How were gourds used as curatives?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

February 24, 2003

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Gourd Seeds For Sale—>Click here.

Suggested Reading—>Click here.

Assorted Killer Savings Garden Links—>Click here.

Killer Picks: Wollemi Pine, greatest living fossils discovered in the 20th century—>Click here.

'Andean Cameo', 'Forest Animals', Mate gourd centerpieces, Gourd sculptures—>Click here.

Gourd shakere rattle, Mate gourd ornaments, National Geographic Magazine—>Click here.

Bottle gourds (Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standley) may well be one of the first plants cultivated by humans. The fruit, dry and hollow when ripe, would immediately be recognized as useful. In 1597, John Gerard wrote, "There be divers sorts of Gourds, some wilde, and others tame of the garden....I will onely figure and describe two or three of the chiefest, and so passe over the rest...."

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Though seldom considered, humans also needed to dip and carry water. Before the advent of agriculture, wild type gourds would have been recognized as small useful containers. Painted Gourds Art Print Robert Rivera Buy Art Print at AllPosters.com

The garden gourds, he called Cucurbita lagenaria; the wild, Cucurbita lagenaria sylvestris.

"The Gourd bringeth forth very long stalkes as be those of the Vine (grapes), cornered and parted into divers branches, which with his clasping tendrels taketh hold and clymeth upon such things as stand neere unto it...the floures be white, and grow forth from the bosome of the leaves: in their place come up the fruit, which are not all of one fashion, for oftentimes they have the forme of flagons or bottles, with a great large belly and a small necke."

Gerard recommended young gourds eaten for their fiber and seeds for bladder infections. The fruit was considered a painkiller, "The juyce being dropped into the eares with oyle of roses is good for the paine thereof. The pulpe or meate mitigateth all hot swellings, if it be laid thereon in manner of a pultis, and being used in this manner it taketh away the head-ache and the inflammation of the eyes."

Living near the end of the Renaissance, Gerard was considered a scientific thinker. But he clung to one odd belief about gourds, "...a long Gourd...being laid in the cradle or bed by the young infant whilest it is asleep and sicke of an ague (fever and chills), [the child] shall be very quickely made whole." (The Herbal or General Historie of Plants, 1633 edition)

The Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida has a photograph of some of the many shapes of Lagenaria siceraria. To view the photograph, click on the link:

http://gcrec.ifas.ufl.edu/Gourd%20webpage/utilitarian%20gourds.htm

Series:  | 1 |  | 2 |  | 3 |  | 4 |  | 5 |  

killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~

Suggested Reading:

How did gourds end up in Peru? Weird Plants - February 27, 2003
How were gourds shaped into objects of art? Renfield's Garden - February 26, 2003
What was the currency of King Henri I? What's in a Name? - February 28, 2003
Calabash Tree (Crescentia cujete) Plant of the Week - January 31, 2005
Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia) Plant of the Week - September 27, 2004
Why was a bishop accused of falsifying Scripture? What's in a Name? - February 20, 2004

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Spring Hill Nursery -$20 off—>Click here.

Gardens Alive! -$20 off—>Click here.

Michigan Bulb -$20 off—>Click here.

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Larger Picture Mate gourd necklace, 'Andean Cameo' An Andean woman tends to nearby fields under the florid sun of this detailed composition. The Quispe Family expertly carves her image by hand on a dried mate gourd before setting on sterling silver. The pendant's ornate elegance is marked by a burnished finish, which contrasts nicely with the shiny chain. .925 rating silver. Mate gourd necklace, 'Andean Cameo'
Larger Picture Mate gourd with silver, 'Forest Animals' Animals from the Amazon rainforest appear on an engraved mate gourd. Wild boars and tapirs, monkeys and sloths join a spotted otorongo, the magnificent jungle cat called uturunku by ancient man in Peru. Tito Medina captures the vignettes in extraordinary detail. A filigree flower of sterling silver crowns the beautiful piece. Because natural gourds are used, size, shape and motifs can vary slightly, making each piece a unique work of folk art. .925 rating silver Mate gourd with silver, 'Forest Animals'
Larger Picture Mate gourd centerpieces, 'Nature Leaves' (set of 3) Three exquisite mate gourds, in graduated sizes, are decorated with geometric designs and coca leaves in warm earthy tones of orange and rust. These shallow centerpieces are beautiful and functional, the hallmark of artist Rocio Davila Rojas's work. The natural gourds may vary slightly in shape and size from those pictured. Mate gourd centerpieces, 'Nature Leaves' (set of 3)
Larger Picture Mate gourd sculptures, 'Purple Penguin Gala' (pair) Always dressed in elegant fineries, a couple of penguins dance the night away. Rocio Davila Rojas transforms dried mate gourds into endearing sculptures. She carefully details their feathers with a burin, while the penguins' beaks and feet are carved from eucalyptus wood. The natural gourd may vary slightly in shape and size. Mate gourd sculptures, 'Purple Penguin Gala' (pair)
Larger Picture Gourd shakere rattle, 'Natural' Khoirul Anam crafts a colorful shakere, as beautiful as it is sonorous. Created from a dried maja fruit, it is enveloped in a woven, beaded web. The shakere is played by shaking it like a rattle or alternately, twisting the beads. Its handle is carved from albesia wood. Gourd shakere rattle, 'Natural'
Larger Picture Mate gourd ornaments, 'Nature' (set of 6) These Andean ornaments are handmade from a small dried gourd - an art form dating back at least 3,500 years! The oldest carved gourds found to date were discovered in the Huaca Prieta temple along Peru's north coast. The tradition is being revived today principally by artisans in the town of Huanta, Peru. Each of these ornaments features a small cord for hanging. Please note that since these products are entirely hand-crafted slight differences in size or color may occur. Mate gourd ornaments, 'Nature' (set of 6)
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