Bitter Melon 10:1

History and Uses:
Bitter Melongrows in tropical areas, including parts of East Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and South America, where it is used as a food as well as a medicine. It is a green, cucumber-shaped fruit with gourd-like bumps and, in fact, resembles an ugly, light green cucumber, but it tastes very bitter. The fruit should be firm, like that of a cucumber. Although the seeds, leaves and vines of Bitter Melon have all been used, the fruit is the safest and most common part of the plant used medicinally. The leaves and fruit have both been used occasionally to make teas and beer or to season soups in the Western world. Bitter Melon was traditionally used for a dazzling array of conditions by people in tropical regions. Numerous infections, malignant disease, leukemia and diabetes are among the most common conditions it was believed to improve. Bitter Melon is currently reported to help in the treatment of diabetes and psoriasis. It has also been thought that Bitter Melon may help in the treatment of HIV, but the evidence thus far is not conclusive. However, preliminary studies do appear to confirm that Bitter Melon may improve blood sugar control in people with adult-onset (Type-2) diabetes. The blood lowering action of the fresh juice of the unripe Bitter Melon has been confirmed in scientific studies in animals and humans and may thus be helpful for those with Type-2 diabetes, but only under a doctor's supervision. At least three different groups of constituents in Bitter Melon have been reported to have hypoglycemic (blood sugar lowering) or other actions of potential benefit in diabetes mellitus. These include a mixture of steroidal saponins known as charantin, insulin-like peptides and alkaloids. It is still unclear which of these is most effective or if all three work together. Nonetheless, Bitter Melon preparations have been shown to significantly improve glucose tolerance without increasing blood insulin levels and to improve fasting blood glucose levels. Blood and urine sugar levels and post-prandial (after eating) blood glucose levels also fell. An as-yet unidentified constituent in Bitter Melon also seems to inhibit the enzyme, guanylate cyclase, which may benefit people with psoriasis.