The bottle gourd is a vine grown for its fruit and is named for its bottle-like shape. The vegetable has white pulp, with white seeds embedded in the spongy flesh.  Interestingly, based on geographic locations where it is cultivated, it’s variously known as calabash, opo squash, bottle squash, white gourd, trumpet gourd, lauki, doodhi, and ghia.

Bottle Gourd – Calorie Content

  • 100 g of bottle gourd contains 15 calories.

  • 100 g of the edible portion contains 1 g fat. 

  • Its water content is 96%.

  • It is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and high in dietary fibre, vitamin C, riboflavin, zinc, thiamine, iron, magnesium and manganese.

Health Benefits of Including Bottle Gourd in Your Diet

 Bottle gourd has multiple health benefits, some of which are:

  1. Being rich in dietary fibre (both soluble and insoluble), it helps in preventing constipation, flatulence, and even piles. It is also easy to digest.

  2. It promotes weight loss. The vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre in lauki keep the body well-nourished and curb unnecessary appetite, especially if you drink its juice in the morning on an empty stomach.

  3. It also contains sodium, potassium, essential minerals and trace elements, which regulate blood pressure and prevent the risk of heart ailments such as hypertension.

  4. It consists of approximately 96% of water and is, therefore, a great thirst quencher. It also prevents fatigue and keeps the body cool and refreshed during summers.

  5. Apart from the iron content, it is also rich in vitamin B and C and helps in anti-oxidative actions.

  6. It is a suitable vegetable for light, low-calorie diets as well as for children, people with digestive problems, diabetics, and those recovering from an illness or injury.

  7. Bottle gourd is recommended by Ayurveda physicians for balancing the liver function when the liver is inflamed and unable to process food efficiently for nutrition and assimilation.

Health Benefits of Bottle Gourd Juice

Bottle gourd juice has numerous health benefits such as:

  1. Drinking a glass of this juice in the morning helps in treating grey hair.

  2. Mixing the juice with sesame oil provides an effective medicine for insomnia. 

  3. It is very helpful in managing epilepsy, indigestion, ulcers, and other neurological diseases.

  4. The bitter variety of calabash gourd is considered a cardiac tonic and a tonic for alleviating bronchitis, cough, and asthma.

  5. A glass of bottle gourd juice, mixed with a little salt, helps in preventing excessive loss of sodium from the body.

  6. It acts as an alkaline mixture that relieves the burning sensation in the urinary passage.

  7. The juice extracted from the leaves of bottle gourd is beneficial in jaundice.

How to Prepare Lauki Juice

Step 1: Cut off a piece from the end and taste it to make sure that it’s not bitter. 

Step 2: Peel off the entire skin from the lauki and cut it into pieces. Blend those pieces in a blender/mixer.

Step 3: Add black pepper and salt according to taste. Adding mint leaves can also enhance the taste.

Step 4: You may also add some pieces of lemon to make the lauki juice taste better and rich in antioxidants. 

Step 5: It is not advisable to mix other vegetables with lauki juice, as it might have a negative effect on your health. 

Owing to its numerous health benefits, the bottle gourd is gradually getting accepted on the dinner table. Adopt it in your dietary regimen to reap the benefits!


Disclaimer: This article is written by the Practitioner for informational and educational purposes only. The content presented on this page should not be considered as a substitute for medical expertise. Please "DO NOT SELF-MEDICATE" and seek professional help regarding any health conditions or concerns. Practo will not be responsible for any act or omission arising from the interpretation of the content present on this page.