Spine gourd (Momordica dioica Roxb.): an orphan climbing vine attaining new heights due to its healthcare properties

Spine gourd ( Momordica dioica Roxb.) is a dioecious perennial climber traditionally consumed in South and Southeast Asia and valued in indigenous dietary practices and traditional medicine. Despite its high nutritional value, adaptability, and well-documented ethnomedicinal relevance, the crop remains underutilized in mainstream agriculture and functional food systems, resulting in a significant knowledge and utilization gap. At a time when plant-based foods are increasingly explored to address metabolic disorders, micronutrient deficiencies, and chronic inflammatory conditions, Momordica dioica offers considerable promise as a nutrient-dense vegetable. The fruit contains significant amount of protein (≈18–19%), dietary fiber (≈21–22%), carbohydrates (≈45–48%), and minerals such as calcium (33–35 mg/100 g), iron (4–5 mg/100 g), and phosphorus (42–45 mg/100 g), among other essential nutrients. Emerging scientific studies support several traditional claims of historical uses of the plant parts, reporting antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, nephroprotective, and anticancer activities associated with phytochemicals such as triterpenoids, flavonoids, sterols, saponins, and phenolic compounds. However, existing knowledge is dispersed across agronomic, phytochemical, and pharmacological studies, limiting a cohesive understanding of its full potential as both a food crop and therapeutic resource. This review consolidates the current information on taxonomy, distribution, botanical features, cultivation practices, phytochemistry, traditional uses, and experimentally validated bioactivities, thereby addressing fragmentation in the literature. In conclusion, the study positions spine gourd as an underexploited yet valuable crop with strong potential for mainstream vegetable production, improved nutritional security, sustainable agriculture, and future plant-based health applications.