Bitter Melon / Gymnema

Bitter Melon is also known by the names Karela and Balsam Pear. Bitter Melon is a green cucumber-shaped fruit with gourd-like bumps covering it, resembling an ugly, light green cucumber, and it tastes very bitter. The fruit should be firm, like a cucumber. Although the seeds, leaves and vines of Bitter Melon have all been used, the fruit is the most widely used part of the plant for medicinal purposes. The leaves and fruit have also been used occasionally to make teas and beer or to season soups. Bitter Melon was traditionally used for a dazzling array of conditions by people in tropical regions. Numerous infections, cancers, leukemia and diabetes are among the most common conditions it was believed to improve. Bitter Melon is 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 too weak to be viable. The ripe fruit of Bitter Melon has been suggested to exhibit some remarkable anti-cancer effects, but again, there is absolutely no clinical evidence to prove this assertion. However, preliminary studies do appear to confirm that Bitter Melon may improve blood sugar control in people with adult-onset (Type 2) diabetes. If you have Type 2 diabetes, you might consider adding Bitter Melon to your diet, but only under a doctor's supervision, as the blood-glucose lowering action of the fresh juice of the unripe Bitter Melon has been confirmed in scientific studies in animals and humans. 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.

Gymnema is also known by the names Gymnema silvestre, Gurmar, Gurmabooti, Ram's Horn, Periploca of the Woods, and Meshasringi. Gymnema is a climbing plant that grows in the tropical forests of central and southern India, where leaves of this long, slender plant have been used for more than two thousand year in Ayurvedic medicine. The woody Gymnema plant also grows in parts of Africa. The leaves, when chewed, interfere with the ability to taste sweetness, which explains its Hindu name Gurmar. In the past, powdered Gymnema root was used to treat snake bites, constipation, stomach complaints, water retention and liver disease. However, the name Gurmar best describes the primary use of Gymnema - because it means "sugar destroyer." This herb has been used in for thousands of years to treat adult-onset diabetes, a condition once described as "honey urine." The hypoglycemic (blood sugar lowering) action of Gymnema leaves was first documented in the late 1920s. This action is gradual in nature, differing from the rapid effect of many prescription hypoglycemic drugs. Gymnema leaves raise insulin levels, according to research in healthy volunteers. Based on animal studies, this may be due to regeneration of the cells in the pancreas that secrete insulin. Other animal research shows that Gymnema can also improve uptake of glucose into cells and prevent adrenaline from stimulating the liver to produce glucose, thereby reducing blood sugar levels. The leaves are also said to lower serum cholesterol and triglycerides. The primary chemical constituents of Gymnema include gymnemic acid, tartaric acid, gurmarin, calcium oxalate, glucose, stigmasterol, betaine and choline. While studies have shown that a water-soluble acidic fraction provides the hypoglycemic actions, it is not yet clear what specific constituent in the leaves is responsible for this action. Some researchers have suggested gymnemic acid as one possible candidate; however, further research is needed to establish this fact. Both gurmarin (another constituent of the leaves) and gymnemic acid have been shown to block a sweet taste in humans. When Gymnema is taken before eating, these constituents block the taste of sugar, thereby reducing the desire to eat it. The molecules of gymnemic acid fill the receptor sites for one to two hours, thus preventing the taste buds from being activated by the sugar molecules in food.