Bitter Melon health benefits
Benefits of Bitter Melon - Diabetes, Side Effects, Recipe, Extract and
Seeds

What is Bitter Melon?
Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) is actually a member of the squash
family and resembles a cucumber with bumpy skin. When first picked, a
bitter melon is yellow-green, but as it ripens, it turns to a yellow-orange
color. The inside of the melon is filled with fibrous seeds.

What are the health benefits of bitter Melon?
With limited scientific supports, bitter melon is general believed to benefit
diabetes. In a study, researchers from University of Bologna, Italy, asked
720 herbalists what herbal remedy that they would recommend to those
suffered from diabetes. They suggested ten herbal remedies and bitter
melon is in the list. [1] According to a review article, bitter melon has been
recognized as a Chinese herbal medicine for diabetes mellitus for
centuries. [2] And, it is more popular in Asia to be used as a natural
product for diabetes. [4] Researchers from Natural Standard, MA, consider
bitter melon an alternative therapy that has primarily been used for
lowering blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes mellitus.
Components of bitter melon extract appear to have structural similarities
to animal insulin. Bitter melon has been shown to have anti-viral and
anti-neoplastic activities. [3] Small trials have shown the moderate
hypoglycemic effect of bitter melon juice, fruit or its dried powder.  

What are other health benefits of bitter melon?
Boiled bitter melon extracts show anti-oxidant activities. Extracts from
bitter melon (Momordica charantia, Cucurbitaceae) showed a significant
difference in the free radical scavenging activity  between the extract
obtained by using cold maceration and that prepared by boiling the plant
in the solvent under reflux, suggesting the chemical composition of the
plant changed during the heating process, leading to an increase in the
amount of antioxidant components. [5]

Bitter melon may also have benefits of lipid-lowering activities.
Researchers have shown the hypolipidemic effect of dietary methanol
fraction (BMMF) extracted from bitter melon (Koimidori variety), at the
levels of 0.5% and 1.0%, in male golden Syrian hamsters. [6] The results
of another study have clearly shown that that bitter melon, especially
Koimidori variety, exhibited a potent liver triglyceride-lowering activity. The
triglyceride lowering activity was furthermore confirmed by the
dose-dependent reduction of hepatic triglyceride, resulting the lowest
level in rats fed 3.0% supplementation. [9]

Bitter melon extracts may provide benefits for cancers as they have
shown anti-cancer activities in a study of Swiss albino mice. A significant
decrease in tumor burden was observed in short and long-term
treatment. Also, total tumor incidence reduced to 83.33% with 2.5% dose
and 90.90% with 5% dose in short term treatment, while in long-term
treatment tumor incidence decreased to 76.92% with 2.5% dose and
69.23% with 5% dose of bitter melon. [7] Seed oil from bitter melon
(Momordica charantia), which is rich in cis(c)9, trans(t)11, t13-conjugated
linolenic acid, has been shown to inhibit the development of
azoxymethane-induced colonic aberrant crypt foci. Seed oil from bitter
melon rich in t13-conjugated linolenic acid can suppress azoxymethane
-induced colon carcinogenesis and the inhibition might be caused, in part,
by modification of lipid composition in the colon and liver and/or increased
expression of PPARgamma protein level in the colon mucosa. [8]

What are the side effects of bitter melon?
Reported adverse or side effects of bitter melon include hypoglycemic
coma and convulsions in children, reduced fertility in mice, a favism-like
syndrome, increases in gamma-glutamyltransferase and alkaline
phosphatase levels in animals, and headaches. Bitter melon may also
have additive effects when taken with other glucose-lowering agents. [3]

Other possible side effects include liver inflammation, and spontaneous
abortion. [10]

Selection
Select firm, unblemished melons that are from 5 to 12 inches in length.
Choose melons that are still green for a more bitter flavor and a
yellow-orange melon for a milder taste. Bitter melons are available fresh
from April to September in most Asian markets and can occasionally be
found in larger supermarkets. Some markets are beginning to carry bitter
melons year round. They may also be purchased canned or dried.

Storage
Store melon loose in a paper or plastic bag in the refrigerator for 3 to 5
days. Slice the melon immediately before use.

Preparation
Cut in half and discard the seeds and fibrous core. To reduce the
bitterness, blanch in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. The skin is edible
and the melon is not typically peeled. The seeds are also edible, unless
very hard, and are included in some recipes. Bitter melon is commonly
stuffed, curried or pickled. It can also be used in stir-fry’s and
soups and may be steamed. Garlic or chili peppers are often added to
recipes with bitter melon to offset the bitter taste.

Recipe-Stuffed Bitter Melon
Ingredients
4 bitter melon about 3 inches long (if longer cut into 3 inch pieces)
1 cup onion finely chopped
½ cup green chile finely chopped
½ Tbsp ginger root finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 Tbsp coriander chopped
3 tsp canola oil
2 tsp flour
½ tsp red chile powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp powdered coriander
¼ tsp powdered tumeric
½ tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp cumin seed

Wash bitter melon thoroughly with water. If bitter melons are of longer
variety, cut them into 3 inch pieces. Remove skin by scraping with a sharp
knife. Keep the skin aside. Slit the bitter melons length wise. Remove the
seeds. Discard the seeds if very hard, otherwise mix them with the skin
scrapings. Blanch the bitter melon in boiling water. Heat a nonstick frying
pan and add 2 teaspoon oil. When the oil becomes hot, add cummin
seeds. When the seeds become dark, add onion, green chile, ginger and
garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes and add all the spices. Stir well and cook until
the mixture turns light brown, about 5-7 minutes. Mix half the coriander
leaves. Take the bitter melon skin in a sieve and wash thoroughly.

Fill the bitter melon with the above mixture. Heat and spray oil on a
nonstick frying pan. Place all the bitter melons in the pan, cover with a lid
and reduce the stove to low. Let them cook for 7 minutes. Change the
side of bitter melons and again cover with the lid. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
Sprinkle with coriander leaves.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 31, Calories from Fat 24%, Fat
1g, Protein 1g, Carbohydrates 5g, Fiber 1g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium
329mg.

What products of bitter melon in the market?
Bitter melon leaves, fruits and seeds are used to prepare tea. Some
manufacturers blend bitter melon and green tea leaves to produce a
refreshing and cooling effects.
However, its fruits and seed are mainly used to prepare supplements, as
they are believed to contain more "anti-diabetic properties".

CONCLUSION
The health benefits of bitter melon on diabetes and some other diseases
have been known for centuries, though related scientific supports are
limited.  Some people like to have bitter melon in their dinner plates,
because of its bitter-tasting. At high doses, it may cause unpleasant
adverse events or side effects.

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REFERENCE AND SOURCE
[1] Cicero AF et al, What do herbalists suggest to diabetic patients in order to
improve glycemic control? Evaluation of scientific evidence and potential risks. Acta
Diabetol. 2004 Sep;41(3):91-8. [2] Jia W et al, Antidiabetic herbal drugs officially
approved in China. Phytother Res. 2003 Dec;17(10):1127-34. [3] Basch E et al,
Bitter melon (Momordica charantia): a review of efficacy and safety. Am J Health
Syst Pharm. 2003 Feb 15;60(4):356-9. [4] Shapiro K et al, Natural products used
for diabetes. J Am Pharm Assoc (Wash).  2002 Mar-Apr;42(2):217-26. [5] Ansari
NM et al, Antioxidant activity of five vegetables traditionally consumed by
south-Asian migrants in Bradford, Yorkshire, UK. Phytother Res. 2005
Oct;19(10):907-11. [6] Senanayake GV et al, The effects of bitter melon
(Momordica charantia) extracts on serum and liver lipid parameters in hamsters fed
cholesterol-free and cholesterol-enriched diets. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2004
Aug;50(4):253-7. [7] Deep G et al, Cancer preventive potential of Momordica
charantia L. against benzo(a)pyrene induced fore-stomach tumourigenesis in
murine model system. Indian J Exp Biol. 2004 Mar;42(3):319-22. [8] Kohno H et
al, Dietary seed oil rich in conjugated linolenic acid from bitter melon inhibits
azoxymethane-induced rat colon carcinogenesis through elevation of colonic
PPARgamma expression and alteration of lipid composition. Int J Cancer. 2004 Jul
20;110(6):896-901. [9] Senanayake GV et al, The effects of bitter melon
(Momordica charantia) on serum and liver triglyceride levels in rats. J
Ethnopharmacol. 2004 Apr;91(2-3):257-62. 10. Basch E, Gabardi S, Ulbricht C.
Bitter melon ( Momordica charantia): a review of efficacy and safety. Am J Health
Syst Pharm. 2003;60:356-359. Source for the recipe, introduction and image: CDC
Online Publication, November 29, 2005
photo by CDC
Bitter melon is used mostly in Asian and Indian cooking; its
health benefits on diabetes have been known for years. Other
names for bitter melon include: foo qua, balsam pear, or bitter
gourd.