दशाङ्गुलम्- Cucumis melo

 

Name – खर्बूजम्

Botanical name – Cucumis melo

Description – Usually a procumbent annual creeper, may be climber; stem green, scabrous, branched; tendril simple; leaves simple, alternate, petiolate, pentangular or slightly lobed, scabrid on both surfaces; flowers yellow, unisexual, monoecious, males clustered in axils, females solitary; fruits fleshy, indehiscent, spherical, sometimes with sweet smell; seeds many, compressed

Chemical Constituents- Leaves contain Meloside A, Meloside L. Seeds contain oil, diterpene alcohols.

Use – Seeds diuretic, refrigerant; pulp used in chronic eczema