Benincasa hispida (Alu Puhul)

  

Benincasa hispida also known as Alu Puhul is a large trailing or climbing plant with stout, hispid stems, tendrils 2- fid. Leaves 10-25 cm in diameter, reniform, cordate, more or less 5-lobed, hispids beneath; petioles 7.5 – 10 cm long without glands. Flowers large, yellow, monoecious, solitary. Fruits 30-45 cm long, broadly cylindric, not ribbed, hairy, ultimately covered with a waxy bloom.

"Ash pumpkin is mainly water but it has many minerals in solution which gives it good medical value. It has a peculiar action on the circulatory system in that it rapidly stops haemorrhage. Hence, it has been found very useful in the treatment of haemorrhage from the alimentary canal.

The root of the puhul creeper with that Komadu (Which is also of the puhul family) made into a paste by rubbing them on a stone can be applied on carbuncles. For severe burns, a drink of puhul juice mixed with Kitul jaggery is the first thing to be given to the patient. Puhul is also applied on the burnt area of the skin. The five parts of the lime tree, the leaf, bark, root, flower, and the fruit ground to a fine paste with lime juice is applied on the burnt surface of the skin." Dr. Seela Fernando, Herbal Food and Medicines in Sri Lanka