Common names
Sayote (Tag.)
Tsayote (Most dialects)
Chayote, choyote, choko, Christophine (Engl.)

Botany
A tropical vine and the only cucurbitaceae with a single seed. Leaves are hairy, broad, and tri-lobed. The flowers are yellowish, five-petaled at the axils. Fruit is pear-shaped, light green, and slightly wrinkled.

Distribution
Cultivated.

Parts used and preparation
Leaves and fruit.

Properties and constituents
Study yielded eight flavonoids including three C-glycosyl and five O-glycosyl flavones. The leaves gave the highest amount of flavonoids. source

Uses
Nutritional
Leaves are used in stews.
The fruit, tuber, stems and leaves are edible.
Folkloric
Fruit is laxative.
Raw pulp of the fruit is soothing for skin rashes.
Roasted leaves help in the suppuration of boils.

Studies
• Antioxidant: Leaf ethanolic extracts and leaf and seed water extracts showed strong inhibitory activity by B-carotene bleaching. Results may be potentially exploited as biopreservatives and for health supplements or food to alleviate oxidative stress.
• Anti-hypertensive: Extract studies produced a fall in blood pressure. The mechanisms were not determined in the preliminary experiments. Further studies are indicated to delineate the mechanims involved in decreased mean arterial pressure.
• Flavonoids: Phytochemical study yielded eight flavonoids, including three C-glycosyl and five o-glycosyl flavones. Results showed the highest amount of flavonoids was in the leaves, followed by roots and by stems.
• Antimicrobial: Alcoholic extracts of Sechium edule were tested against bacteria of clinical relevance as nosocomial pathogens. Results showed both fluid extract and tincture have very good antimicrobial efficacy against all strains of multiresistant staphylococci and enterococci and warrants further studies to isolate and identify the active principle/s.
• Radiopharmaceutical Labeling and Uptake Effect: The Effect of a Chayotte (Sechium edule) Extracts (Decoct and Macerated) on the Labeling of Blood Elements with Technetium- 9m and on the Biodistribution of the Radiopharmaceutical Sodium Pertechnetate in Mice: an In vitro and In vivo Analysis. The study suggests that some component of chayote extracts present an oxidant power to alter the biodistribution of Technitium-9m and cause alteration of the uptake in organs.

Availability
Cultivated.