Nepali Name: Gahat
Sanskrit Name: Kulattha.
Hindi Name: Kulthi
Malayalam: Kullu, Mutira
English: Horse-gram
French: Dolic-a-deux.
It is a branched or trailing annual, with small trifoliate leaves, and very wide climbing, slender stem. When it matures, gives narrow, flat, curved pods. The pods contain 5-6 flattened ellipsoid seeds, 1/8" -1/4" long.
In Nepal, it is widely cultivated. Seeds are used to make delicious variety especially in winter season.
Photochemical compositions of seeds:
Moisture: 11.8%
Crude Protein: 22%
Fat: 0.5%
Minerals: 3.1%
Fibres: 5.3%
Carbohydrates: 57.3%
Calcium: 0.28%
Phosphorus: 0.28%
Iron: 0.0076%
Nicotinic acid: 0.0015%
Carotene: 119 micro/100gms
Arginine: 6-7.1% of total Nitrogen.
Tyrosine: 6.68% of total Nitrogen.
Lysine: 7.64% of total Nitrogen.
Enzymes 1st detected in seeds:
Urease:- by Masteer and Marshall in 1916.
It was found that the germinated seeds gave higher urease activity than the ungerminated seeds, which, indicated that germination merely increases the solubility of enzyme.
Ribonuclease:- Bhemeshwar in 1950.
Nicotinamide deaminase:- Mukundan
b-N-acetylglucosaminidase,
a and b galactosidase,
a-mannosidase and b-glucosidase:- Meyer.
Allantoinase: Mary and Sastry
The seeds as well as the vegetative body are rich in Vitamins. The vitamins found are thiamine, riboflavin and nicotinic acid.
Uses of Dolichos Biflorus Linn.
The seeds have been used in the indigenous system of medicine, Ayurveda, for a long time. Ayurveda lists the traditional uses as:
Actions: Astringent, Diuretic (agent that increases amount of urine), Tonic.
Used in:
Diarrhoea, Bowel haemorrahage.
Leucorrhoea (a white viscid discharge from the vagina or cervical canal) and menstrual derangements.
Colic (painful spasm of colon), enlargement of spleen and liver.
Piles as soup diet of seed.
In cold sweats: seed powder dusting on skin.
In Bladder and Kidney stones: many Nepalese Ayurveda physicians are nowadays using Horse-gram's seeds in Kidney, bladder and gall stones. More than 80% cases of kidney stones got improved.
In hypertension.
