This warty-looking melon from the Gourd Family (Cucubitaceae) is born from a vine of the tropics and suptropics and has a bitterness that varies depending on the variety. We think it was originally from Africa, and now the Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia) is cultivated widely and traveled the world, especially in Asian countries, the Caribbean and India.
As you might have guessed, the Bitter Melon is bitter! Yet this has not stopped it from being used widely in cuisine—it is consumed raw or cooked, and sometimes soaked to reduce bitterness, both in the green or yellowing stage. The young plant shoots are also sometimes consumed.
In China this bitterness is appreciated in a wide variety of dishes, as well as in beer in the place of hops! It is similarly enjoyed in cuisines of several Asian countries, India, as well as in Africa and the Caribbean.
The fruit, seed and leaf extracts of Bitter Melon have demonstrated blood sugar balancing activities in preclinical studies. There are several compounds that have been identified as possibly being main actives, including a polypeptide dubbed “plant insulin”, polypeptide P, or p-insulin. Within 30-60 minutes, p-insulin has been observed to have similar effects to bovine insulin, which peak at about 4 hours. Other important compounds are present including charantin, a mixture of two steroid glycosides, and vicine.
Bitter melon has been observed to decrease gluconeogenesis in the liver, while increasing glycogen synthesis, as well as increasing the secretion of insulin from the pancreas. There are also observed effects in the muscles: increased content of insulin-regulated glucose transporter (GLUT4) and glucose uptake.
Despite the promising possible mechanisms of action and preclinical research, not all clinical evidence has shown clear benefit—while some studies have found improvements in HbA1c and fasting glucose, others found no significant difference. Therefore, more studies are needed to understand its wide clinical use.
The traditional consumption of Bitter Melon as part of the diet is widespread and has a long tradition for use in bringing health benefits–to support balance blood sugar, the liver and pancreas, and support cleansing the blood and circulatory system. In Ayurveda, even though it is characterized by a bitter flavor, and thus a signal that it balances Kapha and Pita doshas, Bitter Melon is actually considered tridoshic—good for balancing all three doshas.
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*This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician.
Photo by gailhampshire