Bitter Melon: Why A Simple Fruit Extract Could Be Set To Replace Conventional Drugs For Treating Diabetes

When HSI Panellist, Paula Bartimeus, first told us about Bitter Melon - hailed as a potential breakthrough in the treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes, HIV/AIDs and even cancer - we found it hard to believe that a simple fruit could exert such far-reaching health benefits.

However, the mounting research into bitter melon's unique therapeutic properties appears to be yet another testament to the advantages of certain natural therapies over many conventional drugs. In India, for example, doctors are so confident about the anti-diabetic effect of bitter melon that it is often dispensed in hospitals to people suffering from diabetes in place of medication.

Conventional drugs are often limited to treating just one specific condition, whereas natural remedies - because of the complex array of biochemicals, vitamins and minerals they contain - are remarkably versatile and able to provide relief for a wide range of unrelated conditions. In bitter melon, for example, there are 32 active ingredients - which are thought to aid recovery from viral infections, improve digestion and stimulate poor appetite too.

Unripe fruit extract responsible for bitter melon's potent health-giving properties
The bitter melon plant (Momordica charantia) can be found growing in tropical locations such as East Africa, Asia, The Caribbean and South America - where its fruit is used both as a medicine and a food. Bitter melon is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family - a relative of squash, watermelon and cucumber - and as the name suggests, it tastes bitter.

Also known as balsam pear, bitter melon is cucumber shaped with a pebbly surface. As it begins to mature, its surface colour turns from light green to yellow or orange. However, it is the extract from the unripe fruit that provides the plant with its therapeutic properties.

At least 32 active constituents have been identified in bitter melon so far, including beta-sitosterol-d-glucoside, citrulline, GABA, lutein, lycopene and zeaxanthin. Nutritional analysis reveals that bitter melon is also rich in potassium, calcium, iron, beta-carotene, vitamins B1, B2, B3 and C.

Even more effective than a conventional drug in lowering blood sugar!
Recently, the Department of Health in the Philippines has recommended bitter melon as one of the best herbal medicines for diabetic management. And multiple clinical studies have clearly established the role of bitter melon in people with diabetes.1 Scientists have now identified three groups of constituents that are thought to be responsible for its 'blood sugar lowering' action.

One of these, a compound called charantin, which is composed of mixed steroids, was found to be more effective than the oral hypoglycaemic drug, tolbutamide, in reducing blood sugar.

Another, an insulin-like polypeptide, called polypeptide P, appears to lower blood sugar in type I (insulin dependent) diabetics, while alkaloids present in the fruit have also been noted to have a blood sugar lowering effect. As yet, researchers are unclear as to which of these compounds is most effective or if it is the synergistic effect of all three. Further research is required to understand how these compounds actually work.

Compounds known as oleanolic acid glycosides have been found to improve glucose tolerance in Type II (maturity onset) diabetics by preventing the absorption of sugar from the intestines. Bitter melon has also been reported to increase the number of beta cells (cells that secrete insulin) in the pancreas, thereby improving your body's capability to produce insulin (insulin promotes the uptake of sugar from your blood by cells and tissues).

In one study, glucose tolerance was improved in 73 per cent of type II diabetics given 2oz of bitter melon juice. 2 In another study, 15 grams of the aqueous extract of bitter melon produced a 54 per cent decrease in post-prandial (occurring after eating) blood sugar in six patients. 3

A natural therapy for the management of AIDs and HIV?
In the USA and Asia there has been much interest in bitter melon for its use as an alternative therapy for AIDs. A protein called MAP 30 isolated from the fruit is a potent inhibitor of HIV activity.

Professor Sylvia Lee-Huang and researchers at the New York University School of Medicine reported that MAP 30 protein is able to slow down HIV-1 infection in T-lymphocytes and monocytes (white blood cells) as well as replication of HIV-1 in infected cells. 4

And, unlike many other alternative anti-HIV treatments, the compound has been shown to be non-toxic to uninfected cells. Although research is very much in its early stages, two other proteins present in the seeds of the bitter melon, alpha- and beta-momorcharin, have also been found to inhibit the AIDs virus. 5

Bitter melon may prove to have general anti-viral properties too. A seed extract has been shown to deter herpes virus-1 in human cells. 6 While anti-cancer properties are present in a crude extract of the fruit. 4

How to take bitter melon for maximum results
Due to its bitter taste, you may prefer to take bitter melon in tincture or capsule form. The suggested dose for bitter melon tincture is approximately 5ml - two to three times a day. The dosage for capsules will depend on the strength of the product, and may vary from brand to brand - always follow instructions on the product's label.