| Customization: | Available |
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| Packaging Material: | Plastic |
| Storage Method: | Normal |
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Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) is a climbing vine found in tropical and subtropical areas that produces a green, deeply ridged or warty oblong fruit resembling a cucumber. The fruit, although quite bitter, can be eaten raw but more frequently is used in cooking or in preparing teas. Extracts of the fruit have also been used in traditional medicine for multiple conditions including constipation, dyspepsia, ulcer disease, cough, respiratory illnesses, gout, arthritis, skin disease and wounds. Claims have been made that bitter melon has antiviral effects which may be beneficial in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and that it has antineoplastic activities that may be effective for cancer. None of these purported effects, however, have been demonstrated in clinical trials in humans. Studies in animals as well as humans have shown that bitter melon extracts can lower blood sugar for which reason it has been marketed as a treatment of type 2 diabetes. The components of bitter melon responsible for the hypoglycemic effects are not known, but the fruit extracts contain alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, triterpenes, oils, steroids sterols, polysaccharides, resins and proteins, several of which have been shown to have effects on glucose metabolism in cell culture or animal models.
The exact mechanism of the hypoglycemic effect of bitter melon is not known. In placebo controlled clinical trials in patients with diabetes or glucose intolerance, bitter melon extracts have had only a modest effect on serum glucose levels and little or no effect on fasting plasma glucose or hemoglobin A1c levels. Bitter melon has not been approved for the treatment of diabetes or any other medical condition in the United States by the FDA. Nevertheless, bitter melon extracts are available over-the-counter as a dietary supplement in multiple forms including liquid, powders and tablets. The typical recommended dose is 500 to 1000 mg taken in two to three times daily. Bitter melon extracts are usually well tolerated, but side effects can include abdominal discomfort, heartburn, constipation or diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, headache and hypoglycemia. Rare but potentially severe adverse effects include severe hypoglycemia, coma and seizures. Bitter melon is a potential abortifacient and should not be used in pregnancy or in women of childbearing age not using effective contraception.
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