''Cyclanthera pedata'', known as ''caigua'', is a herbaceous
vine
A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...
grown for its edible
fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
, which is predominantly used as a
vegetable
Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...
. It is known from cultivation only, and its use goes back many centuries as evidenced by ancient phytomorphic ceramics from Peru depicting the fruits.
Origin and distribution
Not known in the wild, but presumably native to the
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
where it has been traditionally cultivated.
Description
''Cyclanthera pedata'' is a vine that can be 12 m long; the stems are thin; and the leaves can be up to 24 cm long, palmate or
pedate in shape.
The small flowers can be greenish or white and are borne in racemes.
The fruit is light green, ovoid, curved, up to 15 cm long, almost hollow (except for the seeds and a thin flesh layer), with smooth skin or sometimes covered in soft spines; the seeds are black.
Cultivation
''Cyclanthera pedata'' is grown at small scale farming in mountain areas of Mexico, Central America and South America.
It is sometimes cultivated in Asia.
This species can be grown in mountain areas up to 2000, being adapted to cool temperatures.
''
''
Vernacular names
Known in the
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
as ''caigua''
or ''caihua
'' (possibly from Quechua ''kaywa'');
[ see: ''achoqcha''] also as ''achocha
'' (possibly from Quechua ''achuqcha'').
In English it is named ''stuffing cucumber'' or ''slipper gourd.
'' In Costa Rica it is called ''Jaiva''. In Darjeeling, India, it is called ''Chuchay Karela''. In Chinese, it is known as 小雀瓜.
Uses
Food
The fruits are eaten after removing the seeds and stuffing them with other foods like rice or meat, and then cooking them.
Young shoots and leaves can also be eaten as
greens.
The fruits are a source of potassium, magnesium and phosphorus.
[Oliveira, A. C., dos Santos, V. S., dos Santos, D. C., Carvalho, R. D. S., Souza, A. S., & Ferreira, S. L. C. (2014). Determination of the mineral composition of Caigua (Cyclanthera pedata) and evaluation using multivariate analysis. Food Chemistry, 152, 619–623.] Fruit flavor is similar to cucumber crossed with green bean or otherwise tasteless.
Chemistry
The fruits contain flavonoid glycosides
[Carbone, V., Montoro, P., De Tommasi, N., & Pizza, C. (2004). Analysis of flavonoids from Cyclanthera pedata fruits by liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 34(2), 295–304.] of which four show an antioxidant effect.
Caigua fruits generally exhibit high antioxidant activity but a low total
phenol
Phenol (also called carbolic acid) is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group () bonded to a hydroxy group (). Mildly acidic, it req ...
ic content, which indicates that non-phenolic water-soluble compounds might be involved.
[Ranilla, L. G., Kwon, Y. I., Apostolidis, E., & Shetty, K. (2010). Phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity and in vitro inhibitory potential against key enzymes relevant for hyperglycemia and hypertension of commonly used medicinal plants, herbs and spices in Latin America. Bioresource Technology, 101(12), 4676–4689.] Flavonoids are present in this cyclanthera species, which have antioxidant properties as well and were shown that with a high intake are correlated to a decrease in heart disease.
![Caihua](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Caihua.jpg)
Dried samples of caigua showed
α-amylase
α-Amylase is an enzyme (EC 3.2.1.1; systematic name 4-α-D-glucan glucanohydrolase) that hydrolyses α bonds of large, α-linked polysaccharides, such as starch and glycogen, yielding shorter chains thereof, dextrins, and maltose:
:Endohydr ...
inhibition and relevant
ACE inhibitor
Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) are a class of medication used primarily for the treatment of hypertension, high blood pressure and heart failure. They work by causing relaxation of blood vessels as well as a decrease i ...
y activities.
A negative aspect of caigua is, that the seeds contain a group of
trypsin
Trypsin is an enzyme in the first section of the small intestine that starts the digestion of protein molecules by cutting these long chains of amino acids into smaller pieces. It is a serine protease from the PA clan superfamily, found in the dig ...
inhibitors, which negatively affect protein absorption.
[Kowalska, J., et al. “Isolation and primary structures of seven serine proteinase inhibitors from Cyclanthera pedata seeds.” Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 2006; 1760(7): 1054-63.]
Other chemicals in the Caigua include
triterpenoid saponins
Saponins (Latin "sapon", soap + "-in", one of), also selectively referred to as triterpene glycosides, are bitter-tasting usually toxic plant-derived organic chemicals that have a foamy quality when agitated in water. They are widely distributed ...
and the seeds have been reported with six
cucurbitacin glycosides. as well as 28-30 amino acids.
Archaeology
![Caiguamuseolarco](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Caiguamuseolarco.jpg)
The
Moche culture
The Moche civilization (; alternatively, the Mochica culture or the Early, Pre- or Proto-Chimú) flourished in northern Peru with its capital near present-day Moche, Trujillo, Peru from about 100 to 700 AD during the Regional Development Epoch. ...
often depicted this species in their ceramics. Remains of this species have also been found buried in archaeological sites on the Peruvian coast.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q311101
pedata
Fruit vegetables
Crops originating from Peru
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus