Ayurvedic
Foods
Lauki
Squash
Lauki
(Latin Lagenaria siceraria) belongs to the curcubitaceae
family and is also known as bottle gourd. These gourds contain
moderate amounts of Vitamins C and B complex and a few proteins.
Their high water content makes them cooling and lubricating.
From
the ayurvedic perspective, lauki is extremely Pitta
pacifying. It particularly pacifies Bhrajaka Pitta, the sub-dosha
of Pitta that governs the skin, by pacifying Ranjaka Pitta, which
governs the liver and blood. It provides balanced rehydration
for persons with fire, air or space predominant physiology.
Lauki
is blessed with a good amount of soma (lunar energy element) from
Nature, which is extremely balancing for persons with a strong
fire element and nurturing for Vata
persons with space or air predominant physiology.
The
bottle gourd generally has a very pale green smooth skin. The
flesh is white. Size and thickness can vary widely. Choose young,
firm lauki for best results. Scrape and discard harder portions
of skin, and scoop out and discard seeds before cooking.
Lauki
is generally available at Asian grocery stores that sell fresh
vegetables.
Lauki
recipes >
