Bitter Melon-Karela- patenting compounds in traditional indian medicinal plants

[Guest guest]

There is no mention of use of Bitter melon  known as Karela in India in the

article of Natural news.  The mention that it is a chinese medicine  for

last 500 years is misleading as it is  an ayurvedic medicine for thousands of

years as well as a popular vegetable in India . Perhaps the author in Natural

news should also study indian ayurvedic literature on Karela and large no. of

other ayurvedic medicines for cure  of diabetes.

 

Also the ayurvedic medicine  practicioners / & companies in India need to carry

out research  & file patents of compounds of herbal medicines used for cure of

various diseases before all the wealth / information about  traditional

medicine is lost to big drug companies leading to developing of costly medicines

for poor people. It has been rightly mentioned that the sources of most of the

allopathic drugs is the traditional medicine.

 

Dr SS Chandel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bitter melon does not cure diabetes, only blood sugar levels show improvement

for the time it is taken. In India it is a popular vegetable cooked in different

ways. It is very cooling so some long term use needs some caution. During

winter, best thing may be to cook it with warming spices as they do in India.

 

Bitter Melon

" Wani " <jocanas (AT) gmail (DOT) com>

Tuesday, September 2, 2008, 5:51 PM

 

Bitter Melon Nutrients Fight Type 2 Diabetes Better than Prescription Drugs

 

by David Gutierrez

 

(NaturalNews) In a collaborative effort between the Chinese government and

 

an Australian research institute, scientists have isolated four compounds in

 

bitter melon that may account for the vegetable's utility as a diabetes

 

treatment in traditional Chinese medicine.

 

" We can now understand at a molecular level why bitter melon works as a

 

treatment for diabetes, " said David James, Director of the Diabetes and

 

Obesity Program at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney,

 

Australia. " By isolating the compounds we believe to be therapeutic, we can

 

investigate how they work together in our cells. "

 

" Chinese <http://www.naturaln ews.com/Chinese_ medicine. html> medicine is a

 

very rich source for finding new therapies for diseases, including diabetes

 

<http://www.naturaln ews.com/diabetes .html> , " said researcher Jiming Ye,

 

also of Garvan. He noted that bitter melon

 

<http://www.naturaln ews.com/bitter_ melon.html> has a long history as a

 

natural diabetes remedy in China, and its use is described in texts nearly

 

500 years old.

 

" Bitter melon was described as 'bitter in taste, non-toxic, expelling evil

 

heat, relieving fatigue and illuminating in the famous Compendium of Materia

 

Medica by Li Shizhen (1518-1593), one of the greatest physicians,

 

pharmacologists and naturalists in China's history, " he said. " It is

 

interesting, now that we have the technology, to analyze why it has been so

 

effective. "

 

In addition to relieving the symptoms of diabetes, bitter melon is used in

 

traditional Chinese medicine to promote digestion, brighten the eyes and

 

cool the body.

 

" Not just diabetes, [but] for people keep slim, weight loss - even for ...

 

cholesterol, " said Benny Fan of the Australian Association.

 

Fan says he has been promoting bitter melon as a natural remedy for 25

 

years.

 

Researchers pulped approximately a metric ton of bitter melon and analyzed

 

its chemical components. They identified four compounds that appeared to

 

stimulate the activity of a chemical known as AMPK, which is known to help

 

regulate blood sugar <http://www.naturaln ews.com/blood_ sugar.html> levels.

 

" When we give this compound to our mice just before a meal, we then give the

 

meal, we find that they have a much more efficient removal of glucose from

 

the blood compared to animals that have not been given the drug, " James

 

said.

 

The results of the study were published in the journal Chemistry & Biology.

 

In people with diabetes, the body is not able to move enough sugar

 

<http://www.naturaln ews.com/sugar. html> from the blood and into the cells

 

where it can be burned for energy. This problem arises either from a lack of

 

insulin, a lack of sensitivity to the hormone, or both.

 

Exercise is normally prescribed as a part of diabetes treatment because it

 

activates AMPK, which is known to help move glucose transporters to the

 

surface of cells, where they can then grab the sugar out of the blood. In

 

the current study, the compounds isolated from bitter melon had the same

 

effect on AMPK as exercise. As a next step, the researchers hope to identify

 

the chemical pathways through which this effect occurs.

 

The research into bitter melon was launched four years ago, when the Chinese

 

government initiated efforts to form partnerships with Australian

 

researchers into developing new diabetes treatments.

 

Type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest growing diseases in the world. The

 

World Health Organization estimates that the number of people with diabetes

 

worldwide will increase from 171 million to 350 million by 2030. China is

 

expected to have one of the world's biggest diabetes public health problems

 

by 2025.

 

The American Diabetes Association estimates that 20 million people in the

 

United States - 7 percent of the population - are diabetic

 

<http://www.naturaln ews.com/diabetic .html> , with another 6.2 million

 

undiagnosed. Forty-one million are prediabetic.

 

Eventually, a team from Garvan, one of Australia's largest medical research

 

<http://www.naturaln ews.com/medical_ research. html> institutes, was selected

 

to join China in its bitter melon research.

 

" I think a lot of people thought this idea was a little bit weird to begin

 

with, " James said. " Maybe some people thought the Garvan Institute had lost

 

the plot. We got the funds for the two big new instruments. "

 

But traditional medicines have always been a source for new drugs, he

 

pointed out.

 

" Much of our modern medicines actually come from this very way, so aspirin

 

and Metformin - which is one of the most commonly used medications for

 

diabetes - came from plants, " James said.

 

The ultimate goal is to develop new drugs based on bitter melon, the

 

researchers said. James noted that all four compounds identified have been

 

patented, citing it as a sign of " how confident we are that it's a world

 

first. "

 

To date, only the chemical's effects on mice have been studied. Human trials

 

are not expected to commence for about a year.

 

The researchers said that while some diabetes drugs already on the market

 

work by activating AMPK, those drugs can have serious side effects

 

<http://www.naturaln ews.com/side_ effects.html> . In contrast, no side

 

effects were observed in the mice that were fed the bitter melon compounds.

 

" The advantage of bitter melon is that there are no known side effects, " Ye

 

said. " Practitioners of Chinese medicine have used it for hundreds of years

 

to good effect. "

 

In contrast, the side effects from some diabetes drug can seriously threaten

 

some patients' health, according to Kathy Samaris, who has worked with Type

 

2 diabetics for more than 10 years.

 

" Some people can experience nausea, a low blood sugar level, but in its

 

worst manifestations will cause a seizure, " Samaris said. " A lot of the

 

drugs will cause weight gain which in people who are already struggling with

 

their weight is a big added problem. "

 

Health experts cautioned that before they rush out to eat large quantities

 

of bitter melon, diabetes patients should consult a medical professional. In

 

addition, proper diet and exercise are still the best way to prevent

 

diabetes.