Description

Trichosanthes anguina (Snake gourd, 2n = 2 = 22) is a diploid annual woody climber (liana) of the genus Trichosanthes in the family Cucurbitaceae. This species is commonly called viper gourd, snake tomato, or long tomato. Snake gourd originated in India or the Indo-Malayan region in tropical Asia and is widely distributed in Asian countries. Their functional constituents include flavonoids, β-carotenoids, lycopene, and phenolic acids, which have beneficial pharmacological and therapeutic effects for humans.