Bitter Melon
momordica charantia

Bitter melon, also known as balsam pear,
is a tropical vegetable widely cultivated in Asia,
Africa and South America, and has been used extensively
in folk medicine as a remedy for diabetes.
The blood sugar lowering action of the fresh juice or extract
of the unripe fruit has been clearly established in both
experimental and clinical studies.

Bitter melon is composed of several compounds
with confirmed anti-diabetic properties.
Charantin, extracted by alcohol, is a hypoglycaemic agent
composed of mixed steroids that is more potent than the drug
tolbutamide which is often used in the treatment of diabetes.
Momordica also contains an insulin-like polypeptide,
polypeptide-P, which lowers blood sugar levels
when injected subcutaneously into type 1 diabetic patients.
The oral administration of 50-60 ml of the juice
has shown good results in clinical trials.

Excessively high doses of bitter melon juice
can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Small children or anyone with hypoglycemia should not
take bitter melon, since this herb could theoretically
trigger or worsen low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia.
Furthermore, diabetics taking hypoglycemic drugs
(such as chlorpropamide, glyburide, or phenformin) or insulin
should use bitter melon with caution, as it may potentiate
the effectiveness of the drugs, leading to severe hypoglycemia.



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