Choongan Caralluma Report by Allah Dad Khan

2. CHONG (Caralluma Tuberculata )
Presentation
By Allah Dad Khan
allahdad52@gmail.com

3.  Caralluma is a genus of flowering plants in
the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, consisting
of about 120 species. The generic name is
derived from the Arabic word qahr al-luhum,
meaning "wound in the flesh" or "abscess,"
referring to the floral odour. Most of the
species occur in Africa, including several taxa
valued by people for their medicinal
properties.

5. Caralluma is a succulent plant (cactus) from
Pakistan. In country it grows wild and is
often used as a border in gardens and as a
roadside shrub.
It is also found in the wild in Africa, Saudi
Arabia, Canary Islands, Afghanistan, and
Southern Europe
Caralluma is cooked as a vegetable and
is used in preserves such as chutneys
and pickles. It is also eaten raw.

6. The genus Caralluma (Asclepiadaceae)
comprises about 260 species that are
succulent, perennial and branched herbs.
The species are distributed in Middle East,
Africa, Spain and some other countries. In
Pakistan, two species C. tuberculata (N.E.
Brown) and C. edulis (Edgew) grow wild in
the scattered foot-hill areas of Suleiman and
Hindukush ranges in Baluchistan, Punjab and
Khyber Paktunkhwa

7. Language Name
Pashto Pumankay
Urdu Choongan
English Bitter Cress
Botanical Caralluma
Tuberculata

8. 1. India - Jammu and Kashmir,
Punjab; Pakistan
2. Traditionally, Indian tribes chewed chunks
of caralluma to keep from being hungry
during a long hunt.
3. These days, a solution that contains
chemicals taken from the plant (extract) is
used to decrease appetite for weight loss.
4. It is also used to quench thirst and to
increase endurance.

9. It is widely distributed in Pakistan in almost all
the four Provinces but the most common in
Baluchistan and secondly in NWFP.
Basically, the Caralluma herb is an edible succulent
plant. It has been utilized by the people for over a
hundred years for many purposes, including the control
of hunger and improved strength. However it has also
been simply used in cooking, as Caralluma is a typical
part
of the diet.

11. Spiny leaves and thick flowers characterize the Caralluma plant.
The flowers are star
shaped and may be purple, red, black or yellow. They are typically
shown during the
summer or fall. The Caralluma stands with an angular stem and is
clump forming.
While the herb has been found extremely useful in many kinds of
situations.

12.  Stem succulent, angular, up to 15 cm tall, branches 8-13 mm
broad. Flowers in terminal cymes, pedicellate. Sepals ovate-
lanceolate. Corolla 8-9 mm in diameter, dark purple, deeply
divided, lobes lanceolate, glabrous. Follicles 8-10.5 cm, glabrous,
gradually tapering towards the tip.

13. Chong or perhaps chonga is used as a
vegetable where we are in Pakistan, although
it is not well known in other places it would
appear. It is a strange-looking thing when you
first see it sitting in a greengrocers, or at
leas, we thought so. Neither of us had any
idea what it was, so the vegetable seller
kindly informed us that this was chong (in
Urdu)

14. Caralluma as Vegetable - Hundreds upon
hundreds of years, even before the Caralluma
herb was known to the Western world, it has
been utilized by the peoples as a vegetable. It
has also been mixed with chutneys and pickles.
It can be consumed both cooked and raw. The
green follicles of the herb are often boiled,
salted, and consumed.
Our greengrocer says that it is good to purify the blood
when it is eaten as a green vegetable (although it is
bitter like karella or bitter melon, so the juice needs
to be removed prior to cooking) and it is also good for
skin problems and diabetes. It can be made into a
pickle or chutney, but we have only eaten it cooked,
as the juice is very bitter

15. 1.Caralluma s a plant largely associated with Indian hunter-gatherers for
its apparent appetite suppressing properties.,stamina enhancer , food
and thrist quencher .
2. Helps in weight loss., blocks the enzyme citrate lyase , Malonyl
Coenzyme When these enzyme’s activity istopped, body cannot produce
fat , Chong forces your body to start burning its own fat reserves, thus
promoting fat loss.
3. Chong is believed to work directly on the appetite control center of
your brain, specifically the hypothalamic
4.Caralluma is a “new” discovery in the west in the family of cactii and
succulent plants that are becoming increasingly popular for their appetite
suppressant, and loss properties, as well as their ability to lower blood
sugar.amus, to suppress your appetite.
5.Used In Diabetes

16. The appropriate dose of caralluma depends
on several factors such as the user's age,
health, and several other conditions. At this
time there is not enough scientific
information to determine an appropriate
range of doses for caralluma. Keep in mind
that natural products are not always
necessarily safe and dosages can be
important. Be sure to follow relevant
directions on product labels and consult your
pharmacist or physician or other healthcare
professional before using.

17.  Sold one pot in Pakistan @ 300 Rupees
 Sold one pot in America @25 Dollars

18. 1. Preparation of Pot)
a) Size of pot = ( 10X3 inches)
b) Mix the following ingredients ( Sand: Silty clay:FYM: Wood
Bran)( 1:1:1:1)
c) Mix the ingredients thoroughly .
d) Fill the pot and left one inch space for water.
e) Place pots I haf sun and shade place.
2.Propogation through seed
a) Chong starts flowers in March and gives uptil July .
b) Seed form in June July .
c) The seed is sown inn July
d) Seed germinate after 20 days.
e) Plant produced take time to maturity .
F ) Not pregferable.

19. 3. Through Cutting Propagation
a) Can be sown year round .
b) Cutting with root and with out roots germinate 100%
c) Plant 30 gm cutting in a pot of ( 10X3 inch)
4.Method of Sowing
a. If through seed , seed depth not more then one inch.
b. Cutting to be planted ½ to 1 inch deep.
c. After planting light watering .
5.Irrigation
a) In winter after 15 days interval
b) In summer after 7 days interval.

20. Shoots with 5 cm in height were separated
and individual shoots were transferred for
rooting to half-strength MS medium containing
different concentrations of
NAA (α-naphthalene acetic acid),
IAA (indole-3-acetic acid) and
IBA (Indole-3-butyric acid). The cultures
were incubated under 16 h photoperiod for 30
days until the micro shoots developed the
roots.

21.  Ingredients
 ½ kilo chong
 1 tbsp salt
 ½ kilo minced beef
 2 onions, finely chopped
 4 tomatoes, finely chopped
 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
 1 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped
 2 tbsps lemon juice
 1 handful of fresh coriander leaves, finely shredded
 6 green chillies, finely chopped
 1 tbsp cumin seeds
 1 tbsp ajwain or thyme
 1 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
 1 tbsp garam masala
 1 tsp turmeric (haldi)
 8 whole black peppercorns
 1 tbsp chilli powder
 salt to taste
 1 cup oil

22. Wash the chong very well and separate the
pieces, discarding the root. Pound it a little
but not too much, then put one tablespoon
of salt over it and rub it into the pieces of
chong with you hands, so that it is well
mixed into it. Leave this for half an hour to
remove the bitter juices.
After half an hour, squeeze the chong to
remove the excess juices. Then wash it in
cold water two or three times so that all the
bitter juices are removed. Put it in a strainer
or sieve and leave to drip.

23. Heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic,
ginger, black peppercorns and cumin seeds,
and fry them for 30 seconds then stir in the
onion and fry this for 1 minute. Add the
minced beef and green chillies, stir and fry
for 5 minutes.
Pour in 1 cup of water the turmeric, ajwain
or thyme, chilli powder, coriander seeds and
salt to taste. (Remember that some salt will
have remained on the chong, however well
you washed it.)

24. Cook this until the water is gone, then add the
chong and tomatoes, stirring well to mix. Cook
this still stirring for 5 – 7 minutes.
Add 2 glasses of water the lemon juice and the
garam masala, stirring to mix.
Cover the pan and let it cook for ½ hour over a
low heat or until all the water has gone and the
oil floats to the top.
Remove from the heat, and then add the fresh
coriander, cover for a few minutes so that the
flavours mingle and settle and serve with naan
or chapattis.
To get the best out of this dish, serve with
natural yoghurt.This has Taste and is a Treat.