Upper respiratory infections, with their uncomfortable symptoms of sneezing, coughing, scratchy throat and low-grade fever, usually stem from viruses. Doctors often advise over-the-counter fever reducers, decongestants and antihistamines to alleviate symptoms. Some natural healers recommend the use of herbal remedies such as bitter melon to prevent and treat upper respiratory infections. Although clinical research is lacking, laboratory and animal studies show bitter melon may inhibit the growth of pathogens and stimulate the immune system. Consult your doctor before using bitter melon.
Features
Bitter melon, botanically known as Momordica charantia and also known as bitter cucumber, bitter gourd and balsam pear, is a tropical plant indigenous to East Africa, Asia and the Caribbean; it is also found in the southeastern United States. The plant features lobed leaves, yellow flowers and orange-yellow fruit that is edible and nutritious, but mouth-puckeringly bitter. Bitter melon is eaten unripe as a vegetable; extracts from the leaves, seeds, and fruit have uses in Traditional Chinese Medication and Ayurveda to treat asthma, digestive disorders, high blood pressure, skin infections and diabetes.
Constituents and Effects
Bitter melon is rich in triterpene glycosides, including the compounds momordin and charantin. Also present are beneficial carotenoid plant pigments, including lutein, lycopene and xanthins, as well as the polyphenols catechin and epicatechin, also found in green tea. Additional constituents include vitamin C and B-complex vitamins; the minerals iron, iodine, magnesium and calcium; and stearic, palmitic and oleic acids. Drugs.com, which provides peer-reviewed medical information to consumers, credits bitter melon with antioxidant, anticancer, antibiotic and antiviral properties in test tubes, including the ability to inhibit the HIV virus. The essential seed oil is active against the common pathogen S. aureus, including methicillin resistant S. aureus, or MRSA. Bitter melon may also have the ability to boost immune system function and promote liver health.
Research
Scientific research supports the belief that bitter melon can boost immune system activity. In a laboratory study published in 2008 in "Immunology Letters," researchers found that a lectin glycoprotein isolated from bitter melon seeds stimulated production of white blood cells that produce antibodies, also known as B-cells.
Usage and Considerations
To get the nutrients and beneficial effects of bitter melon, you can consume one small melon per day, or drink 2 fluid ounces of the fresh juice daily. Blue Shield Complementary and Alternative Health reports that bitter melon is relatively safe at low doses for a duration of four weeks or less, but notes that ingesting more than the recommended amount of bitter melon can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. Excessive ingestion of bitter melon seeds can cause headache, fever and coma in adults; both the seeds and the juice are toxic to children. Bitter melon can also lower blood sugar. Consult your doctor before using bitter melon. If you are pregnant, breast-feeding or trying to conceive, don't use bitter melon.
References
- Drugs.com; Complete Bitter Melon Information; 2009
- Blue Shield Complementary and Alternative Health; Bitter Melon; February 2011
- "Journal of Ethnopharmacology"; Pharmacological Actions and Potential Uses of Momordica Charantia: a Review; J.K. Grover and S.P. Yadav; June 2004
- "Immunology Letters"; Characterization of Lectin Isolated From Mormordica Charantia Seed as a B-Cell Activator; Li Huang et al.; December 2006
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