The meaning of the name is "Mound of the Melon/Colocynth". Another conjecture equates it with the colocynth ("Citrullus colocynthis"). Constituents of the colocynth fruit and leaves ("Citrullus colocynthis") include cucurbitacins. Troches made of colocynth were called "troches of alhandal" used as an emetic. The powder of colocynth was sometimes used externally with aloes, unguents, or bandages. Colocynth has been widely used in traditional medicine for centuries. In traditional Arab veterinary medicine, colocynth sap was used to treat skin eruptions in camels. Colocynth is also commonly cultivated together with cassava (intercropping) in Nigeria.