Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2018; 7(3): 2222-2225

E-ISSN: 2278-4136
P-ISSN: 2349-8234
JPP 2018; 7(3): 2222-2225 A review on watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)
Received: 21-03-2018
Accepted: 25-04-2018 medicinal seeds
Gupta Alka
Assistant Professor, Department Gupta Alka, Singh Anamika and Prasad Ranu
of Foods, Nutrition and Public
Health, Ethelind Collage of
Abstract
Home Science, Sam
Herbal products are globally important because of their low side effect, affordability, accessibility. Water
Higginbottom University of
Agriculture, Technology and melon is a famous fruit in indigenous system of folk medicine and also known to contain bioactive
Sciences, Allahabad, Uttar compounds such as triterpenes, sterols, vitamin, cucurbitacin and mineral. Fruit is used in cooling,
Pradesh, India strengthening, aphrodisiac and blood purifier. Citrullus lanatus seeds are highly nutritious; they contain
good amount of protein, fat, vitamins and minerals the seeds are used to prepare snakes, mix into flour
Singh Anamika and used for sauces. The seeds are used to treatment of urinary tract infection, bed wetting, dropsy and
Research Scholar, Department of renal stones. This review is an attempt to provide information of its nutritional value, pharmacological
Foods, Nutrition and Public activities of Citrullus lanatus for further research.
Health, Ethelind Collage of
Home Science, Sam Keywords: Citrullus lanatus, pharmacological activity, triterpenes, folk medicine, indigenous system
Higginbottom University of
Agriculture, Technology and
Sciences, Allahabad, Uttar Introduction
Pradesh, India Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) a fruit crop, is herbaceous creeping plant belong to the family
cucurbitaceae. It is mainly propagated by seeds and thrives best in warm areas. It is a tropical
Prasad Ranu plant and requires a lot of sunshine and high temperature of over 25°C for optimum growth.
Dean/HOD Department of Watermelon thrives best in a drained fertile soil of fairly acidic nature. It can be grown along
Foods, Nutrition and Public
Health, Ethelind Collage of
the coastal areas of Ghana, the forest zone and especially along river beds in the Northern
Home Science, Sam Savannah areas [1].
Higginbottom University of Citrullus lanatus (water melon) produces a fruit that is about 93% water, hence the name
Agriculture, Technology and “water” melon. The “melon” part came from the fact that the fruit is large and round and has a
Sciences, Allahabad, Uttar sweet, pulpy flesh. The scientific name of the watermelon is derived from both Greek and
Pradesh, India
Latin roots. The Citrullus part comes from a Greek word “citrus” which is a reference to the
fruit. The lanatus part is Latin, and has the meaning of being wooly, referring to the small
hairs on the stems and leaves of the plant [2].
Watermelon can be used as fresh salad, dessert, snack, and for decorations. Drinks can also be
made from the juice. The sugar content and sweetness are the critical factors in determining
the quality of many watermelon varieties. It is known to be low in calories but highly
nutritious and thirst quenching [3].

Botanical Description [4]

Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Citrullus
Species: C. lanatus
Botanical Name: Citrullus lanatus

Indian local name-[5]

Sanskrit- Kharabuja, Bengali- Tormuj, Hindi- Tarbooz, Gujrati- Indark, Marati- Kadu
vrindavana Urdu- Tarbooz, Panjabi- tarabuuja, Tamil- palam, Telugu- puchakaya
Correspondence
Singh Anamika
Plant discription
Research Scholar, Department of Watermelon is a annual herb. It is largely cultivated in India and another warm country. It is
Foods, Nutrition and Public lying on ground with long steam (up to 10 m and 32.8ft), curly tendrils and large hairy leaves.
Health, Ethelind Collage of Leaves are rough on boath side with 3-5 lobe. The plant is monoecious male and female both
Home Science, Sam flower found in same plant with hairy and long flower stalk. The fruit in wild form is 1.5-20
Higginbottom University of
Agriculture, Technology and
cm in diameter malted, greenish, subglobose, dark green with 50 mm long fruit stalk. The pulp
Sciences, Allahabad, Uttar may be yellow or green (wild form) and dark red (cultivar). The seeds are inn yellow to dull
Pradesh, India brown or black and rarely white, ovate, flattened 9-12×5-7mm [6, 7, 8].
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Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry

Nutritional values Table 1: Phytoconstituents of Citrullus lanatus

The fruit Citrullus lanatus carried 92% water by weight and Part Constituents
about 6% sugar. It is a very good source of vitamin A, B & C Lycopene, beta-carotene, xanthophylls, phenolics, vitamin C
which is necessary for energy production. Citrullus lanatus [16]

carry about 6% sugar and 92% water by weight. It is a good Protein-globulin, albumin, glutelin. [17]
source of vitamin C. Composition of dried seed without shell Flavonoids, vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, polyphenolic
per 100 g include protein 28.3g, fat 47.4 g, water 5.1g, energy compounds [18]
2340kJ (557kcal), carbohydrate 15.3 g, Calcium 54 mg, Seeds Terpene, steroid, flvonoid.[19]
Phosphorous 755 mg, iron 7.3 mg, thiamin 0.19 mg, Glycoprotein-vicilin [20]
riboflavin 0.15 mg, niacin 3.55 mg and folate 58 µg. The seed 2-dodecyclobutanon, 2-tetradcylcyclobutanon, cellulose
radicals [21]
oil reported to carry oleic, palmitic, stearic acid and Crude protein, carbohydrate, amino acids- arginine,
glycosides of linoleic [9]. Medicinal plants are good source of isoleucine,leucine. Mineral composition- Na, Ca, Mg [22]
antioxidants, vitamin and mineral. They can be use to develop Total lipid content- oils- polyunsaturated fatty acids- oleic,
different type of food products like cookies to increase their lenoliec fatty acid [23]
nutritional values, which helpful to fulfill nutritional Seed High amount of higher fat acids- palmitic acid, stearic acid,
requirement and combat with various degenerative disease oil linoleic acid.Higher amount is limoleic acid. Poor in linolenic
[10]
. acid [24]
Saturated fatty acid. Unsaturated fatty acid- tocotrienols [25]
Table 2: proximate contents of watermelon seed [11]
Anti- ulcer- activity
S. No Parameters Values The study about ulcerogenic property has done by crude
1 Moisture 6.4%
methanolic extract of watermelon seeds dissimilar ulcer
2 Fat 47.1%
3 Protein 68.4%
models pyloric ligation (PL, 4h ligation) and in water
4 Fiber 1.2% immersion (WS 25 oc for 3h) stress induced ulcer model in
5 Ash 2.6% albino Wistar rats. The Citrullus lantus shows to decrease the
6 Carbohydrates 25.1% gastric volume (53.55%), free acidity (57.02%) and total
acidity (36.53%) in case of pyloric ligation model. The
Use of water melon seeds in traditional way methanolic seeds extract shows to exhibited a dose related
Watermelon has been cultivated in Sourthen African with antiulcer activity with maximum activity at 800mg/kg [26].
other crops like sorghum and maize since pre colonial times.
The leaves and young fruits are used as green vegetable and Anti- microbial activity
fruit flesh cooked with maize meal as porridge. For cooking A research demonstrate for antimicrobial activity of
purpose and for storing berries the vacuous fruit can be used chlorofarmic, hexane and ethanolic extracts of leaves, fruits,
as container. Pulp and seeds are used to prepare different stem and seeds from Citrullus lanatus var. Citroides (CL)
dishes [12]. against bacteria (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus,
The flat brown seeds have a nice nutty taste and have a good Pseudomonas aureginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Proteus
food value then the flesh. They are rich source of vitamin C, vulgaris) and fungi (Aspergllus nigar and Candida albican).
mineral and fat. They can be eaten as such or in roasted form Antimicrobial CL was tested by using cup-plate and disc
and can be used in flour mix. In a study it is shown that the diffusion method. The result of study shows that the
seeds pulp are used as a thickener into soups. The fermented chloroform extract of fruit shows the highest antibacterial
seeds are used to produced a sweetener which is locally activity. It showed antibacterial activity against s. aureus:
known as “ogiri” or they are boiled with leaves wrap to make 36mm, B. subtilis: 38mm, E.coli:37mm, P. valgaris: 23mm,
another sweetener called “igbãlo” [13]. The seeds of Citrullus P. aerguinosa: 19mm. The highest anti fumgal activity shown
lanatus seeds are used for their oil and also use in the by ethanolic extract of the fruit pulp and stem on C.albica (41
cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry is increasing. For their m). A nigar was very sensitive to the chloroform extract of the
high protein and fat content seeds are also used in the seed (37 mm) and the ethanolic extract of the leaves (37 mm) [27].
improvement of infant nutrition [14]. It is also reported in studied about the antibacterial activity of
Citrullus lanatus seed extract. They found that seed extracts
Bioactivity of Citrullus lanatus against the selected bacteria indicate that extracts obtained by
Anti- inflammatory activity cold maceration, Soxhlet extraction, as well as using
A study In-vivo and in –vitro for anti-inflammatory activity of chloroform and methanol have potential as antibacterial
Citrullus lanatus seed oil (CLSO). In –Vivo anti-inflammatory agents especially against Staphylococcus sp. and P.
activity the oil was screened by carrageenan- inducel aeruginosa [28].
pawedema in rat model and by human red blood cell
membrane stabilization in-vitro anti-inflammtory activity. Anti-oxidant activity
Comparision of oil potency was done with standard Antioxidant activity of Citrullus lanatus of chloroform, ethyl
diclofenac (10MG\kg). The significant reduction of edema acetate and methanol extract in their study. DPPH method
shown by the oil in carrageenan induced rat paw edema model was used for antioxidant activity of all chloroform, ethyl
maximum at 3 hr (percentage reduction in paw volume acetate and methanol extracts. The maximum antioxidant
44.44%, 55.56% and 63.11% for CLSO (50 mg/kg), CLSO potential shown by methanolic extract of Citrullus lantus
(100 mg/kg) and diclofenec (10mg/kg) respectabley and (MECL) seeds [29].
CLSO at concentration of 100, 250, and 500 mcg/ml showed
42.35%, 68.48% and 78.50% protection of HRBC in Hepatoprotective activity
hypotonic solution respectably [15]. The hepatoprotective effect was carried out by Citrullus

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Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry

lanatus seeds in carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity 11. Gill RA, Leema R. Proximate Nutritional Analysis of
in rats through estimated serum hepatic enzyme levels and Dried Watermelon seed. International journal of
hisopathological studty of liver tissues. Citrullus lanatus seed engineering and General Science. 2016; 4.
oil; CLSO (125 mg), and CLSO (250mg) were used to deliver 12. Globinmed. Citrullus lanatus (Thunb) Manf
orally in rats for 10 days and compared with standard (Cucurbitaceae). http://www.globinmed.com. 2010.
silymarin (100 mg/kg) orally. The result shown ALT, AST, 13. Moldenke HN, Moldenke AL. Plants of the Bible.
and ALP level significantally decrease in serum in treated Chronica Botanica, Waltham, Mass., U.S.A, 1952.
groups which were increased due to CCI4 induced liver 14. Maynard DN. Watermelons: characteristics, production
damage are comparable with standard drug. Histopathological and marketing. American Society for Horticultural
study of liver tissue ravels the hepatoprotectective activity of Science (ASHS) Press. Horticulture Crop Production
Citrullus lanatus seed oil [30]. Series. Alexandria, VA, United States. 2001, 227.
15. Madhavi P, Maruthi R, Kamala V, Habibur R, Chinna E
Conclusion M. Evaluation of Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Citrullus
This study showed that water melon seeds are a good source lanatus Seed Oil by In-vivo and In-vitro Models. Int. Res
of many nutrients like vitamin, minerals which are essential J Pharm. App Sci. 2012; 2(4):104-108.
for our body weight and is also a good source of water which 16. Puerta GA, Cisneros ZLA. Phytochemical composition of
can leave cooling effect in our body. Watermelon seeds have different varieties of watermelons (Citrullus lanatus)
been used for its pharmacological activities like antibacterial, grown at three different locations paper_14452.htm,
antifungal, antimicrobial, antiulcer and anti-inflammatory accessed, 2012.
values since centuries. These watermelon seeds can provide 17. Wani AA, Sogi DS, Singh P, Wani IA, Shivhare US.
medicinal, economic and health benefit if they consumed Characterisation and functional properties of watermelon
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Acknowledgment lanatus seed on experimentally induced prostatic
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor Dr. hyperplasia. European Journal of Medicinal Plants. 2011;
Alka Gupta for the continuous support and motivation. Her 1(4):171-179.
guidance helped me for all the time. 19. Loiy E, Hassan A, Hasnah MS, Ahmed Y, Asking M,
Koko WS, Siddig AI. In vitro anti-microbial activities of
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