit. C), lipoproteins and steroidal compound (systosterol and 3 beta D glucoside) with hypoglicaemic and antilipemic (against cholesterol LDL) action, low density lipoproteins.

Pharmacological Information

All studies for Caigua have been conducted in Peru. In Peru, Caigua is viewed as a native plant.

The unicentric, randomized, parallel and double blind test carried out in the Cayetano Heredia University in post-menopausal women showed reduction in cholesterol levels with a dosage of 1800 mg of micro-pulverized caigua daily. Hypercholesterol was reduced from 75% to 12.5%. It was shown that the levels of the LDL cholesterol decreased, while that of HDL cholesterol increased.

Another study realized by the same University in 60 adults for a period of 12 weeks registered the reduction of LDL cholesterol by 23% and increase of HDL cholesterol by 42% in the group treated with 6 capsules daily. In the cases of hypercholesterolaemia, treatment with 6 capsules daily normalized the levels of seric cholesterol in 82% of the cases.

A preclinical study showed a decrease in cholesterol levels from the 332.4 in the control group to 128.4 in the group treated with freeze-dried caigua at a dosage of 40mg/100g of diet for a period of 8 weeks. Results from clinical studies on adult male and females in Peru suggest that dehydrated Caigua resulted in an adequate treatment for cases of hypercholesterolemia and/or hypertriglyceridemia.

A preclinical study compared the anti-inflammatory effect of caigua, administered intra-peritoneum, with that of ibuprofin, showing an anti-inflammatory effect of 57% in the case of caigua at the maximum dosage investigated, as compared with 35.7% in the case of ibuprofin. The effect was shown to be dosage dependent. A similar study using oral administration showed a more moderate effect with respect to the percentage inhibition of inflammation, but always dosage dependent.^{[citation needed]}

Images

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  Cyclanthera pedata Cucurbitaceae

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  Cyclanthera pedata

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  Seed of Cyclanthera pedata

External links

• Multilingual taxonomic information from the University of Melbourne
• Photos from the Ukraine
• The great climber Cyclanthera pedata
• Cyclanthera pedata can grow 7m or more if given it the chance even in mid european climate
• Nice picture from hanging Cyclanthera pedata

References

1. ^ "Cyclanthera pedata: from the Andes to the Himalayas". Crops for the Future. 
2. ^ Berrin, Katherine & Larco Museum (1997). The Spirit of Ancient Peru:Treasures from the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera. Thames and Hudson, New York.