ASSESSMENT OF FOOD, ETHNOBOTANICAL AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF TRICHOSANTHES CUCUMIRINA L.

Trichosanthes cucumirina L., locally known as “Chachindra” among the tribal and rural mass of Similipal Biosphere Reserve (SBR) forest. Plant parts are used as ethnomedicine among inhabitants of SBR. They use the fruits, leaves, and roots against various diseases and traditional practices are continuing since long. Leaves are used against microbial infections, roots against diabetic and fruits against the killing of stomach worm. Young fruits are used as vegetables as well as medicine. Keeping this traditional practice in view, assessment of food values, and antibacterial properties were done. Fruits are rich with carbohydrate (26.24%), lipid (2.20%), protein (1.50%), fiber (1.96%), and a good amount of moisture. Plant parts showed diverse bioactive compounds such as tannin, saponin, and flavonoid present in most of the extracts of leaves, fruits and roots of T. cucumirina L. The antibacterial activity of plant extracts showed excellent against MTCC 1252, MTCC 1457, MTCC 3906, MTCC 1926, MTCC *497. Presents study highlights the nutritional, ethnobotanical, and antibacterial activity of the plant and emphasis upon the conservation of this bioresource in the state in general and SBR in particular.