Bitter Melon: A Natural Remedy for Type II Diabetes

[Guest guest]

Dear Group,

I posted my information regarding Bitter Melon on a diabetic

group. This is the answer I received. I believe this article

contains a wealth of valuable information, however of course I don't

agree with his assessement of diabetic meds.

Most of us on this group are aware that there IS a cure for diabetes

and we know the answer lies in natural remedies not pharmaceuticals.

As you peruse this article please keep in mind that the author is a

medical doctor and because of this his views are somewhat biased!

Regards, JoAnn

 

---

Bitter Melon: A Natural Remedy for Type II Diabetes

Dr. Donald Houston

 

Data & information collected from internet about bitter melon is

sparse but it does exist. You will find that there are a few

articles and even a 103-page technical report about fresh bitter

melon also called bitter gourd. Suppliers attempt to sell it as

capsules, cream, powder, dehydrated slices & in tea bag

formulations. It is the dehydrated form that is the most natural &

actually is the most convenient. made as a tea you need only to add

some hot water make into a drink that you can easily ingest.

 

What is the secret behind bitter melon? How does it work? Why does

is it effective? Will it be effective with both Type I & Type 2

diabetics? These are only a few of the many challenging questions

about bitter melon & diabetes. Is it possible to safely use this

natural vegetable, in dehydrated form, to substitute traditional &

much more common diabetic medications?

 

It is actually easy to systemically explore as well as

scientifically explain some of them. You, the diabetic patient will

contribute greatly to mankind along with yourself if we use a dirt-

cheap natural dehydrated vegetable to substitute or even replace a

multiple-hundred-million-dollar-invested artificial medications?

 

There is no cure for diabetes! Yet! We need to allow this dehydrated

vegetable to go to the " front-line, " and realign the thinking &

consensus about diabetic medications so that the traditonal

medications can become the backup units in the fight against this

insidious disease.? Just imagine how much money can we save and how

many side-effects can we avoid!

 

Bitter Melon, also called as Karela or Momordica Charantia is a herb

that helps regulate blood sugar levels & assists in keeping body

functions operating in a normal manner. Karela contains Gurmarin, a

polypeptide similar to bovine insulin. This polypeptide has been

shown in experimental studies to achieve a positive sugar-regulating

effect as it suppresses the neural response to sweet-taste stimuli.

Karela's principle constituents are lectins, charantin &

momordicine. This fruit has long been used in India, Burma,

Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand Viet Nam & the Phillipines as a folk

remedy for diabetes mellitus. Lectins from the bitter melon/gourd

have shown significant lipogenic & antilipolytic activities.

 

It is the fruits, leaves & even the roots of the plant that contain

the 2 alkaloids necessary for the supression of the neural response

to a sweet-taste stimuli., One of these alkaloids is momordicine.

The plant also contains a glucoside, actually a saponin-like

substance, which is a resin with an unpleasant taste, caused by an

aromatic volatile oil & a mucilaginous property as well. The seeds

contain an alkaloid, m.p. 236 along with an anthelmintic principle

in the germ. The seeds also contain urease. The fruits, leaves &

roots as well as extracts of Momordica charantia possess

pharmacological properties and medicinal uses. It is useful as an

emetic, purgative, in bilious affections, burning soles of the feet,

as an anthelmentic, in piles, leprosy, jaundice, as a vermifuge,

astringent in hemorrhoids, as a stomachic, antispasmodic,

antioxytocic, hypoglycemic, antipyretic, mild hypotensive, anorectic

and for the potentiation of ACh, histamine, BaCI2 induced

contractions & in the inhibition of ACh of skeletal muscle.

 

Clinical Studies

 

 

The substance, p-Insulin was tested in a controlled clinical trial.

In juvenile diabetics, the peak hypoglycemic effect was observed

after 1-8 hrs; in patients with maturity onset diabetes, maximum

fall in blood sugar level was noted after 12 hrs. Karela or Bitter

Melon has also been reported to show hypocholesteroemic activity.

 

Bitter gourd is seasonal vegetable with a very bitter taste but it

is also a highly rich source of phosphorous. The needs of

phosphorous in human body are fulfilled by regular use of bitter

gourd is invigorating. Bitter gourd is a blood purifier, activates

spleen & liver. It is being shown to also be highly beneficial &

effective in the treatemnt of diabetes. It is a purgative,

appetizer, digestive, anti-inflammatory & has a highly significant

healing capacity as well.

 

Sources:

 

Bitter Melon, Sweet Potential

by Brian Meyer

 

International Institute of Natural Pharmacology Pamphlet # 2005-104

 

Functional beta cell regeneration in the islets of Pancreas in

alloxan induced dibetic rats by epicatechin

Chakravarthy BK, Gupa S, and Gode KD: Life Sc 31:2693-7, 1982