Pointed gourd, is a vine plant in the family Cucurbitaceae, similar to cucumber and squash, though unlike those it is perennial. It is a dioecious (male and female plants) vine (creeper) plant with heart-shaped leaves (cordate) and is grown on a trellis. The fruits are green with white or no stripes. Size can vary from small and round to thick and long — 2 to 6 inches (5 to 15 cm). It thrives well under a hot to moderately warm and humid climate. The plant remains dormant during the winter season and prefers a fertile, well-drained sandy loam soil due to its susceptibility to water-logging.

Pointed gourd is a perennial, climbing plant producing stems that can sprawl over the ground or climb into other plants for support, attaching themselves by means of tendrils. Roots are tuberous with long taproot system. Vines are pencil thick in size with dark green heart-shaped simple leaves. Flowers are tubular white. Male flower-cluster-stalks are paired, both 1-flowered, 2-3 cm long, finely velvet-hairy; female flowers solitary on 2-4 mm long flower-cluster-stalks. Calyx-tube somewhat cylindric, broadened at tip, hairy, about 4 mm across at tip, sepals linear, about 4-5 mm long. Petals are oblong, strongly fringed. Staminal filaments very short, anthers free. The plant has been cultivated, especially in eastern India, for over 2,000 years. Its edible fruit is highly prized in India.

The juice of the fruits and leaves are used in traditional medicine. Pointed gourd is high in antioxidants, vitamins A and C that help to fight with the free radical molecules responsible for ageing. The seeds present in the pointed gourd help to ease stool and reduce constipation problem. So, this veggie is highly recommended for curing the constipation problem.