HERBAL MEDICINE:(Momordica Charantaia)
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COMMON NAMES: Karela, balsam apple, paoka, madian apple,
mexicaine, caprika,
achochilla, cerasse
TRADITIONAL USES:
Abortifacient, anthelmintic, aphrodisiac, burn, catarrh,
constipation,
digestion, demulcent, dermatosis, diabetes, diarrhea, dyspepsia,
eczema, emetic, emmenagogue,emollient, fever, febrifuge, hemorrhoids,
hepatitis, hypoglycemic, inflammation (liver), leprosy,leucorrhoea, leukemia,
malaria, menstrual colic,pain, pruritus, purgative, rheumatism, scabies,skin,
tumor, wound, vaginitis, vermifuge, cancer (breast), food, glucosuria,halitosis,
hematuria,polyuria, refrigerant, bite (snake), anemia, colitis, kidney (stone),
sterility (female), dysentery,gonorrhea, appetite stimulant, insecticide,
laxative, rage, rhinitis, contraceptive, dysmenorrhea,fat loss, galactagogue,
gout, hydrophobia, piles, pneumonia, psoriasis, sore, asthma, headache,scald,
sprue, stomachache, cold, cough, hypertension, tonic gallbladder, contusions, lung,measles,
suppurative, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
Bitter melon (Momordica chrantia L.) also known as bitter gourd,
African or
wild cucumber, is known in Hindi as karela, as ampalaya in
the Philippines, in the West African country of Togo asguingbe, and in the
Caribbean ascerasse/cerasee Cerasee is native to Africa, the Middle East and
the Mediterranean area. It was introduced toBrazil by African slaves and from
there it spread to the rest of Latin America and the West Indies.
Today it reaches as far north as Texas and
Florida, where it grows wild. Bitter melon fruit and leaves also have a
time-honored use as a medicine throughout India, Asia, Africa and South America.
Tea made of the vine is used for diabetes, hypertension, worms, dysentery, malaria and as ageneral
tonic and blood purifier.It is also very effective torelieve constipation and
colds and fevers in children. Women in Latin American and the West Indies use
the leaf for menstruaproblems to promote discharge after childbirth.In Brazil,
cerasse tea is used as a tonic and remedy for colds, fever and pains due to
arthritis andrheumatism. In Curacao and Aruba, the tea is used to lower blood
pressure. In the Philippines, bitter melon is cultivated as a vegetable and
cooked like other leafy vegetables. In Cuba, ceraseetea is used as a remedy for
colitis,liver complaints, fever and as askin lotion. A tea of the root isused
to expel kidney stones. In India, the green, unripe fruits are soaked in water
and cooked in curry and other dishes. The juice of the ripe fruit, which
contains valuable enzymes and minerals,is taken for diabetes.Active
constituents in bitter melon include glycosides, saponins, alkaloids,fixed
oils, triterpenes,proteins and steroids. The hypoglycemic constituents are a
mixture of steroidal saponins knownas charantins, insulin-like peptides andalkaloids.
These constituents are concentrated in the fruits which have also been shown to
have the most pronounced hypoglycemic activity compared toother plant parts.
Several other phytochemicals including momorcharins, momordenol,momordicins,
cucurbitins, cucurbitacins have been isolated from the bittermelon. It also
contains HIV inhibitory proteins code named MRK29 as well as trypsin,
elastaseand gyanylate cyclaseinhibitors and lectins.
Antifertility
However, toxicity and even death in laboratoryanimals has been
reported when extracts areinjected intravenously or intraperitoneally (with the
fruit and seeddemonstrating greater toxicity than the leaf or aerial parts
ofthe plant). Other studies have shown ethanol and water extracts ofthe fruit
and leaf (ingested orally) to be safe during pregnancy. The seeds, however,
have demonstrated the ability to induce abortions in rats and mice, and the
root has been documented with a uterine
stimulant effect in animals. The fruit and leaf of bitter melon has
demonstrated an in vivo antifertility effect in female animals;in male animals,
it was reported to affect the production of sperm negatively. Bitter melon
traditionally has been used as an abortive and has been documented with weak
uterine stimulant activity; therefore, it is contraindicated duringpregnancy.
This plant has been documented toreduce fertility in both males and females and
should therefore not be used by those undergoing fertility treatment or seeking
pregnancy. The active chemicals in bitter melon have shown in animal studies to
be transferred through breast milk; therefore, it is contraindicated in women
who are breast feeding.
Alloxan-induced
Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus can be induced in animals by partial
pancreatectomy or by the administration of diabetogenic drugs such as alloxan,
streptozotocin, ditizona and anti-insulin serum. These agents selectively
destroy theβ-cells of the Langerhans islet. Alloxan, an oxidized product of
uric acid,is one of the most commonly used models of experimental
diabetAntihyperglycaemic activity.The antihyperglycaemic activity of bitter
melon isthe most studied and most significant. This activity of the fruit, seed, leaf and whole
plant has been confirmed in animal studies. A study examining the hypoglycemic
effects of the thirty most popular anti-diabetic Indian herbs found Coccinia
indica, Tragia involucrata, Gymnema sylvestre, Pterocarpus marsupium,
Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek), Moringa oleifera, Eugenia jambolana,
Tinosporacordifolia,Swertia chirayita and Momordica charantia (bitter melon) to
be the most potent. A water extract of the fruit was found to be the most
effective indiabetic induced rats and similar to that of glibenclamide. Anthelminitic,
antiviral and antimicrobial activities Extracts of various plant parts of the
bitter melon, including the leaf, fruit
and seeds have been investigated and found to be pharmacologically active
against microbes. A leaf, and a fruit, inaddition to whole plant extracts have
been foundto have antimicrobial and antiviral activities.Isolated constituents
including alpha momorcharin have been shown to have anti-HIV activity.Ribosome-inactivating
proteins have been found to be active against both herpes and polio viruses.
Anthelminitic activity against Ascaridia galliworms have been demonstrated in
vitro
Anticancer
activity
Various preliminary studies (in vitro and in vivo) with crude extracts
and purified fractions havebeen shown to possess anticancer activity. The anti-carcinogenic
effect of aqueous extract of thebitter melon fruit was studied in a two-step skin
carcinogenesis model in mice. Oral administration of the fruit extract
protected the mice from the development of skin tumours and increased life
expectancy. The extract also reduced carcinogen-induced lipid peroxidation in
liver and DNA damage in lymphocytes. The fruit extract was furthermore found to
significantly activate the liver enzymes glutathione-S-transferase,
glutathione-peroxidase and catalase (P <0.001), which showed a depression
following exposure to the carcinogen.The results suggest a preventive role of
water-soluble constituents of bitter melon fruit during carcinogenesis, which
is possibly mediated by their modulatory effect on enzymes of the
biotransformation and detoxification system of the host.
Anti-ulcer
activity
The traditional use of bitter melon in the treatment of ulcers is
supported by research suggesting the dried-powdered fruits in filtered honey
have significant and dose dependent anti-ulcerogenic activity against
ethanol-induced ulcerogenesis in rats. Antiviral activity against H. pylori
would further contribute to this protective effect.
Immunomodulatory
activity
Bitter melon extracts and isolated constituents have a variable
effect on the immune system. It has been shown to be immune stimulating in
some studies and immunosuppressive in some conditions. The
clinical significance
is not yet known as it likely to be highly dependent on type
of extract, dosage and administration. Its immunomodulatory
activity may explain its traditionaluse in psoriasis, which is now known to be
an autoimmune disorder.
VIST WWW.MIRACLEHEALINGHERBS1.COM FOR ALL YOUR HERBAL NEEDS .
REFERENCES
CERASEE (MOMORDICA CHARANTIA)
http://www.blackherbals.com/BLACKHERBALS_CATALOG_ALL_PRODUCTS
Basic Herbs for
Health and Healing; Rashan Abdul Hakim, 1989
The Health Benefits of the Plantain Leaf”; Megan Ashton;
April 29, 2011;
http://www.livestrong.com/article/430791-the-health-benefits-of-the-plantain-leaf/
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