ABSTRACT
Chayote (Sechium edule) is indigenous to Southern Mexico and Central America. Chayote is an important perennial and climbing vegetable crop grown mostly at high altitudes of the Eastern and Western Himalayas. The fruits of chow-chow are a rich source of carbohydrates and vitamins, especially vitamin A and vitamin C. The fruit, stems and young leaves as well as the tuberized portions of the roots are eaten as a vegetable, both alone and plain boiled and as an ingredient of numerous stews. Infusions of its leaves are used to dissolve kidney stones and to assist in the treatment of arterio-scleriosis and hypertension, and the infusions of fruits are used to alleviate urine retention, while the pulp is sometimes used to soothe rashes. Considerable variations in size, shape, spininess and fibre content of the fruit are found to exist in the types under cultivation.
