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Bitter
Melon (Momordica
charantia)
Botany
Bitter melon grows in tropical areas, including parts of East Africa,
Asia, the Caribbean, and South America, where it is used as a food as well
as a medicine. The fruit of this plant lives up to its name—it tastes
very bitter. Although the seeds, leaves, and vines of bitter melon have
all been used, the fruit is the safest and most prevalent part of the
plant used medicinally.
Historical
or Traditional Use
Being a relatively common food item, bitter melon was traditionally used
for an array of conditions by people in tropical regions. Numerous
infections, cancer, and diabetes are among the most common conditions it
was purported to improve.1 The leaves and fruit have both been
used occasionally to make teas and beer or to season soups in the Western
world. The berries also produce wax, which can be made into candles.
Active
Constituents and Proposed Mechanism of Action
At least three different groups of constituents in bitter melon have been
reported to have hypoglycemic (blood sugar lowering) actions of potential
benefit in diabetes mellitus. These include a mixture of steroidal
saponins known as charantin, insulin-like peptides, and alkaloids. It is
still unclear which of these is most effective, or if all three work
together. Multiple controlled clinical studies have confirmed the benefit
of bitter melon for people with diabetes.2
Two proteins,
known as alpha- and beta-momorcharin, inhibit the AIDS virus; however,
this research has only been demonstrated in test tubes and not in humans.3
Recommended
Dosage
For those with a taste or tolerance for bitter flavor, a small melon can
be eaten as food or up to 100 ml of a decoction or 2 oz of fresh juice can
be drunk per day.4 Though still bitter, tinctures of bitter
melon (5 ml two to three times per day) are also sometimes used.
Contraindications
Ingestion of excessive amounts of bitter melon juice (several times more
then the amount recommended above) can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea.5
Small children and anyone with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) should not
take bitter melon, because this herb could theoretically trigger or worsen
the problem.
References:
1. Duke JA. CRC
Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 1985, 315–6.
2. Raman A, Lau C. Anti-diabetic properties and phytochemistry of Momordica
charantia L (Curcurbitaceae). Phytomed Res 1996;2:349–62.
3. Zhang QC. Preliminary report on the use of Momordica charantia
extract by HIV patients. J Naturopathic Med 1992;3:65–9.
4. Werbach MR, Murray MT. Botanical Influences on Illness.
Tarzana, CA: Third Line Press, 1994, 139–41.
5. Brown DJ, Gaby A, Reichert R, Yarrell E. Phytotherapeutic and
nutritional approaches to diabetes mellitus. Quart Rev Nat Med
1998;Winter:329–54.
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