Ivy Gourd
OTHER NAME(S): Calabacita, Coccinia Índica, Kem Wel, Kovai, Kowakka, Little Gourd, Tela Kucha, Scarlet Gourd, Tindola, Coccinia grandis, Coccinia indica, Coccinia cordifolia, Calabaza Hiedra, Courge Écarlate
Overview
Ivy gourd is a plant. The leaves, root, and fruit are used to make medicine.
Ivy gourd is most often used for diabetes. People also use ivy gourd for gonorrhea, constipation, wounds, and other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses. Ivy gourd fruit and leaves are also used as a vegetable in India and other Asian countries.
Uses
Possibly Effective for
- Diabetes. Taking ivy gourd leaf by mouth seems to improve blood sugar control in people with diabetes.
Insufficient Evidence for
- Constipation.
- Gonorrhea.
- Eczema (atopic dermatitis).
- Scaly, itchy skin (psoriasis).
- Wound healing.
- Other conditions.
More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of ivy gourd for these uses.
Side Effects
When taken by mouth: Ivy gourd leaf is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people when taken by mouth for up to 6 weeks. Side effects are mild and may include headache, nausea, or dizziness. There isn't enough information to know if ivy gourd is safe when used long-term.
Precautions
When taken by mouth: Ivy gourd leaf is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people when taken by mouth for up to 6 weeks. Side effects are mild and may include headache, nausea, or dizziness. There isn't enough information to know if ivy gourd is safe when used long-term.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if ivy gourd is safe to use when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
Surgery: Ivy gourd might lower blood sugar. There is some concern it might interfere with blood sugar control during and after surgery. Stop using ivy gourd at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.
Interactions
Moderate Interaction
Be cautious with this combination
- Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs) interacts with Ivy GourdIvy gourd might lower blood sugar levels. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking ivy gourd along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to be too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed. Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (Diabeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.
Dosing
The appropriate dose of ivy gourd depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for ivy gourd. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
References
- Yeh GY, Eisenberg DM, Kaptchuk TJ, Phillips RS. Systematic review of herbs and dietary supplements for glycemic control in diabetes. Diabetes Care 2003;26:1277-94.
- Kar A, Choudhary BK, Bandyopadhyay NG. Comparative evaluation of hypoglycaemic activity of some Indian medicinal plants in alloxan diabetic rats. J Ethnopharmacol 2003;84:105-8.
- Khan AK, AKhtar S, Mahtab H. Treatment of diabetes mellitus with Coccinia indica. Br Med J 1980;280:1044.
- Kumar GP, Sudheesh S, Vijayalakshmi NR. Hypoglycaemic effect of Coccinia indica: mechanism of action. Planta Med 1993;59:330-2.
- Eshrat MH. Effect of Coccinia indica (L.) and Abroma augsta (L.) on glycemia, lipid profile and on indicators of end-organ damage in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Indian J Clin Biochem 2003;18:54-63.
- Shibib BA, Khan LA, Rahman R. Hypoglycaemic activity of Coccinia indica and Momordica charantia in diabetic rats: depression of the hepatic gluconeogenic enzymes glucose-6-phosphatase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and elevation of both liver and red-cell shunt enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Biochem J 1993;292:267-70.
- Dhanabal SP, Koate CK, Ramanathan M, et al. The hypoglycemic activity of Coccinia indica Wight & Arn. and its influence on certain biochemical parameters. Indian J Pharmacol 2004;36:249-250.
- Venkateswaran S, Pari L. Effect of Coccinia indica leaves on antioxidant status in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. J Ethnopharmacol 2003;84:163-8.
- Munasinghe MAAK, Abeysena C, Yaddehige IS, et al. Blood sugar lowering effect of Coccinia grandis (L.) J. Voight: path for a new drug for diabetes mellitus. Exp Diabetes Res 2011; doi: 10.1155/2011/978762.
- Cefalu, W. T., Ye, J., and Wang, Z. Q. Efficacy of dietary supplementation with botanicals on carbohydrate metabolism in humans. Endocr.Metab Immune.Disord Drug Targets. 2008;8(2):78-81.
- Wasantwisut, E. and Viriyapanich, T. Ivy gourd (Coccinia grandis Voigt, Coccinia cordifolia, Coccinia indica) in human nutrition and traditional applications. World Rev Nutr Diet 2003;91:60-66.
- Venkateswaran, S. and Pari, L. Effect of Coccinia indica leaf extract on plasma antioxidants in streptozotocin- induced experimental diabetes in rats. Phytother.Res 2003;17(6):605-608.
- Kuriyan, R., Rajendran, R., Bantwal, G., and Kurpad, A. V. Effect of supplementation of Coccinia cordifolia extract on newly detected diabetic patients. Diabetes Care 2008;31(2):216-220.
- Azad Khan, A. K., AKhtar, S., and Mahtab, H. Coccinia indica in the treatment of patients with diabetes mellitus. Bangladesh Med Res Counc Bull 1979;5(2):60-66.
- Khan, A. K., AKhtar, S., and Mahtab, H. Treatment of diabetes mellitus with Coccinia indica. Br Med J 4-12-1980;280(6220):1044.
- Kamble, S. M., Kamlakar, P. L., Vaidya, S., and Bambole, V. D. Influence of Coccinia indica on certain enzymes in glycolytic and lipolytic pathway in human diabetes. Indian J Med Sci 1998;52(4):143-146.
- Hardy, M, Coulter, I, Venturupalli, S, Roth, EA, Favreau, J, Morton, SC, and Shekelle, P. Ayurvedic interventions for diabetes mellitus: a systematic review. In: The Cochrane Library 2007;(4)
- Al-Madhagy SA, Mostafa NM, Youssef FS, Awad GEA, Eldahshan OA, Singab ANB. Metabolic profiling of a polyphenolic-rich fraction of Coccinia grandis leaves using LC-ESI-MS/MS and in vivo validation of its antimicrobial and wound healing activities. Food Funct 2019;10(10):6267-75.
- Wasana KGP, Attanayake AP, Weerarathna TP, Jayatilaka KAPW. Efficacy and safety of a herbal drug of Coccinia grandis (Linn.) Voigt in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A double blind randomized placebo controlled clinical trial. Phytomedicine. 2021 Jan;81:153431.