Gac Fruit Plant ( Momordica Cochinchinensis)

Common Names: Baby Jackfruit, Spiny Bitter gourd, Chinese Cucumber, Balsam Pear, Gac Fruit, Da Gac, Spiny Bitter-Cucumber, Chinese Bitter-Cucumber, Chinese-Cucumber, Giant Spiny Gourd, Cochinchin Gourd, Teruah, Torobuk, Pupia.

Botanical Name: Momordica Cochinchinensis

General Information: A vigorous, perennial climbing melon native to Southeast Asian countries and Northeastern Australia. Notable for its vivid orange-reddish colour due to high beta-carotene and lycopene content. Can become dormant in dry or cooler weather but grows year-round in the Equatorial zone. Sometimes cultivated in India and China for its edible fruit and oil from seeds.

Uses:

Commonly used as food and traditional medicine in Southeast Asian countries. Seeds used in traditional medicine for various internal and topical purposes.

Aril around seeds cooked with sticky rice to make 'xôi gấc,' a traditional Vietnamese dish. Immature green fruit is used as a vegetable in India.

Gac is used in curry in Sri Lanka and served with ice cream in Thailand. Extracts from arils used to manufacture dietary supplements due to high beta-carotene and lycopene content.

Health Benefits:

Gac fruit exhibits antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory properties.

Cultivation Details:

Bloom Time/Fruiting: 1 to 2 years.

Maintenance Required: Moderate.