Tukhm-e-Kaddu
Quick Facts
- What it is: Tukhm-e-Kaddu is the dried bottle gourd seed (Lagenaria siceraria), a single drug used in Persian and Unani medicine as a cooling, soothing agent.
- Main uses: Sleeplessness and restlessness, Hot headaches, Burning on passing urine, Thirst and dryness in fever
- Best for: Traditional cooling drinks in Unani practice, Mild sleep and restlessness support, unproven, Scalp oil for dryness
- Active ingredients: Fixed oil (linoleic and oleic acid), Plant proteins, Plant sterols, Saponins, Flavonoids (plant pigments studied as antioxidants)
- Forms: Whole dried seed, Seed powder (safoof), Cold milky seed infusion, Pressed seed oil, Unani compound seed formulas and sharbats
- Time to effect: Not established; traditional use expects a gentle effect over days rather than hours.
- Side effects: Usually mild stomach upset; bitter gourd material of any kind can cause severe gut bleeding and must never be swallowed.
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What is Tukhm-e-Kaddu?
Tukhm-e-Kaddu is the dried seed of the bottle gourd (Latin name Lagenaria siceraria), used as a single drug in Persian and Unani medicine. It is also sold as bottle gourd seed. Healers class it as a "cooling" seed and give it for restlessness, poor sleep, headache with heat, burning on passing urine, and dryness.
It is normally taken as a seed powder, as a milky cold infusion, or as a pressed oil rubbed on the scalp. In cooking, the gourd itself is a common vegetable across South Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
The evidence verdict in one line: the seed has a long record in Unani practice, but almost no human trial evidence, so traditional standing here is not proof that it works. That point is made once, here, and not repeated in every section below.
How does Tukhm-e-Kaddu work?
Nobody has shown clearly how Tukhm-e-Kaddu works in people, and the explanations below are proposals rather than proven facts.
In Unani theory the seed is "cold and moist". It is thought to calm heat in the body, soothe irritated linings, and bring on sleep. These are traditional ideas, not measurements.
In the laboratory, gourd seed extracts contain fats, sterols and small amounts of plant compounds that have shown mild antioxidant and calming activity in animals. Animal and test-tube results often fail to repeat in humans, so treat them as leads only.
One mechanism is better understood, and it is a harm rather than a benefit. Some bottle gourd plants make bitter compounds called cucurbitacins, which irritate and damage the gut lining. This is why bitter-tasting gourd or its juice can cause vomiting and bleeding.
What forms does Tukhm-e-Kaddu come in?
Tukhm-e-Kaddu is sold and used in a few simple forms.
Whole dried seeds, usually hulled before use.
Seed powder (safoof), taken with water, milk or honey.
A cold milky infusion made by grinding the soaked seeds with water and straining, used in Unani practice as a cooling drink.
Pressed seed oil, mostly applied to the scalp or skin rather than swallowed.
Compound Unani formulas such as sharbats and cooling seed mixtures (the "four cold seeds" group) that include it alongside cucumber, melon and pumpkin seed.
Where it comes from:
Bottle gourd is one of the oldest cultivated plants, grown in Africa and Asia for thousands of years, first as a water container and later as food.
Persian and Arabic medical writers of the medieval period listed the seed among cooling agents, and Unani texts in South Asia carried the use forward into modern practice. It sits in the classic group of "cold seeds" used for heat, thirst and sleeplessness.
It remains an everyday item in Unani clinics and South Asian home remedies today.
Who should avoid Tukhm-e-Kaddu?
- Never swallow any bottle gourd seed, pulp or juice that tastes bitter — spit it out and throw the whole batch away, because bitter gourd has caused gut bleeding and deaths
- Never drink raw bottle gourd juice as a health remedy, even if it tastes fine
- Do not use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, because it has not been tested for safety in pregnancy
- Do not use if you are allergic to gourds, melons, cucumbers or pumpkin
- Do not use if you take lithium, water tablets (diuretics, medicines that make you pass more urine) or blood pressure medicines, unless your prescriber has agreed
- Do not use if you take diabetes medicines, including insulin, without checking your blood sugar more often
- Do not use alongside sedatives or sleeping tablets, as the drowsiness may add up
- Do not give it as a medicine to children under 12
- Do not use it in place of antibiotics for a urinary infection, or in place of any prescribed treatment
- Do not use if you have inflammatory bowel disease (a long-term condition where the gut lining is inflamed) or an active peptic ulcer (a sore in the stomach lining)
When should you see a doctor?
Get emergency help straight away if you have swallowed bitter gourd or its juice and then have severe stomach pain, repeated vomiting, vomit that looks like coffee grounds, black or bloody stools, dizziness or fainting.
See a doctor within a day or two if you get a rash, swelling of the lips or face, or breathing trouble after taking the seed.
Book a normal appointment if the problem you are treating does not improve in two to four weeks, if burning urine comes with fever or back pain, or if headaches are new, severe or keep returning. Tell your doctor or pharmacist you are taking it, especially if you are on medicines for blood pressure, diabetes, sleep or lithium.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
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