Bitter Melon Fruit Significantly Improves Glucose Tolerance

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Bitter Melon Significantly Improves " Glucose Tolerance "

 

 

JoAnn Guest Apr 04, 2005 11:59 PDT

 

 

BITTER MELON (MOMORDICA CHARANTIA)

Other botanical names include: Bitter Gourd,Carilla, Karela,

Kuguazi,African cucumber, & wild cucumber.

 

Bitter Melon is a common vegetable.

Eaten by many throughout the world, Bitter Melon grows on a vine,is

cousin of the squash and does not grow well in cold weather.

The vine resembles that of the tomato. Instead of round red fruit, however, the

bitter melon has green cucumber

shaped fruit. It's called " bitter " for taste, " melon " for looks. Bitter

melon isn't its only name.

 

Botanists and scientists call it -

Momordica charantia (botanical name).

 

There are many nick-names, including bitter gourd, carilla plant, wild

cucumber, African cucumber, karela, and its medicinal herb name in

china, Kuguazi.

 

Bitter melon is science-friendly. For example, you can find it in the

" MERCK INDEX " , the chemist's and physician's encyclopedia of chemicals,

drugs and biologicals.

 

WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

Bitter melon is native to almost all tropical climates. It is common in

Africa, China, the Far East, India, Brazil, the Caribbean, etc.

 

HERE IN PART IS WHAT THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SAYS ABOUT

BITTER MELON:

 

" Bitter melon is used for tumors in Brazil, for malignant ulcers in Guam.

Arubans take the decoction for hypertension,

Puerto Ricans for diabetes;

Hondurans as a depurative;

Peruvians for colic and worms.

Jamaicans for colds, constipation, fever and stomachache;

Congolese use the leaf for colic, the seed for roundworm.

 

Japanese use the plant for constipation, headache, and skin

ailments.... "

* *James A. Duke, PhD., Chief,

Germplasm Resources Laboratory,

United States Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.,

quoted from HANDBOOK OF MEDICINAL HERBS (1985;pp315-316)

 

 

 

WHAT IS THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH DATA ABOUT BITTER MELON?

 

Some research scientists are concerned with leukemia or lymphoma.

Others with the immune system. Some research AIDS and HIV-1.

Others seek proteins that have immunosuppressive effect.

Still others look for hypoglycemic peptides.

 

Some look for extracts that kill human leukemic lymphocytes.

Some are interested in the highest neutral detergent fiber or monoclonal

antibodies or the lowering of glucose concentrations or stimulators of

" insulin release " .

 

Please spend a few moments browsing over the research material listed

below. We think you will agree, that there is some- thing unique about

this plant.

 

Re: Its lowering of glucose concentrations, improving glucose tolerance,

and promoting glucose disposal:

 

" The mineral and amino acid analysis showed that the " bitter gourd "

contained nutritionally useful quantities of the most essential mineral

and amino acids.

 

The blood sugar once lowered after 30 days did " not increase " even after

15 days of discontinuation of the treatment. " *

 

*Journal of Ethnopharmacology 15(1):107-17 1986 Jan.

 

" Investigations were carried out to evaluate the effect of Momordica

charantia on the glucose tolerance of maturity onset diabetic patients.

 

The juice of Momordia charantia was found to " significantly improve " the

" glucose tolerance " of 73% of the patients investigated while the other

27% failed to respond. " *

 

*Journal of Ethnopharmacology 17(3):277-82 1986 Sept.

 

" Cerrasee -

A wild variety of Momordica charantia is traditionally prepared as a tea

for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in the West Indies and Central

America. The cerasee extracts did not significantly alter " plasma

insulin " concentrations, suggesting that cerasee may exert an

" extrapancretic effect " to promote glucose disposal. " *

 

*Diabetes Research Clinical & Experimental 2(2):81-4 1985 Mar.

 

" The hypoglycaemic effect of orally administered extracts of fruits of

cultivated Momordica charantia (Karela) was examined.

 

The results suggest that orally administered karela extracts " lower "

glucose concentrations independently of intestinal glucose absorption

and involve an extrapancreatic effect. " *

 

*Planta Medica 56(5); 426-9 1990 Oct.

 

" The effect of Karela (Momordica charantia), a fruit indigenous to South

America and Asia, on glucose and insulin concentrations was studied in

nine non-insulin-dependent diabetics and six non-diabetic rats.

 

These results show that karela " improves " glucose tolerance in diabetes.

Doctors supervising *Asian* diabetics should be aware of the fruit's

hypoglycemic properties. " *

 

*British Medical Journal-Clinical Research 282(6279); 1823-4 1981 June

6.

 

" An aqueous extract from the unripe fruits of the tropical plant

Momordica charantia was found to be potent stimulator of " insulin

release " from beta cell rich pancreatic islets isolated from

obese-hyperglycemic mice.

 

Studies of 45 Ca fluxes suggest that the insulin releasing action is a

result of perturbations of membrane functions.

In support for the idea of direct effects on membrane lipids, the action

of the extract was found to mimic that of saponin. " *

 

*Acta Biologica et Medica Germanica 41(12):1229-40 1982.

 

" A hypoglycemic peptide, Polypeptide-p has been isolated from the fruit

seeds and tissue of Momordica charantia.

Polypeptide-p is a very effective " hypoglycemic agent " when administered

subcutaneously to gerbils, langurs and humans. " *

 

*Journal of Natural Products 44(6):648-55 1981 Nov.-Dec.

 

" Extracts of Momordica charantia fruit pulp, seed, and whole plant were

tested for their hypoglycemic effects on normal and diabetic rat models.

 

 

The results indicate the presence of non-sapogenin hypoglycemic

compound(s) in Momordica charantia fruit pulp and the " activity " is

probably mediated either by " improving " the insulin secretory capacity

of

the B cells or by improving the action of the insulin. " *

 

*Planta Medica 59(5):408-412 1993

 

" The Bitter Melon or Balsam Pear--

has been used as a traditional therapy for diabetes in a variety of

cultures.

Further investigation has confirmed the ability of the fresh juice from

the unripe fruit of the bitter melon to " lower blood sugar " .

 

One isolate of Momorica, Charantin is a mixture of steroidal glycosides

and compares favorably to " tolbutamide " , an allopathic drug commonly

used as a " oral hypoglycemic " agent.

 

Another isolate, polypeptide-P has been shown to lower blood glucose

when administered via subcutaneous injections.

 

A variety of oral extracts have been shown to lower blood sugar and

improve " glucose tolerance " in both human and animal studies.

 

Evidence suggests that a constituent in Momordica, or the sum of all the

" constituents " have an " insulin-like " activity themselves and do not

directly " alter " existing insulin levels. " *

 

*Chakravarthy BK, Gupa S, and Gode KD:

 

Functional beta cell regeneration

in the islets of Pancreas in alloxan induced dibetic rats by

epicatechin. Life Sc 31:2693-7, 1982

 

" ....The results indicated that M. charantia fruits and seeds contained

components that resembled insulin in inhibiting hormone-induced

lipolysis... " *

 

*Wong CM, Yeung HW, Ng TB: Screening of (family Cucurbitaceae) for

compounds with antilipolytic activity.

*Journal of Ethnopharmacology 13(3):313-21, July 1985.

 

http://home.istar.ca/~hlth2000/bittermelon.html

*CLICK HERE to view Published Clinical Articles

 

 

 

Bitter Melon - Glycemic and Diabetes Control

http://www.herbal-provider.com/bitter-melon.html

---

Bitter Melon, also known as Karela or Momordica Charantia is a herb that

helps regulate blood sugar levels and keeps body functions operating

normally.

 

It contains Gurmarin, a polypeptide considered to be similar to bovine

insulin, which has been shown in experimental studies to achieve a

positive sugar regulating effect by suppressing the neural response to

sweet taste stimuli.

 

Karela's principle constituents are lectins, charantin and momordicine.

 

 

The fruits have long been used in India as a folk remedy for diabetes

mellitus.

 

Lectins from the bitter gourd have shown significant antilipolytic and

lipogenic activities.

 

The fruits and leaves of the plant contain two alkaloids, one of them

being momordicine. The plant is reported to contain a glucoside, a

saponin-like substance, a resin with an unpleasant taste, an aromatic

volatile oil and a mucilage. The seeds contain an alkaloid (m.p. 236°)

and an anthelmintic principle in the germ; they also contain urease.

 

The fruits, leaves and extracts of Momordica charantia possess

pharmacological properties and medicinal uses.

 

It is useful as an emetic, purgative, in bilious affections, burning

soles of the feet, as an anthelmentic, in piles, leprosy, jaundice, as a

vermifuge, astringent in hemorrhoids, as a stomachic, antispasmodic,

antioxytocic, hypoglycemic, antipyretic, mild hypotensive, anorectic and

for the potentiation of ACh, histamine and BaCI2 induced contractions

and inhibition of ACh of skeletal muscle.

 

Clinical Studies p-Insulin was tested in a controlled clinical trial.

In juvenile diabetics, the peak hypoglycemic effect was observed after

1-8 hrs; in patients with maturity onset diabetes, maximum fall in blood

sugar level was noted after 12 hrs.

 

Karela or Bitter Melon has also been reported to show

hypocholesteroemic activity.

_________________

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes

 

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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