The bitter melon is not any more attractive than its name implies. Also referred to as bitter gourd or balsam pear, it resembles a warty cucumber and is often used in Asian and Indian cuisine. While you may never consider trying bitter melon, once you are aware of its vitamin content and these vitamins' importance to your health, you may want to find a way to work it into your diet.
Vitamin C
Bitter melon has a very high vitamin C content, with 1 cup of it containing 78.1 mg, or 130 percent of the daily value recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA. Vitamin C is an essential vitamin, needed by the body for the proper growth and development of tissues. It helps form collagen, which is the building block of healthy skin, and it is a powerful antioxidant vitamin. An antioxidant is thought to protect the body from various diseases, such as cancer, and aging-related disorders. The National Institutes of Health, or NIH, explains that the body does not produce its own vitamin C, nor does it store any extra that you may have taken in during the day. What it doesn't use is discarded in the urine, which is why eating foods rich in vitamin C, such as bitter melon, is important.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is another antioxidant vitamin, and is found in bitter melon in the form of alpha and beta carotene. Vitamin A is reported by the NIH as being responsible for good vision, especially in dark settings, and for the formation and maintenance of healthy teeth, skin and tissues. Without an adequate intake of vitamin A, you are at risk for diseases and vision troubles. One cup of bitter melon contains 438 IU (International Units) of vitamin A, which is 9 percent of the recommended daily intake.
B Vitamins
Bitter melon contains severa B vitamins, specifically thiamin, or B1; ribovlavin, or B2; niacin, or B3; pantothenic acid, or B5; vitamin B6; and folic acid, or B9. Most of the B vitamins in bitter melon are available only in trace amounts, with less than 2 percent of the recommended daily value. Folic acid, however, is available as folate in the amount of 67 mcg, or 17 percent of the daily value, in a 1 cup serving. All B vitamins help the body produce energy and partake in cellular metabolism, but folate can also help reduce your risk of heart disease, heart failure and stroke, according to an April 15, 2010, issue of "Stroke," the journal of the American Heart Association.
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