Well, the gravel seemed to have been deposited by river, and I am not very sure on whether they were being cultivated or not. While it seems that C. colocynthis is used in folk medicine, it is toxic and inedible.... and I don't recall seeing them in weekly souqs. Perhaps I should ask someone about it.

Ha!
We have several relatives of these growing wild all thorugh this area = planted by Moroccoan camel drivers back in the 1890's. Kangaroos and wallabies find them to be an invaluable source of summer refreshment.

(I have planted some of these wild melons in the garden, just for giggles. I've always loved to see them)

They look pretty cool! Any idea if those are annuals? Those vines look toast.

Well, some sources cite it as an annual, but other claim it is a perennial; and quite a lot of sources claim it can be both annual and perennial.

While most of the vines I saw were withered black and seemed to be lifeless, some vines, especially those that had no fruits on them, were still green. It appeared that plants growing further from the river and higher up in the bank were more inclined to retain their leaves.... I think they might be a short lived perennial that can be either annual or perennial depending on individual and environment.

Perhaps it can just turn into a biennial. Nearer the stream they get enough water to bloom the first year?

Hmmm.... they seemed to have indeterminate growth pattern, so I am not so sure about that.... Perhaps I should visit this place more and observe its lifecycle myself.

Careful, Wikipedia says they cure lycanthropy.

...and that nomads use(d) the seeds to make flour, so perhaps that's the "good" part. (Sounds like the fruit is very.. 'cathartic'?)

It seems that in herbalism, 'cathartic' refers to laxative properties. Interesting way to describe it, I think.

Yes, the "medical" use of the word actually came first. The Online Etymology Dictionary says "Originally medical in English; of emotions from 1872; psychotherapy sense first recorded 1909, in Brill's translation of Freud."

Since English has been using "Freudian" terms for so long, most people probably aren't thinking of the origin, unless they're making a bad joke or working at a health food store.