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Health Benefits of Bitter Indian Vegetables

Jun 17, 2011 | By Carol Sarao
Health Benefits of Bitter Indian Vegetables
Photo Credit Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images

Bitter melon -- botanically known as Momordica charantia -- is known by many names, including bitter gourd, cooling cucumber and balsam pear. Although the abundance of names may give the impression that there are many bitter Indian vegetables, the bitter melon is the primary bitter-tasting vegetable consumed for health benefits in India. Traditional uses of bitter melon include treating diabetes and high blood pressure. While test tube and laboratory studies support bitter melon's beneficial effects, clinical studies are lacking. Consult your doctor before using bitter melon.

Features

Bitter melon -- a perennial tropical vine that features lobed leaves, bright yellow flowers and deep green cucumberlike fruit -- is cultivated not only in India but in Asia, Africa and South America as well. The fruit, which turns bright orange as it ripens, is edible and nutritious but breathtakingly bitter; unripe melons are commonly fried and eaten as a vegetable. Bitter melon is prized in Ayurvedic medicine for its ability to lower both blood sugar and blood pressure. It has also been used traditionally for treating tumors, asthma, skin infections and digestive disorders. In traditional Chinese medicine, bitter melon is considered a cooling food that can fight the effects of heat and impart energy and vigor.

Constituents and Effects

Bitter melon is rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C and B-complex vitamins such as thiamin and riboflavin. Minerals present in bitter melon include magnesium, sodium and calcium. Drugs.com credits bitter melon with hypoglycemic, antioxidant, antibiotic and antiviral properties in test tube and animal studies.
Blue Shield Complementary and Alternative Health, or BSCAH, endorses bitter melon as a digestive stimulant, saying its bitter qualities can increase saliva production and digestive enzyme production. According to Learning Info, bitter melon can also significantly lower cholesterol, kill viruses -- including those of Epstein-Barr, herpes and HIV -- and inhibit the growth of E.coli, a common bacterial pathogen.

Research

In a scientific mini-review published in 2009 in "British Journal of Nutrition," the authors noted the popularity of bitter melon as a diabetes treatment among indigenous populations of India, Asia, South America and East Africa, and stated that bitter melon has documented blood sugar-lowering properties in pre-clinical trials. Characterizing the few existing clinical studies as flawed by poor design, they called for better-designed studies to investigate ways in which bitter melon could be used to treat diabetes. In a study published in 2010 in "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry," researchers confirmed the presence of catechin, gallic acid and epicatechin -- all potent antioxidants -- in the pulp and seeds of bitter melon at various stages of ripeness. They concluded that bitter melon extracts have the ability to scavenge free radicals, and endorsed their possible use as antioxidant additives in food products.

Usage and Considerations

To take advantage of the health benefits of bitter melon, you can eat slices of fresh melon, stir-fried or steamed. You can also eat the powdered fruit in the amount of 5 grams three times a day, or drink 50 mg to 100 mg of the fresh juice daily. BSCAH warns that taking several times more than the recommended dosages can cause diarrhea and abdominal cramping, while excessive consumption of the seeds is linked with headache, fever and even coma. Drugs.com cautions that the red arils around the seeds are toxic to children.
Consult your doctor before taking bitter melon. Don't take bitter melon if you are pregnant, breast feeding or have low blood sugar.

References

Article reviewed by Tina Boyle Last updated on: Jun 17, 2011

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