Bitter melon
Momordica charantia
Medicinal uses
Bitter melon has been used in various Asian and
African traditional medicine systems for a long time.[SUP]
[1][/SUP][SUP]
[2][/SUP][SUP]
[3][/SUP]
Active substance
The plant contains several biologically active compounds, chiefly
momordicin I and
II, and
cucurbitacin B.[SUP]
[4][/SUP] The plants contains also several bioactive
glycosides (including
momordin,
charantin,
charantosides,
goyaglycosides,
momordicosides) and other
terpenoid compounds (including
momordicin-28,
momordicinin,
momordicilin,
momordenol, and
momordol).[SUP]
[5][/SUP][SUP]
[6][/SUP][SUP]
[7][/SUP][SUP]
[8][/SUP][SUP]
[9][/SUP] It also contains
cytotoxic (
ribosome-inactivating) proteins such as
momorcharin and
momordin.[SUP]
[10][/SUP]
[h=3]Antihelmintic[/h]
Bitter melon is used as a folk medicine in
Togo to treat gastrointestinal diseases, and extracts have shown activity in vitro against the nematode worm
Caenorhabditis elegans.[SUP]
[2][/SUP]
Antimalarial
Bitter melon is traditionally regarded in
Asia as useful for preventing and treating
malaria.[SUP][
citation needed][/SUP] Tea from its leaves is used for this purpose also in
Panama and
Colombia. In
Guyana, bitter melons are boiled and stir-fried with garlic and onions. This popular side dish known as corilla is served to prevent malaria. Laboratory studies have confirmed that species related to bitter melon have anti-malarial activity, though human studies have not yet been published.[SUP]
[11][/SUP]
[edit]Antiviral
In
Togo the plant is traditionally used against viral diseases such as
chickenpox and
measles. Tests with leaf extracts have shown
in vitro activity against the
herpes simplex type 1 virus, apparently due to unidentified compounds other than the momordicins.[SUP]
[2][/SUP]
Laboratory tests suggest that compounds in bitter melon might be effective for treating
HIV infection.[SUP]
[12][/SUP] As most compounds isolated from bitter melon that impact HIV have either been proteins or
lectins, neither of which are well-absorbed, it is unlikely that oral intake of bitter melon will slow HIV in infected people. It is possible oral ingestion of bitter melon could offset negative effects of anti-HIV drugs, if a test tube study can be shown to be applicable to people.[SUP]
[13][/SUP]
Cardioprotective
Studies in mice indicate that bitter mellon seed may have a cardioprotective effect by down-regulating the
NF-κB inflammatory pathway.[SUP]
[14][/SUP]
Diabetes
In 1962, Lolitkar and Rao extracted from the plant a substance, which they called
charantin, which had
hypoglycaemic effect on normal and diabetic rabbits.[SUP]
[15][/SUP] Another principle, active only on diabetic rabbits, was isolated by Visarata and Ungsurungsie in 1981.[SUP]
[16][/SUP] Bitter melon has been found to increase insulin sensitivity.[SUP]
[17][/SUP] In 2007, a study by the Philippine Department of Health determined that a daily dose of 100
mg per kilogram of body weight is comparable to 2.5 mg/kg of the anti-diabetes drug
glibenclamide taken twice per day.[SUP]
[18][/SUP]Tablets of bitter melon extract are sold in the Philippines as a food supplement and exported to many countries.[SUP]
[18][/SUP]
Other compounds in bitter melon have been found to activate the
AMPK, the protein that regulates
glucose uptake (a process which is impaired in diabetics).[SUP]
[19][/SUP][SUP]
[20][/SUP][SUP]
[21][/SUP][SUP]
[22][/SUP][SUP]
[23][/SUP]
Bitter melon also contains a
lectin that has insulin-like activity due to its non-protein-specific linking together to insulin receptors. This lectin lowers blood glucose concentrations by acting on peripheral tissues and, similar to insulin's effects in the brain, suppressing appetite. This lectin is likely a major contributor to the
hypoglycemic effect that develops after eating bitter melon.[SUP][
citation needed][/SUP]
Anticancer
Two compounds extracted from bitter melon,
α-eleostearic acid (from seeds) and
15,16-dihydroxy-α-eleostearic acid (from the fruit) have been found to induce
apoptosis of
leukemia cells in vitro.[SUP]
[24][/SUP] Diets containing 0.01% bitter melon oil (0.006% as α-eleostearic acid) were found to prevent
azoxymethane-induced colon
carcinogenesis in
rats.[SUP]
[25][/SUP]
Other uses
Bitter melon has been used in traditional medicine for several other ailments, including
dysentery,
colic, fevers, burns, painful
menstruation,
scabies and other skin problems. It has also been used as
abortifacient, for
birth control, and to help
childbirth.[SUP]
[2][/SUP]
Cautions
The seeds of bitter melon contains
vicine and therefore can trigger symptoms of
favism in susceptible individuals. In addition, the red
arils of the seeds are reported to be toxic to children, and the fruit is contraindicated during
pregnancy.[SUP]
[26]
[/SUP]